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Have a 95 Honda Civic(158000 mi)that's burning a lot of oil and would like to reduce consumption. The rings or valve seals are probably the culprit. Black soot is present at the tailpipe. What is the best(most stable, thickest)conventional oil to use??(already using 10w 30 Meijer Brand High Mileage instead of 5w 30). Would like to slow consumption as much as possible. Repair or a compression test is not a option(not willing to spend the money on it). Will not go to synthetic because of the cost and it was already tried(not my idea) and I think it made matters worse(seems to be smoking more now). Also considering some type of additive but I don't want anything that will clog up anything and create more problems. A Marvel Mystery Oil piston/cylinder soak was already tried(twice)to unstick the rings(they may be burnt to the pistons). Any suggestions or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!    

Surprised nobody has replied yet. I have been driving cars into the ground for years and I've learned what works. First off, you would burn more oil with synthetic 10w30 because it's too light, but synthetic does help a heavier oil flow at colder temps. I don't know what your climate is like to tell you if you need it though.

The best additives to use together are Restore 4 Cylinder and Lucas Engine Stop Leak with 20w 50 high mileage oil like Valvoline Max Life or Castrol. After you've changed the oil with this mix and you still get down a quart just add a quart of Lucas Engine Oil Stabilizer each time until it stops, up to 60% of your oil capacity. If the Lucas is too expensive then use Valvoline VR1 SAE 60 oil each time until it stops, it's only $3.99/qt at autozone and I just put one in today  

Putting 20w-50 in puts a lot of strain on your oil pump, so I would start with a 10w-40.  I run that in my Suburban.  Keeps the oil pressure up.  Also, running a high wade oil like that in winter up in the north is hard on your car, so try 10w-40 first and see if that helps.  Jumping to 20w-50 might not be necessary and your engine will thank you when it's cold out.

And try to use a name-brand oil instead of meijer brand.  It might help.