Honda oil?

what is the best name brand oil for Honda 4 stroke?

Well, five folks will give you 10 opinions on that question. It's been discussed many times on this forum, so you might want to do a search.

I use any good quality HD 10W-30 petroleum based oil with an API certification of SG or higher - just like the owners manual says. Typically, I will use Pennzoil. The key is to change the oil at every 100 hours or at the end of every season, whichever comes first. Be religious about that.

never liked Pennzoil in my trucks, it breaks down faster than others, never used it in an outboard so I can't say.

is regular oil better than synhetic in outboards?

Synthetic oil in outboards is controversial and opinions vary widely. Personally, I think it is a waste of money because you will need to change the oil every 100 hours or the end of every season, whichever comes first regardless of whether you use petroleum-based or synthetic oil.

One aspect of the controversy with synthetic in a marine engine centers around the issue that your engine will run cooler on synthetic, thus there is a higher probability of water accumulation in the oil, especially if you do a lot of idling or trolling. I've not seen any proof of that, just speculation.

Honda!

I always use the maker's oil, and even if it costs me a little more, I see no reason to change.

Old No7

Actually, the dealer that I use recommends the Yamaha oil for the Honda's also. But to get either brand requires a long trip. Normally I will put 200 - 300 hours on my BF 225 each year, so that is three oil changes. Getting the Honda or Yamaha oil is a serious pain, so I go by what the owners manual says - any 10W-30 HD with API service category SG or higher.

Something to consider: There are probably a 100 or more brands out there in the US marketplace, but there are only about four significant manufacturers. So all those brands are often the same oil branded for a specific retailer.

I'm not sure whether Honda or Yamaha have any additional specifications on their branded oil - I suspect not - but the Owner's Manual simply states High detergent 10W-30 oil with an API certification of SG or higher.

The key is to change the oil at the recommended 100 hour interval, or every season, whichever comes first. If you think about it, if you average 30 MPH on your engine, then 100 hours is equivalent to 3000 miles. But that 3000 miles is under rather extreme conditions. It is somewhat equivalent to driving your car or truck, loaded to capacity, up hill, for 3000 miles in second gear.