Oil

[JWS_honda7]

What is the best weight oil to run i live in texas and ride in many kinds of conditions

[honda400ex2003]

10w 40 or 20w50. if it is going to be 70+ all the time for the summer then i would run 20w50 imo. that will be interesting to see what everyone recommends. steve

[JWS_honda7]

well i just purchased amsoil 0w-40 they had a good write up about how its for a various amount of conditions.
has anyone had any problems with this oil?

[slightlybent47]

I use Valoline premium conventional SAE 10w-40 all year round. But I am anal when it comes to keeping fresh oil in it at all times. I’ve been using it for the last three years and the last two has been on a built 416 and it still runs fine. Any conventional 10w-40 will do just keep new oil in it and you’ll be fine.
Oh and I live in Houston so it gets plenty hot, trust me. Round 5 is this weekend and it’s going to be 100+ degrease.

[guenther]

Rotella 15W-40. Been using it for almost a year now and zero problems. Many guys on here run it and swear by it. I change it approx every 10hrs of normal riding and/or after one 2hr race. It still looks almost like new (not dirty at all) and it's about $11 per gallon at Wally World or the parts store. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on brand and weight but the one thing that is constant is to change the oil often.

[guenther]

Originally posted by JWS_honda7
well i just purchased amsoil 0w-40 they had a good write up about how its for a various amount of conditions.
has anyone had any problems with this oil?

The guy that I bought my quad from used 0W-40 Amsoil and never had a problem. I wanted to change my oil more frequently since I felt it was more important to have clean oil rather than a synthetic that you can run longer and not break down. I also didn't want to pay the huge premium to have Amsoil and change it out often (because I want clean oil). So far so good with the Rotella 15W-40. Doesn't get hot, oil is still clean when I change it, no power loss, no clutch slippage and it's cheap. It's a win, win, win, win, win situation if you ask me.

[TRXRacer1]

Originally posted by guenther
Rotella 15W-40. Been using it for almost a year now and zero problems. Many guys on here run it and swear by it. I change it approx every 10hrs of normal riding and/or after one 2hr race. It still looks almost like new (not dirty at all) and it's about $11 per gallon at Wally World or the parts store. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on brand and weight but the one thing that is constant is to change the oil often.

X2!!! Rotella T is the ****t! I've been on it for almost 3 yrs now.

[PaRedneckRiders]

I run Rotella-T hevy duty straight 30w
I run it in all my 4 stroke motors
When i had my 660 raptor that was an 02 i ran that and it seemed to keep everthing nice and smooth never had problems with it

Also ran it in all 3 of my 400exs and they didnt seem to mind it one bit

I ride it a ton of different conditions anything from 90+ degree day in the summer down to below zero some days in the winter

[CJM]

15w-50 mobil 1 just for pure heck of it. Its heavy enough, and since its a full synthetic it doesnt break down as easy.

[jrb737]

I have a '99 400Ex that I bought in 2001. I have been using Mobil1 Racing 4t 10W-40 ever since I bought it.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil1_Racing_4T_10W-40.aspx

I ride in the mountains in Colorado from June thru Oct and only change the oil once in the spring before riding season. I have had zero problems and the engine runs just as strong as ever.

If you like 20W-50 try the Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_V-Twin_20W-50.aspx

[Z15]

Originally posted by JWS_honda7
well i just purchased amsoil 0w-40 they had a good write up about how its for a various amount of conditions.
has anyone had any problems with this oil?

Best oil for the Honda. I have used it for 10 yrs in my 2 Ranchers and my Rincon. I have several customers with over 10,000 miles on their ATV's using this oil and they only change it annually.

I would not use a 15W or 20W oil in a small engine where it is not recommended by the oem.
Viscosity is the most important physical property of a lubricant. The viscosity reacts to changes in temperature. In more simple terms, viscosity is the property that cause honey and water to flow differently when poured. If the oils viscosity is too high (15W, 20W etc) then it can cause excessive heat and increased energy consumption.

Lubricants with too much viscosity for the application can cause;
Increased fluid friction
Increased operating temperature
Poor cold temperature performance
Reduced energy efficiency

[CJM]

Those oils may work fine on your rincon and ranchers.

However honda (this is straight out of the service manual btw) says to use 10w-40 and 20w-50.

I use 15w-50, which I think is a good compromise. I also dont ride when its below 40F outside.

[TRXRacer1]

You know when viscosity is most crucial is when you don't have an engine like ours that everything except the clutch basket is on rollers. It's a non-factor whether you have 0w-40 or 15w-40. There's a lot of quality products out there and most of them are great at wallet lightening.

[honda400ex2003]

depending on the temps, any oil from 5w30 to 20w50 can be used. if cold run the 5w if hot run 20w50. anything inbetween run 10w30 or 40. it all depends on the temps the engine will be operating in. running ice in the winter i know guys that run straight 30 weight to help prevent cold seizing. steve