What is the best oil to use in a 97 Honda Civic? Standard or Synthetic and why?

Question

What is the best oil to use in a 97 Honda Civic? Standard or Synthetic and why?

Answer 1

Irrelevant. Too old to matter. You should be using one of the new hybrid oils that are labeled to indicate they are for higher mileage vehicles. They will help maintain and restore some seals on other things as well.

Answer 2

Some of the older model cars have had problems with synthetic; synthetic oil has been known to cause issues with seals in older cars, thus causing leaks and expensive repairs. I don't know if 97 models are affected but I would stay with old fashion dino oil (regular oil) for your car, just in case.

As long as the oil is the right "weight" (aka viscosity) and the oil is API certified (most major oil brands are), you should be ok. I've been using regular Castrol 5w30 for my '99 Accord since the first oil change (every 3,000 miles) and the odometer is almost at 140,000 miles. I've switched to high mileage and still trying to find out what brand works better in my case; so far Kendall has been pretty good.

I didn't know this till after doing some research and seeing it with my own eyes but fram oil filters are cheap for a reason. Spend a little more for something else like Wix or Pure One. You probably won't find these filters at your local WalMart, they are usually available in auto stores. Most major oil brands  are available at WalMart and usually cost less than other places.

Answer 3

I'm going to get some thumbs down from all the armchair car guru's but hear me out. Forget the expensive $5 a quart synthetics.... There over rated in most cases.....  Just use a good brand of motor oil like Pennzoil or Quaker State..... If you just bought the car and dont know its service or oil / brand / change history then change the oil. After 1000 miles change it again then just do the 3 month 3000 miles change maintainance after that...... Use a better grade of oil filter. NOT the $1.99 el cheapo filter.....