I also use 0W20 in my 1999 Acura EL which is the same as Honda Civic EX in the US with the D16Y8 engine. This engine is notorious for the bearing problems. Everything is cool, noise and coolant temperature and no oil burning or consumption with more than 120 000 miles on and strong and even compression numbers.
From my early days in the car service industry in the '70s, I remember that North American engines never lasted as long as European engines like Mercedes and Rolls Royce. Why? Parts tolerances. In other words attention given to making as best a product as possible. By the end of the '70s, the Japanese automakers had adopted the then most accurate tooling and were making engines with parts working in extra tight tolerances and shape precision. This reduces friction wear & tear a lot and requires a lower viscosity oil between the parts to lubricate and cool.
In North America until the mid '80s, Ford for example, delivered many in line 6 and V8 that they designed and the shops were tooled in the '50s. The difference in longevity and mileage between similar Japanese and American cars were more than noticeable. With an American car with some valve noise and oil burning the solution was often to raise the oil viscosity to cure the problem. Higher viscosity oil better fill the voids between piston rings and cylinder thus limiting oil burning and gas blow by polluting the oil in return.
North American automakers have come to their sense that making profit is not to provide the same old technology and dated manufacturing but to compete by offering quality. They still have some way to go.
I would bet that China and India with their newer car plants for their quality models will offer tighter tolerances between engine inner components and compete with Japanese and Korean automakers to offer even better mileage and engine longevity.
|