Oil viscosity in Chicago?

I have a Honda Civic 2002 with 80,000 miles. I recently had the oil changed. The dealership put in a 5W-20 do you think that's too light for my sometime low temperature here in Chicago at -0 deg. F.? could it harm the engine? I haven't put much milage on it since it was purchased and it doesn't warm up much.Oil viscosity in Chicago?
To clarify something SVT said, ';5W-30'; isn't automatically ';thicker';, he was refering to the second number, 30, which indicates a thicker (more viscous) oil than say 20. The first number (to the left of the W) is the 'winter' viscosity (W doesn't stand for 'weight', it stands for 'winter'), that is the viscosity of the oil when the oil is at the freezing point of water. The second number (after the W) is the 'hot' viscosity of the oil, that is the viscosity of the oil at normal engine temps.


In cold weather , you want a 5W-anything oil...it's the 5 that you care about. In the summer, you care less about the first number, and more about the second.Oil viscosity in Chicago?
5W-20 is fine, I am assuming your engine is in good condition and does not use any oil, you can use 5W-20 all year round in a Honda, especially since you don't drive it much, it flows faster on start up, protecting your engine. You can go with 5W-30 in the summer if you wish. Dont go any heavier in a Honda, these are precision engines with small oil galleries.
that's the right oil for cold weather conditions on any vehicle in the north,the colder it is out side the thinner the oil needs to be so that the engine will turn over good when its cold, the thicker the oil is the slower it will turn over to start when its cold out,when i lived in michigan i ran 5-20 in about everything i owned,good luck.
5-20 is the manufacturer recommended viscosity for your vehicle. perfect for down to -50 degrees.... Plus i seriously recommend you go to some other kind of oil change place. the dealership is ridiculous on oil change prices.
You should should put in a 10/30 in your weather conditions.The dealership put in a lighter cheaper oil so there profit would be higher.Oil has nothing to do with your heating system,check your water level in radiator,then make sure you have a thermostat,or replace it.
That's perfect for your car in cold weather. The lower the number , the thinner the oil. 5W-20 is about as thin as it gets. 5W-30 is thicker, and 10W-30 is thicker yet. See it now ?
5W20 is the factory recommended weight for Honda's. You want thinner oil in the winter time, that's what the 5W part of the oil weight means.
would be just right if its 20 below 5w30 standard and out west 10w40 where its hot most of time great 5w20 sounds great and you know the dealer prices most likely higher than most any other place
i would go with 5w30

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