While I spoke with Mitsubishi Japan over a year ago about this.  They admitted that the adoption of such a program would take sometime to filter down.  But they did have their eye on this change for sometime.  Here in Canada a 0w20 oil makes sense.  Its simply the best oil for your daily driver car in the winter or summer.  Unfortunately if you were the average customer and went to your average Canadian dealership and had a jug of 0w20 oil in your hand to put into your car.  You would have likely been met with a fair bit of resistance from service.   While I often visit all Mitsubishi dealerships in local area to get a vibe their staff.  In one situation about 2 years ago, I had a dealer tell me that the use of my 0w20 oil would potentially void my warranty.  I stroked my beard for about 5 seconds and played along. “You don’t say…..” I went back to my car and  brought in my 5w20 Jug of Mobil 1,  Something they had no problem with.   The strange part of the story is that the 0w20 oil I had was from Mobil 1 as well.

Now to be completely honest with you.  0w20 oil wasnt widely available in Canada for a while.  Very limited supply!  And they have only become popular recently because of all the hybrid engines out there.  The growing demand has pushed the 0w20 into the spot light.   The local dealership and service adviser I went to that pulled the warranty card on me isnt around anymore and most other dealerships had no opposition to my demand of putting this oil in my car.

0w20 oil is what I have been using in my car since the beginning for my winter driving.  The benefits of running this oil are real and equally as safe as the standard 5w20 oil.  Mobil1 is very clear with the benefits and if you pick up the jug, they spell out the fact that you are not compromising anything by making the switch.  Its equally as safe.

Source: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_0W-20.aspx

I run with Mobil 1 0w20 oil in my Mitsubishi Lancer 2008 year round.  If I know I will be subjecting my car to some more serious levels of stress, I would consider switching to a heavier weight.  But let me be clear, even if you an aggressive daily driver, this oil is perfect for you.    You will achieve better fuel economy and the same amount of projection.   I make this repeated speech on here because I get that one email asking.  ”I drive my car hard….  Are you sure its safe”  Simple Answer is yes.

Where to buy Mobil 1 0w20 and 0w30 oil?

Just about anywhere.  Large big box stores will have this oil available and on the shelves in stock.   Will your Mitsubishi dealership have the oil in stock and available on demand.  Likely not until the end of this year.  I will interview Mitsubishi North America to get the official stance on 0w20 and 0w30oil weights.

In the mean time I would consider making the switch and save yourself fuel and make the switch to a better oil if you are still using conventional oil.

-EVOSOUL
evosoul.com@gmail.com

May 12th Update: The date of this event has been shifted back by a few weeks. We are adding a trip across the border to the cruise. This is how its going to work.

Some people may not want to cruise the border, some may not be able to in some cases due to a visa issue or what ever. We will stick with the original trip destinations. We will still assemble in toronto >>> Cruise to Niagara falls on the Canadian side (Queen Victoria Park). Take pictures / have a lunch. And after an hour or so. Those who wish to press on across the border can do so with Group A. Group B. will head back early to Toronto.

I have made arrangements to cruise the border as a group should we wish to do so. we will see how large our group is, if we are more than 12 cars, then we will go in to the border office and get cleared all together. should only take 15 minutes. If not and we are smaller group we will just take our changes going thru the border. normal drive thru style.

In the next few hours I will be posting check point times, so that we have a nice structured event. We will also be able to synchronize our movements all along the cruise, should some be late or fall behind.

Some people have asked if we will stop by the Walden Galleria if we cruise across the border. Short answer, its very possible. Since there are some automotive parts and oil I wish to buy while I am south of the border. MOBIL 1 for 23 bucks 5L jug. Damn right

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Original Message

http://forums.evolutionm.net/toronto-lancer-club/554879-may-28th-tlc-summer-cruise.html

I announced this a few weeks back in a few chats and in the May schedule, so here is the recap from what was said. MAY 2011 TLC Schedule This event is open to TLC and TEN members alike With a few give aways at the end destination. http://forums.evolutionm.net/toronto-lancer-club/553530-may-2011-tlc-schedule.html

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Quote:
Its time for us to slap on GO PRO CAMERAS and make this cruise something fun. A few of us hatched the idea up about 2 months ago, and we knew the weather should be proper and hot.

Goal is to have some safe fun driving down on Detour roads all the way down to the falls. Take in some lunch, figure out if we want to venture across the boarder and go south in to buffalo. A few guys have a wish list to pick up some parts and goodies. Then, jet back home with a nice cruise before the sun goes down.
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Below is the game plan for where we will meet up before the trip. One location at Yorkdale from those in the east part of the city. And finally the Dundas & 403 Tim Hortons which will be the launch point for the main cruise.

The destination point has been set up for Queen Victoria Park near the Falls. There are some who want to extend this voyage to across the boarder. It will be something we will consider. But for now we will keep the plan simple. Once we get the falls we can grab a bite to eat at a restaurant. We are already talking to a few of them to see if we can get a special deal for our club.

The map below will show the direct route, but we are hatching up a few detours that will take us along some nice roads to gingerly drive along and have a bit of fun.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1+Yorkdale+Road+%23500%2C+Toronto%2C+ON%2C+Canada+%28Yorkdale+Shopping+Centre%29&daddr=Tim+Hortons%2C+Hyde+Park+Gate%2C+Oakville%2C+Ontario%2C+Canada+to%3AQueen+Victoria+Park%2C+Niagara+Falls%2C+Ontario%2C+Canada&hl=en&geocode***0mwIdOp1D-yG5Hg9iD9hImQ%3BFSD-lwId5glA-yF76LazwHws5ymDprBGB0MriDFPcKd3mxNvIA%3BFSNXkQIdWlhJ-yHO6HaWnCVX4A&mra=ls&sll=43.074468,-79.07577&sspn=0.014859,0.042014&ie=UTF8&ll=43.141078,-79.340515&spn=0.470964,1.344452&t=h&z=10

So lets look at the features of your Mitsubishi Lancer OE spark plug.  Now while the book may say you have either an NGK plug or a Denso plug.   From my research it seems people in north america got the NGK plug.  This plug belongs to the OE class of Laser Iridium spark plugs.

NGK Laser Iridium Spark Plugs provide superior ignitability and long service life. Smallest tip diameter available Iridium / Platinum surfaces ensure slow wear rate providing stable idle, superior anti fouling, improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions FEATURES Laser welded Iridium center electrode tip Platinum disc welded to backside of ground electrode provides long service life “Trivalent Metal Plating” provides superior anti-corrosion and anti-seizing properties Faster starts and quicker acceleration Better fuel economy and lower emissions Best OEM Iridium spark plug available Original Equipment Manufacturer approved design

Sound impressive?  It is!  Spark plug technology has come along way, and having an iridium long life plug in your car right from the start was unheard of 5 to 10 years ago.  Manufacturers finally realized that its one less headache to deal with if you just put in super reliable spark plugs.   And a spark plug that fires consistently for a long period of time, above the 30,000 mile point up to 60,000 means its better for the environment as well.

So why not buy the same spark plug again from the dealership at my next service appointment?

You could! But a review of your spark plug options could mean you can achieve even better performance for the same or less money (cost to you)

If you were following my previous blog www.evosoul.com (yes its still down… sigh…)  Then you would know that I was already beta testing some spark plugs from Denso.  The Platinum Twin Tip plug.  What drew me to this plug was the extensive research and white paper material that has gone into this new variant of spark plug technology.  In a nut shell, this spark plug utilizes two tips.  One on the ground(titanium) and the other for the centre electrode, (platinum ).  Now Denso isn’t the only one playing in this field.  NGK has a DFE Iridium aka (Double Fine Electrode) plug.  Their plug consists of two tips of iridium.  And the theory about platinum vs. iridium is generally iridium is better in almost every single way except 1.

COST.  Iridium is expensive.  Making these plugs 2 to 3 times more expensive than other metal alternatives.  So because of the value judgement, Platinum options stay on the table.  And I will explain why in a second.  First I want to get to the actual design part.  And why this twin tip concept is one step forward.

Both NGK and Denso have been working to improve the plug.  Lord knows they have years of experience and data.  So the fact that both of these companies have entered this space in a low key way tells me that they are getting their feet wet.  Later expect to see more hardcore versions to come.

The design basically helps promote better flame kernel propogation / expansion during the combustion process.  The spark fires and the fuel and air ignite and start to expand.  Now if the plug is of an older design.  chances are the ground arm that sticks out like a hook is fat and wide and will likely hinder this expansion.  Of course this isnt the only factor that determines how well a spark plug works in combustion, but for main point of design.  I want you guys to get the concepts down.   If you look at the following link .  I want you to see an example on the ngk website of 3 spark plugs.  Take a look closely at each example and see where design comes into play.

http://www.ngkntk.co.jp/english/product/sparkplugs/index.html

Now if the middle one caught your eye, thats because it utilizes the twin tip or as ngk calls it DFE.

So where am I go with all this.  Unfortunately, NGK has not released an DFE plug for our cars yet.  Denso has.  And since the platinum version is the next best thing at the moment.  The cost of plug is relatively inexpensive to most upgrade plugs by NGK or Denso.  And while it wont beat those ones.  It will still be slightly more effective then what your currently running with.  I have put the plug to the test and will release my findings shortly for what my fuel economy and power gains were.  In the mean time, think about what your options are.