[Curious Dave]

With 30,240 miles on the odometer, I had four new Bridgestone Potenza's installed. The Firestone dealer had a special going on for four tires for the price of three, plus my left rear had a nail through the sidewall that was covered under my tire warranty. So, four new Potenza's for the price of two. Woo-Hoo! Such a deal. Next was an oil and filter change. I decided to swap over from the Honda 0W-20 oil and filter to Amsoil synthetic 0W-30 and the new Amsoil Ea (absolute efficiency) oil filter to see if that would help quiet the piston percussion problem and slow down the wear and tear on the engine. I've been a dealer for Amsoil products since 1976 and put full faith in Amsoil products. Last but not least, I changed out the Honda ATF fluid for the Honda CVT fluid in the CVT transaxle. I had four unopened bottles of spare ATF that I had on my shop shelf for just over a year, and the Honda dealer was willing to swap all four bottles for the CVT fluid plus the difference in cost per quart. The CVT fluid is $6.77 per quart. Not cheap! I decided to inflate the new tires to 48 psi cold inflation pressure and so far so good. I'm tempted to have the tires inflated with Nitrogen, but have decided to wait on that for now. I've been averaging 51 MPG on the highway at 70 MPH w/o the A/C and about 49 MPG with the A/C. Not too bad!

Now to put the car up on ramps to find the source of the "scraunching" noise that appears to be coming from the front suspension when I drive over speed bumps or anything that flexes the front suspension.
Steve C......... I'll let you know what I find.

 

[b1shmu63]

Several Insighters use 0W30 synthetic, including myself. I want the engine to last forever, and it does sound a little happier if you know what I mean. I can still get outrageous mileage when I try. Perhaps if I was running in a mileage competition I'd switch for the event, but otherwise.......

 

[Allnighte]

keep us updated! i haven't changed to the official CVT fluid yet, and i have that real bad noise you describe too when going over speed bumps.
have you noticed a change in the feel of the CVT with the new fluid?

 

[Scott]

That noise seems to be pretty common from what I'm reading. I also have that noise, sounds like some type of suspension noise. I've been too lazy to crawl underneath for a look. I was thinking of changing my CVT fluid also. I had it done by Honda at 30K, but they did not use the CVT specific fluid. I now have 40K. Let us know if you notice any difference after switching to the CVT fluid.

 

[Curious Dave]

I've noticed better engagement when shifting into drive or reverse with the fluid cold as opposed to the ATF fluid. Also, I've noticed less slippage in the CVT when driving with the A/C On. My CVT used to slip a little if I tried to accelerate harder than usual or pass someone driving in the slow lane. The CVT seems to behave better overhaul with a noticeable reduction in slippage and smoother operation. The two fluids don't look anything alike. The CVT fluid is almost clear in color with only a slight tinge of red. I'm not sure about the viscosity, but I plan to put the two fluids side by side to compare. Honda really should've sent out a notice to all owners to have the CVT switched over to the CVT fluid!!

I'll be crawling underneath my car tonight to see if I can find the culprit that is making the scraunching noise.