Quote:
Originally Posted by UnknownJinX
(Post 8896541)
But isn't cold wear where a lot of wear comes from? At least that's the case for piston engines. That's why a lot of newer cars are pushing 0W-20 nowadays since it means you get the quickest oil flow on startup after all the oil drains back to the oil pan from sitting overnight.
Oil is a pretty big debate. The previous owners of my car have used 5W-20 conventional only, and I have done the same. I am aware of the fact that thinner oil can break down from heat, but my UOA analysis showed that there is little wear metal in the oil, so it's doing its job. If I live somewhere hotter, I would have gone up to 5W-30 or even 40.
I just make sure I check the oil level at every gas fill up. Series 2 actually makes the process easier. The dipstick is easier to access and the engine cover has a little port that opens so you can access the dipstick without having to remove the whole cover.
The downside for me is that I have to change spark plugs yearly now. I was actually shocked at how gross they look after only a year of driving, and I drive pretty hard.
I think Mazda recommends 5W-30 conventional on the other side of the pond.
They never officially recommended any synthetic. The official stance seems to be that you can use it, but they don't recommend it. I just stick with conventional because it's cheap and at 5000 km change intervals, I won't enjoy any benefit of the synthetic oil anyway.
I think another thing is that Series 1 also had inadequate oil injection by stock tune, which also caused the apex seals to fail faster. Have you cranked up the oil injection rate on your Series 1?
| Cold wear on a piston motor makes sense, but on a rotary in my opinion is a non issue, since it's injecting the oil to lubricate the apex seals. The omp moves oil at the same rate with either viscosity, 20w, 30w, 40w. So your seals are getting the oil where it needs it and in the volume it needs. The benefit, in my opinion, of using the heavier oil is that it has a much higher cook off point, meaning it's lubricating far better than a 20w at the temps these motors run at and potentially sticking to the seals longer than one cycle. Like anything theres alot of opinions on syn vs dino, some say syn leaves its own damaging deposits, while others point out modern syns have eliminated that issue. Myself stick to what has worked and been spec'd in my previous Rx's, heavier weight conventional. I have 74xxx on my rx8 and recently had the compression tested while I was getting recall work done. All numbers in the green, above average actually given the km says the tech. I have zero starting issues, pulls hard. I have also premixed with JASO FC and ISO oil its entire life, personally I swear by Lucas, as I use it in all my 2stroke motors and it's a noticeable difference in both power and lack of carbon build up on them, far less smoke aswell. Another benefit aside from increased lubrication in the fuel from premixing is that it softens up what carbon builds in the renesis, I can personally say my plugs stay cleaner longer as the build up must be burnt off easier, as I pull them periodically and their always in good shape.
I am now running 10-30w Castrol dino year round, as I noticed a real mpg gain from switching from the 40w, I only was running 40w in the previous summers cuz of how hot it gets around here. But with fuel costs the way they are, going an extra day without a pit in is worth it lol. | 