Oil question

[AlanM]

I'm looking for a good oil (Brand and weight) I see a lot of different info on weather to use 5W-30 as the owners manual said or other such as 10W-40, 10W-30, 0W-40 synthetic. All made for wet clutches. In the past I always used 10W-40 because that is what Honda said and Honda was what I mostly had. Any input would be helpful.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Can't go wrong  following the manual written by the people who made your unit.
Stig

[pa-outdoorsman]

First off, I assume you are talking about a Kymco side-by-side here. Yo don't mention a make or model.

Here are my thoughts:

1. The Kymco machines have CVTs and therefore do not have wet clutches. Frankly, I am not sure have the JASO motorcycle specifications is even necessary.
2. That said, my personal choice for oil for my UXV 450i is Shell Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic. Although this oil is labeled as a "high-temperature diesel engine oil" it actually DOES have JASO MA2 certification for motorcycle engines with wet clutches and also is fine for use in gasoline engines. If you search around on various motorcycle forums, you'll find thousands of riders who have used this in their machines or all makes and models for years and swear by its performance. I have found it to be excellent in my side by side.
3. At roughly $25 a gallon, you can't beat the price/quality combination here. It's just a good value and IMO will keep your machine running as well or better than other oil options costing considerably more.

[airshot]

Not to cause an argument here but the 450i does have a wet clutch.  It uses a centrifical clutch unside the crank case.  If you look at an exploded view of the enginevyou will find it listed. The factory service manual confirms this. Most CVT vehicles do have a centrifical wet clutch.  With that said, I highly recomendvthe Rotella 5w-40 full synthetic motor oil !!  When I bought my machine andvready to perform the first oil change ( 2016) I actually called the Kymco USA headquarters down south and confirmed that the Rotella oil was a good year round choice. As already mentioned, it is probably the most used oil by offroad enthusiasts in this country.  I have been using this stuff in my "toys" for 15 years and never heard of any complaints!!  I change my oil once each year along with the diff oil, front and rear.  I also use full synthetic 75 wt gear oil made by Valvoline.  Because it is a full syn lube the actual weight of the lube is not critical, as synthetic oils do not get thick when cold nor do they get thin in heat.  My riding friends have a number of machines made by different mfgrs and all of them have had the factory confirm the use of Rotella 5w-40 oil in there machines. 

[AlanM]

Thanks for the input. My ride is a 450i side x side.

[randyo]

only thing I would add, if your in extreme cold, you can also get Rotella in 0w-40,

[airshot]

only thing I would add, if your in extreme cold, you can also get Rotella in 0w-40,

Great suggestion if you choose to use the dino oil version, if using the full synthetic version it wont matter as synthetic oil doesnt get thick like dino oil does.

[randyo]

Great suggestion if you choose to use the dino oil version, if using the full synthetic version it wont matter as synthetic oil doesnt get thick like dino oil does.

the 0w-40 only comes in the T6 full synthetic, hard to find in US other than online( except Alaska)

Having used the 5w40 synthetic, it starts turning slow once you get down to -10 or colder, compared to the 0w-40
if you plan on doing anything at -40 or colder is what it is really made for

[airshot]

Yes, good point there...I have never been near 40 below, if I lived in Alaska guess I would know better.  Should have considered we might have readers in much colder climates !!