Billman250

Best advice:

Change your oil before you store the car....as oil get used, it becomes more caustic. The newer oil is, the less fuel has diluted it. So it will have better adhesion to metal.

Change oil, take a light ride down the block to disperse, then park her for the winter.

Upon removing from storage, just drive and put your summer miles on.

doddg

1. Surely you jest: "store the car," mine is a work car.
2. winter tires on, hardtop on, ready for snow and ice!
3. I live in Indy, last winter, didn't need snows, but some winters shut down school for a week.

xviper

Hehe! Attaboy, Gary. Love to see people use this car through the winter. The only car I've ever "stored" was my old Viper and that was only because they didn't make snow tires big enough. Tough to find snow tires over 275mm back in 1994. The Viper ran 335's on the rear.
I probably drive more miles than you over a one year period but I change my oil just before winter hits and just before the spring/summer driving season begins even though the oil changes may come a bit earlier than the driven miles would indicate for that time frame. Winter driving and summer driving both have their own particular nuances that can be hard on oil, so I like to have fresh oil at the beginning of each.
Now, I realize that you've put that super duper "high priced" Amsoil into your car and you wouldn't like to dump it prematurely. Since you drive it all winter long, if it were me, I'd do the oil change at the beginning of your warm weather driving season as I believe that hot driving conditions can be more harsh on oil than cool/cold winter driving. And since it sounds like you don't normally do short trips, you are getting the engine and all the fluids up to operating temps, winter driving shouldn't be as harsh on the oil (unless you sit in stop and go traffic a lot). However, if you do short trips, the biggest consideration would be the formation of condensation in the engine and exhaust. This problem can mostly be eliminated by running the car long enough to get it well into operating temps.

doddg

1. At the risk of losing credibility when I talk on the other site about having no friends, ha!, I have a school teaacher friend who has had a viper for about 10 yrs., and has a Prowler. We keep in touch b/c he substitues for me when I need him, and he buys my Star Trek stuff now that I have outgrown it and want my $ back so I can buy shift knobs (I think you'll get that one if you follow the other site, ha!).
2. I have no problem following your advice, and despite my playing the poor card that I enjoy, I'll do that next summer when I do my other fluids, that way I'll be on schedule to do all of them at once, which is what I wanted anyway.
3. You're right on about my driving, unless I'm driving just to church by myself b/c my wife isn't singing, and it's only 8 minutes away (we normally get to go together, though), I drive 15-18 minutes to work everyday.
4. What I hear you saying is that it's better to go into the winter with used oil rather than the summer if you're going for the once-a-year routine.
5. Like you, I always channged my oil before and after winter, and still could do it since the Amsoil I get is only $1.50 qt. more than the Mobil One, so it's not like I can't afford an extra few bucks. When I retire, I'll probably use that oil draincock that I bought and go back to changing it myself.
6. I'm curious about gas mileage, if I don't go up 1 mpg in the summer (like the Amsoil people suggest), I might just use one of the other good oils people talk about. I'm more concerned about the filter holding up tnan I am the oil. Some use the Amsoil, others stick with the OEM filter.

xviper

Gas mileage, as it relates to oil, is a function of several factors. An oil that has lower pumping resistance will pump more easily and thus, reduce the load on the engine, particularly when cold. The oil's flow characteristics will also affect how hard the engine bits have to work to slide along it. Through my earlier tests, I've seen that synthetic oil of the same viscosity rating will flow much better than "dino" oil in the extreme cold. My oil pressure gauge confirms this. A lower "W" number in the stated viscosity will flow better and pump better in the cold. So, winter or summer, a full synthetic of the lowest "W" number will be the better choice if gas mileage is high on your list of priorities. Although Honda states that the S2000 should be using 10W30 or 5W40, if you can find a 0W30 or 0W40, then do it. I'm not all that concerned about fuel economy as much as I am with my Honda Fit, I currently use 5W40 Syntec year round. That's my personal choice and by no means, would I venture to tell anyone that it's the "best" oil (unless we are sitting across from the table from each other at Starbucks at which time, I'll use my poetic licence to tell you whatever I want).

doddg

1. There you go, making me laugh again!

JDMricist

You don't like Amsoil synchromesh tranny fluid? That's the stuff that got me hooked on Amsoil. Shifts are so incredibly smooth since I switched.

doddg

1. Curious as to whether you go a year between changes, and if you do, which filter do you use, since you're using Amsoil; it's new for me, only been in a few days.

s2k manic

when i bought my ap1 with 58,000 miles it had run castrol i switched to royal purple 10-30 car used 1 qt every 2000 miles or so when i supercharged it i noticed oil consumption went up switched to royal purple hps helped a little then i put an oil cooler on an now car used 1/2 qt over 3000 hard miles long trips group drives on street tuning 3rd and 4th gear data logs so in my opinion you just tend to cook off the oil i was seeing oil temps near 300 f now 190-235 f my two cents and no i don't think royal purple is the best just had good luck with it if i was turbo i don't think i would run it then again it been in my twin turbo dodge diesel at 60 psi boost for 90,000 miles

Elmasyonki

I havent done an oil change yet on my s2k but ive always used valvoline. I will be putting in valvoline 10w 30