The author discusses their experience with changing oil every six months, specifically using synthetic oil for 2,000 miles. They argue that synthetic oil offers advanced advantages over regular motor oil, especially for older cars, frequent short trips, and those in areas with extreme heat or cold seasonal changes. Synthetic oils are more resistant to moisture and impurities, which can hasten the breakdown of conventional oil.
The author also discusses the debate around synthetic oil, particularly for those who drive short trips only. They argue that synthetic oils thicken less than conventional oils, both when cold and in storage, making them a better choice. Synthetic lubricants offer higher engine protection and performance levels than conventional oils. They also provide better engine protection, as fully synthetic oils won’t break down and can protect the engine for up to 250,000 miles.
The author personally uses synthetic oil at 5k mile intervals due to high fuel dilution during short trips. Full synthetic oils are less prone to viscousity breakdown and provide better wear protection. They also have more detergent and anti-corrosive additives to last longer oil change intervals.
Synthetic oil provides better protection for start-up and clutch, as well as a higher viscosity index, making it more resistant to high temperatures. Synthetics are made up of uniformly shaped molecules with shorter carbon chains, making them more resistant to heat and stress.
In conclusion, the author emphasizes the importance of using synthetic oil for short trips and the benefits it offers. However, they also acknowledge that short trips can damage the engine, so they recommend using synthetic oil at 5k mile intervals.
📹 Conventional oil or Synthetic (PROOF)
Testing full synthetic oil vs conventional I was STUNNED by the results. There is big hype about Full synthetic engine oil but is this …
What is the best engine oil for stop and go traffic?
City driving involves frequent stops, starts, and idling, leading to increased wear and tear and faster oil breakdown. A synthetic blend or conventional oil with higher viscosity is recommended for city driving, providing better protection and stable oil pressure. Short trips, where the engine doesn’t have enough time to warm up, can accumulate harmful contaminants in the oil, potentially damaging the engine.
To avoid this, use an oil specifically designed for short trips or frequent cold starts, known as high-mileage or synthetic blends. These oils contain additives that combat the negative effects of short trips, offer better protection during cold starts, and prevent sludge formation.
Do short journeys use more oil?
It has been demonstrated that longer trips per week can assist in maintaining the optimal operating temperature of the vehicle for a minimum of an hour, thereby preventing the boiling of water out of the oil. Nevertheless, brief journeys will maintain lower temperatures, which will result in the lubrication of the engine being reduced and an increase in wear.
What is the best engine oil for long trips?
The Castrol Power Cruise synthetic engine oil, processed with A-OK oil, is optimal for extended periods of operation. It exhibits enhanced oxidation resistance and provides a 5-percent increase in power compared to standard oil. The product guarantees smooth, efficient, and reliable rides. The 2555 motorbike street synthetic technology engine oil, formulated with sophisticated German technology, is designed to deliver optimal performance, extended mileage, and reduced friction, thereby minimizing wear.
What is the disadvantage of synthetic oil?
Synthetic oil has several disadvantages, including its high cost, potential for additive precipitation during cold storage, and slightly lower fuel economy at highway speeds compared to mineral oil due to the need for more viscosity index improvers. The cost of synthetic oil is around two to four times higher than conventional oil, and it is difficult to generalize due to differences in brands and formulations. A quart of modern semi- or full-synthetic oil typically costs between four and 10 dollars, with some special blends costing even more.
As of 2019, five quarts of conventional oil cost approximately $28 and an oil change with conventional oil costs about $38, while five quarts of full synthetic oil cost about $45, and an oil change with full synthetic oil costs about $70. Switching from conventional to synthetic oil would cost the average driver about $64 per year or $5. 33 per month.
What is the best oil for summer driving?
Pennzoil Platinum, Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, and Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage are Full Synthetic motor oils designed to handle high internal temperatures and external heat from summer road trips. These oils have lower volatility, less evaporation, and good oxidation stability, providing strong engine protection. They are resistant to oil break down when exposed to oxygen and contaminants, which can cause engine wear and poor performance over time.
Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oils are also designed to protect modern engines that use direction injection or turbocharger engines, offering low viscosity protection while resisting oil thinning, burn off, and oil breakdown. These oils are made with natural gas and are engineered for blending with modern SAE 0W-xx viscosity grade motor oils. Pennzoil’s gas-to-liquid technology positively impacts fuel efficiency, provides outstanding performance in extreme temperatures, and protects against engine deposits and wear.
Low viscosity motor oils realize the fuel economy benefits of 0W grade motor oils while gaining benefits such as low oil volatility, extreme temperature performance, and engine protection over the life of the oil drain interval.
Does synthetic oil protect better?
Synthetic oils are manufactured by removing impurities from crude oil and modifying individual molecules to align with the requirements of modern engines. The customized molecules offer enhanced performance and protection compared to conventional oils, due to their capacity to safeguard engine components from deterioration and fracture in the harsh environment of the engine.
Is conventional oil better for short trips?
Standard motor oil may not warm enough to burn off moisture and impurities, leading to its breakdown. Synthetic oil is recommended for regions with cold winters or hot summers, or for towing or hauling heavy materials. It protects the engine from strain and won’t break down as quickly as conventional oil. Synthetic oil is less likely to form sludge, which can block oil passages and lead to engine death.
While synthetics generally hold up better for more miles, regular oil changes are important, usually every six months or a year. Using synthetic in these situations prolongs oil life and requires fewer changes, benefiting the environment as used motor oil is a major source of toxic waste in water.
What is the best oil for short journeys?
Petrol engine oil options include conventional oil (SAE 5W-30), synthetic blend oil (SAE 5W-30), full synthetic oil (SAE 0W-20 or 5W-30), high mileage oil (SAE 5W-30 or 10W-30), and racing oil (SAE 10W-30 or 15W-50). Conventional oil is suitable for most everyday cars and works well in moderate temperatures. Synthetic blend oil, a combination of conventional and synthetic oils, offers better performance at a slightly higher cost. Full synthetic oil, made entirely from chemical compounds, offers superior performance and protection in extreme temperatures and high-stress driving conditions.
High mileage oil is designed for cars with over 75, 000 miles on the odometer and contains additives to reduce oil burn-off and minimize engine wear. Racing oil is designed for high-performance engines that see a lot of stress and heat and provides maximum protection against wear and tear.
Diesel engine oil options include 5W-30 (ACEA C3), 5W-40 (ACEA B4, C3), 10W-30 (API CK-4), 15W-40 (API CJ-4), 0W-40 (ACEA C3), 10W-40 (ACEA A3/B4), 5W-30 (API SN, CF), and 5W-20 (API CK-4, FA-4). These oils are recommended for vehicles that require specific specifications and are typically more expensive than conventional and synthetic blend oils. Always consult your car’s owner manual to ensure you use the correct oil type and grade for your specific make and model.
Does full synthetic oil reduce oil consumption?
The utilization of premium engine oils, such as Motul, provides optimal lubrication, thereby reducing the deterioration of engine components and subsequently diminishing the necessity for oil consumption.
Can you go 2 years without changing synthetic oil?
Despite the advent of more sophisticated oil technology, it is not advisable to defer the replacement of oil for an extended period. The majority of manufacturers advise that the same oil be retained in the engine for a period exceeding one year. The notion that an oil change is necessary every 3, 000 miles is a fallacy that requires correction. Contemporary oil is more resilient and has a reduced environmental impact. It is of the utmost importance to select an appropriate time for oil replacement.
When should you not use synthetic oil?
The use of synthetic oil is not advised for engines that have undergone significant wear, particularly those with 75, 000 miles or more on the odometer. This is despite the potential benefits that it may offer to engines of an older age.
📹 How To Choose The Right Viscosity Motor Oil – A Certified Lubrication Specialist Explains
Viscosity is the the most important property in a motor oil, but did you know that viscosity changes with temperature? Also, the …
Would be nice to have a simple table at the end of the article, summarizing the test results in terms of percentages. For example, the bearing material loss was 300% worse with standard than synthetic. Preferably, each test should be repeated, to make sure the results are not just “randomly” going in favor of synthetic. 🙂
I switched to Royal Purple on my ’97 Chevy S10 pickup with 4.3L V6 a few years ago. My truck developed wicked lifter noise, and the engine leaked like a sieve (Full disclosure: My truck did leak oil with conventional, it got alot worse with Full Synthetic). Switched back to conventional and haven’t had any problems since then.
I used synthetic for the first time recently. I checked the dipstick after 3,000 miles expecting to see a brown color like I would with worn conventional oil. Nope. The synthetic went from clear to pale yellow after 3,000 miles of driving. It looks kind of like a brand new conventional oil. Very impressed. When that oil gets brown and black it has very little viscosity, feels more like milk than oil. This is why I will never use conventional oil again, it just wears down too fast.
People think conventional is “outdated” and switch from the recommended to full synthetic. Modern engines use different metals older engines that recommend convention do so because those engines relied on zinc content. If you switch make sure you use a zinc additive all I’m saying or expect premature engine failure
If you DIY, there is no reason to not use full syn. The time spent doing it and the longer OCI completely justify the use of full syn, even in warm climate. These days the price difference in oil is only about 30%. Use Supertech or Costco full syn. If you have a shop do it for you, then the choice is not as obvious. This is because low price oil change is always conventional. A shop will gouge you for full syn oil change. This is because they know you care enough to use full syn and is not as price sensitive.
My 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited 5.2 V8 is still going strong for 28 years without engine or transmission overhaul. Right now it is over 423,000 miles. Several years ago, I’ve used conventional oil then blue smoke came out from tail pipe as I didn’t like so, I switched 5W-30 Mobil One Synthetic oil (no high mileage or no extended). I changing oil every 6 months Spring and Fall since retired is fewer driving or change at 5,000 miles but not beyond 7,000 or 8,000 miles plus, added engine restoration solution with Royal Purple oil filter for years (changing max 10,000 miles). Additional, I’ve reduced engine thermostat to 15 degrees (180 instead of 195 degrees) to prolong engine life without any problem or always passed smog check. Also, I’ve used mostly Chevron 87 octane gas of trying not get a cheap gas brand too.
Ride a single cylinder 153cc Honda and have been using the most expensive 100% synthetic oil, and changing it every 200KM … MUCH more often than Honda recommends. Though this test confirmed what I had already believed (synthetic is better), I do wonder this: BETTER to use conventional oil and change it every 100KM — OR– Stay with 100% synthetic at 2000KM change intervals. Starting to suspect that changing it MORE frequently with mineral is probably the way to go.
If you say it is highly recommended to change an oil at 3000 miles and you run it 10K miles enough times you are going to be in trouble, that would be enough to choose the oil it’s manufacturer says is good for 25K. I would only run an oil for even 10 K on a vacation with lots of highway driving (a short duration of constant speed driving), and I generally change my oil at 5K or once a year. I don’t want to hear we do not guarantee your engine being fine with that maintenance practice, I have seem Mobile 1 engines worked on and they note the golden metal color and little wear as exceptional.
Dear friends. 20w40 or 15w40 is also called NORMAL ENGINE OIL, IT COSTS VERY LOW for 3litre or 3.5litre, This oil will be very thick. Good for Tropical regions condition, Where as, the 0w30 and 5w30 both are (FULLY SYNTHETIC). Reason people use in new gen Diesel engine and Petrol engine is that, at the time of starting a car, the synthetic Engine Oil as it is very much close to free flowing, the oil quickly gets into the piston areas and then make the Engine start without much hassle or noice coming. Ina way synthetic Engine Oil is also used for high performance cars, the reason is as I said, to get the Oil Quickly To Pistons.
full synthetic makes my 2006 suburban smoke on startup. Went to the synthetic blend which i was told is conventional with synthetic additives. Dose not smoke on start up with Syn blend. I did some research and it is true the Full Syn is better BUT in older cars and trucks it could cause some issues especially if the older car was ran on conventional and then u switched to Synthetic. In that case best to just stick with the Synthetic Blend or conventional to be safe. I change my oil every other month and use Napa Plat or Gold oil filters. Dont use fram. It has bad flow the holes are too few and small for the oil to flow thru and I had a few cars acquire engine ticks because of the bad flow from Fram oil filters. Napa, WIx, Moble One, K&N are good filters.
Nate!!! Please give me your advice! I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado 4.3l. at 138000 miles! I go back and forth from work 1.2 miles each way and lunches (20 trips a week) plus 2 10 mile trips and a 20 miler at 65 mph a week! That’s it ! Daily driving and less than 300 miles a month! I use full synthetic oil and change it every 6 months that’s 1500 to 1800 miles! Your thoughts please!
One of the most valuable things my dad ever taught me growing up is how to do all my own maintenance on any car I owned. I recently came across a 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor XLS with 133k miles for a price I couldn’t refuse. I have no record of any repairs, service records or maintenance that’s been done, but I always replace all the fluids, belts and houses immediately anyway. My question is, which type of oil (semi-synthic, full synth, or conventional) would be best to use when I do an oil change with these conditions in mind; it’s a 2004 EFI motor, it got just over 133k miles on it, I live in a south central Arizona where the average outdoor temp stays over 105° (with highs commonly reaching +115°) 6 months outta the year, and it will only be driven less than 10 miles a week and be stationary most of the time. I’ve never owned a car that was idle 95% of the time, and I don’t know what the most appropriate type of oil would be best considering it will sit idle in extremely high ambient temps for 5-7 months a year… Any suggestions or insights would be much appreciated. Thank you!
I’ve swore by conventional oil for my cars and I have a 2008 fusion currently at 217k not missing a beat. Most “conventional” oils are synthetic blend so unless you space out your oil changes more than you should. It won’t really make a difference. Change it every 4000 miles if it’s conventional/synthetic blend and if it’s full synthetic every 5000-7500 miles
My old Ram 2500 5.9 Gas V8, has been using Walmart 10w-30 high milage full synthetic oil for the last two oil services (5k each w/Mobil 1 oil filter). The oil consumption dropped significantly from 1200 miles per quart to 1700 miles per quart over the 10k test. Overall fuel economy improved by .3 mile over the same period. No oil leakage noted before or after the test. A great value for a synthetic oil; only the Costco and Amazon basics synthetic oils are less expensive. Will continue to this oil in my truck.
The test you performed won’t see much difference because they are required to meet specific specs on viscosity and operating temp. Both will do the job just fine. The difference is longevity/durability, synthetic oil will offer the same protection longer while conventional will start breaking down sooner. If you change you oil often say every 3-5k miles max, conventional likely will be fine. If you are lazy, don’t like changing oil often, synthetic may last longer say10k miles or more.
OK, here’s my situation. I bought a 1989 Dodge B350 van last month. It has 50,000 miles, title says actual miles so anyone’s guess. Rural King has full Synthetic for 2.99, and regular for 1.99 per quart. They do not have the Synthetic in 10w40, only in 10w30. But they do have regular oil in 10w40. So my choices is to change the oil with regular 10w40,, or to change it with 10w30 Synthetic and pay 6 dollars more. You decide ! What am I changing my oil with?
Not sure what to think. These results point to using Synth in everything, all the time. But is this the case? My jeep zj 5.2 hated cheap oil. Ticking. Overheating. Breakdown @ temp. Needed oil stabilizer or better oil. My mustang(s) two 3.8’s & three 4.6’s had no issue with cheap conventional. My 89 350 Chev, or my 94 Pontiac had no issues with conven. These vehicles were driven for years with 3,000 mile oil changes with absolutely no degradation of performance. I will never run any oil past 3,000 or half a year ever, period. Just acquired a k24 Honda 191,000 miles & I am searching for the best oil for it…. It’s a little noisy (for a sec) on startup after sitting. Using Seafoam high mileage in the crankcase (according to instructions) & will be changing the oil in a couple hundred miles. I’m thinking full synth.
Any modern full synthetic oil offers more than enough protection…Stuff like Amsoil is overkill unless you are going to setup a bypass and run it 15k miles but I wouldn’t do it… Especially in a DI engine Because the fuel dilution would be really bad by 7500 miles most likely…I use castrol Syntec 0w40 euro formula and I get it for like 23$ a jug…77k miles on an engine pushing almost double the stock hp with no issues…so far
The anti-wear package and detergent package added to each oil. For the few dollars difference anyone not using full synthetic doesn’t value their car. Price difference is a meal at a fast food joint…Not to mention if your engine is clean you can easily do 8000 miles on full synthetic with a quality filter, but not conventional. Do a test of the same brand oil in a 5w20 vs 10w30, heat them up, and bearing test. We already know the 5w20 would win cold pour.
Nate, the base oil this synthetic is called hydro cracked Group 3. It just the same as conventional oil with just another extra refinement step. Most likely these are not a true synthetic…as PAO’S and Polyol esters are…heck even the Pennzoil platinum from natural gas will do better…Amsoil and Redline are better if for no other reason than they both use a large percentage of POE base stocks…which has the highest film strength of any base oil and the highest temperature resistance…it is also the best at being naturally detergent without any additives for detergency… I had 420 I on my last honda and it was like new inside..petroleum will not do that…
Can’t make any recommendations for the 10W-30 shootout test since none of my vehicles can according to the owners manuals use that weight of oil. My Jeep Hemi only allows the use of 5W-20 as does my Hyundai Elantra. Come to think of it, don’t almost all vehicles today use either 0W20 or 5W20 to improve fuel economy?
Yeah this is all good and stuff. But let me tell you something how many people you know with full synthetic oil that have a car over 350,000 to 500,000 miles? I’m 50 years old and I’ve seen Toyota’s hit a half a million miles on conventional motor oil. I’ve had nothing but conventional motor oil in my cars. I’ve had 2 Toyota Corollas that went over 330,000 miles on with conventional motor oil changing the oil every 5000 miles. And you can eat off of the top of the engine of my ’06 it’s so clean. I got a friend I’m working with that has 420,000 miles on a Toyota Tacoma with conventional motor oil. Growing up I had a friend that his dad put over 400,000 miles on his 1985 Toyota Corolla. I had a 1997 Civic that went over 350,000 miles with conventional motor oil and I sold it sounding like the engine was built the day before when I sold it. You might get a few more miles out of synthetic oils but it’s not going to be much more. Who’s going to keep their car over 400,000 miles anyway because the rest of the car breaks down.
This “tests” means nothing irl. “Synthetic” (hydrocreaking lol) oils III group have up to 15% viscosity modifier. It’s plastic! On a piston rings you have about 300C degrees. You have a risk that modifier drops out like a glue on rings and then only rebuild. Conventional or Single Grade oils have a much less this modifiers. They a potential safety.
Synthetic oil was designed to be superior. Today’s modern engines are primarily aluminum & have more internal hydraulic components than ever, add direct injection, turbocharging & high compression with cheap oil & you have the perfect recipe for catastrophic failure. You would be wise to go cheap elsewhere.
I have a 2018 Camry V6 (the current generation) and I live in a mostly hot climate all year round. The dealer recommended me to use 5w30 and if I wanted to go for 10w40 (which they used on my car when I didn’t know better lol) there wouldn’t be a problem. Toyota engines can accept wider range of oil viscosity. I was shocked when I found out that US spec Toyota models use 0w20 oil. I have been using 5w30 full synthetic and for years and no problems whatsoever. 0w20 is too thin for that engine in my opinion.
Thanks for the great article. One thing to keep in mind, fuel dilution changes the viscosity requirement for pedestrian gas cars too. We can choose an oil that provides adequate MOFT under 100% of normal operating situations, but when driving around town, fuel can accumulate in the oil. Follow this up by a blast down the road at high speed, some towing, or a track day without enough time to evaporate the fuel, and bearing failure can be the result. The Audi supercharged V6 is well known for this.
After 50 years of doing it myself, I finally seriously researched motor oil. I came to the shocking realization that I could have used nothing but 10W-30 in every vehicle I have ever owned from the early 70s till today. In several of them, the recommended viscosity was 5W-30. However, in the fine print it always said you could use 10W-30 if the temperature never went below 0 Fahrenheit. So there.
I use what my car manufacturer recommends in the winter and put in a slightly thicker oil in the summer. Most of all, I pay attention to the night time temps. I want the thinner oil in there for cold nights. When it never gets below freezing at night, only then will I put in my summer oil. You want the oil flowing freely at start up…always.
Working in a large fleet operation, 200 units, cars, SUVs, trucks from class 3 to class 8, I observed 1st hand the effects of 0- 5, 5-20 Each vehicle that the manufacturer recommends super light weight oils had knocks, rattles, changing to 10-30 stopped it all. Our fleet was made up of GM, Dodge, Ford, gas, and diesel engine cars and trucks in Colorado. Managing a fleet you get see the effects even before the manufacturer does.
I switched my ’16 Corolla to 5w30 from 0w20 at 200K miles. Now, I don’t have to add a quart to quart and a half every 5K miles, my car is quieter, and the efficiency is the same for me. Owner’s manuals in other countries list MULTIPLE grades for the exact same engines. This “0w20 only” nonsense is only a sop to the EPA/Feds, and I love that people refuse to accept this as per their programming.
Excellent article! I’ve never seen a chart that gives you a baseline for where to start with bearing clearances. I want to build a road race 454 LS7, and now I can have an intelligent talk with my engine builder. I’d like to run 0W-40 on the road course at an oil temperature greater than 212°F and still have adequate oil pressure at 7000 RPM. Hopefully going with the gas-ported, gapless 1mm, 1mm, 2mm ring package! Thanks for educating the track rats and gearheads out there!
One additional point, when using piston squirters, distributor gear squirters or in engines that have other forms or devices or wear that can result in oil pressure/flow escapes, (leaking timing chain tensioners or slightly worn oil pump are a good example on an older engine) The use of ultra low viscosity oil can result in zero flow to distant components. It’s not that the parts need more viscosity, it’s that the system as designed or operated can’t provide adequate flow, often during very low RPM conditions. This is why we sometimes see the farthest cam bearing cap wiped-out first. And why a move to a more viscous oil is a viable solution.
The Ow has more additives that break down over time than the 5w or 10w. The lower the range, the less additives. I was using Castrol Edge 5w40 which was oem for my turbo car. Now I’m doing Castrol Edge 0w40 which had a higher lube rating than the 5w40 but more additives which break down. The 0 should pump faster on start up which prevents wear. The engine seems happy with either and I’m in the Pacific Northwest so we don’t have extreme hot or cold weather. I’ll just use whichever is cheaper or available..lol I do 10k full synthetic oil changes and filter. 72k and runs like new. Mazda mpv V6 ran Mobil 1 5w30 at 10k oil changes and ran like new for 150k miles and sold car. Cheers
Ford recommends 5w-20 for my Coyote 5.0 f150. But one thing I noticed is that most 5w-20 evaporative characteristics is what is giving the 5.0 a reputation for high oil consumption. By simply going to 5w-30 I noticed my Oil Catch can had less oil in it and my oil level was better between oil changes. OE recommendations isn’t always the best.
Most people don’t understand multi weight oils or viscosity; this subject is best explained by SAE ( society of automotive engineers )!!! I have been using Rotella or Delvac 15W40 in everything I own since the 70s. Which included a3.5hp Briggs & Stratton push mower that lasted 25 years!?!?!? Today I use Rotella 5W40 synthetic in everything. I said all this as a retired CAT&CUMMINGS diesel mechanic.
Many years ago I ran two different oils to test on a very hobby level, but there was almost 40 degrees *C oil temperature difference, one was Semi-Synthetic maybe 15-40 or 10-40, the other was Full Synthetic maybe 5-30. It is a long time ago, but I was impressed at the difference, it was also two different brands, so many changes. But one of them was around 95*C and the other around 135*C at full warm somewhat “hard driving” on the street, not on track. What oil was best for the motor I would guess the one that kept the heat the lowest. As long as the pistons also were cooler, and not just the oil.. Hmm.. I guess above 100*C would be nice for some water evaporation though. But what actually made me comment here, was the Cylinder head, just a random Olds head on the table.
I have been using synthetic oil only in race engines for near 30 years. Road race or dirt oval engines. Have normally used 25/50. Chev road race engine did aprox 2200 race miles and the bearings were basically brand new. Good enough to reuse. Unfortunatly the crank was cracked! I did use 15/40 also, seemed no different. This on a drysumped SBC road race engine with a decent oil cooler running to 7500. Oil temp usually around 220-230degF Current project is a 5 litre Ford to 340ci. Will be run to 7500 also. The windsor oil pump drive is too small@ 5/16,, weak and I am stuck with a (good) wet sump. I feel 10/40 may be the go. Crank will be aprox 2 thou right along.
Truly my dream job. U should do some testinging on shaeffers and its moly addative. I’m sure u kno about it but articles would be cool showing how and why it works. As far as incredible luberication and capability’s. Iv seen night and day diff in temps, line pressure, mileage, breakdown etc, hope to see some vids
I have a (what I think) is a great question. I collect many Japanese imports. My cars from Japan, state to use 5w40/10w40. My US SPEC Honda/Acura that uses the same identical B18C VTEC engine, states to use the factory 5w30/10w30. The ONLY difference in the two is that the Japanese spec revs a bit higher because of the ECU. I always wondered why the difference. A better similarity is a Japanese spec S2000 to a US S2000. Japan states in the owners manual 5/40-10w40, in the US 10w30. Do you know why? Emissions BS? Marketing? I hate to question or argue with a true Honda engineer, but I feel you would know! Love the website
That speaker reminds me of Richard Simmons’ Total Body Workout on TV. LOL I am just short of 50 years of vehicle ownership both in daily drivers and performance machines, and I have never had an oil related failure using name brand oils in the viscosity listed in the owner’s manual. Jeez and some I have kept for over 200K miles from new.
I have a 2013 Ford Edge 3.5 cyclone engine at the current time I’m running 5W-20 Mobil 1 AF synthetic, I know that was recommended strictly for CAFE here in the US, because in other countries, they recommend 5W-30. I know that engine is not hard on oil, I have a 120000 on it right now, I’ve already had the water pump replaced, along with the timing chain, tensioners, guides and oil pump. Would you recommend going to a 5W-30? Stay with this oil? Thank you for your help
Great article guys…thank you! I live in Alberta Canada and I own a Stage 2 (catted downpipe, MHD stage 2 tuned) 2018 BMW M240I X-drive with 36000 miles that produces about 450 HP and 475 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. I exclusively use the Shell Nitro+ 93 octane fuel (10% methanol). The oil temperature at normal running temp is 215 F. The manufacturer calls for 0W20, but I have zero idea what the main bearing clearance is. Am I correct in assuming that 0W30 will be fine and likely, preferable to use, at least in the summer?
My 5.0 f150 is recommended 5w-20 in the us and Canada, but is recommended 5w-30 in the Mexican version. My vehicle is higher mileage and vibrated a lot. I ran 0w-30 and most of the unusual vibrations went away. I now exclusively use 0w-30 or high quality 5w-30. Timing chain sounds a lot happier too 😂
I drive a car with a low mileage 1 litre gdi turbo motor. I live in a a tropical country with temperatures around 80 f. My manual recommends 5w30, 10w30 and 10w40 viscocity. What would be the viscosity that is best for lowest engine wear for city driving conditions in your opinion . Would greatly appreciate your response.
I had for now only old vehicles who accepted even the 15W-40 oil. Two Diesels, both indirect injection ones, and two gasoline/LPG ones, a 1.0l 3 cylinder made from Daihatsu, and a 1.731cc I4 Volvo one. In all four I use and used 5W-40. With 5W-40 instead of 10 or worse 15W-40 I have less fuel consumption and less oil consumption. Just to give some data, the indirect injection turbo car I had, had consumed 2l of oil in 6000km during a summer trip in Spain (starting from Italy) with the 15W-40. Same km the next year with the 5W-40, it consumed something like 100cc. The other Diesel was a 2.5l 70hp naturally aspirated from the early ’80s, on an autocaravan, same story, with the 5W-40 less consumption of fuel and oil.
Lake jr./ can you help me, I drive my 2016 f 150 5.0 v8 only in the summers in Minn. And park it in the winters. I only start it in the winter in my garage twice to 3 times a month, 5 – 10 min. Just to lube the internal parts. Would using 0-20 be ok to use only to get the oil to internals faster at start up, and I use 5-30 Pennzoil ultra platinum in summer. Please let me know your thoughts, love your oil articles. THANKS!!
One thing I’ve never heard anybody mention is it all or cool gasoline engines have a thermostat that usually 195 to 200 degrees. This means the engine runs the same temperature all the time no matter if it’s 48° outside or 100° outside . So it should make no difference the outside temperature as far as the oil is concern.
In my personal experience, you technically should not replace 0W-20 with 5W-30. An engine with high mileage required 0W-20 and it runs smoothly and quietly; but once switched to 5W-30, it run less smooth and a bit louder. So with this experiment, I would just stick with recommended oil whether it is 0W-8, 0W-16, 0W-20, 5W-30, or 10W-30 etc; and perform the oil change every 6-9 mo or 5k-7k miles.
Actually 0-20 is basically the same as 5-20 and neither is making engines burn oil car manufacturers are making the piston rings more loose to cut down on friction and get better MPG on the fleet of cars 0.003% adds up over a million cars and then on top of this they sold people on the 10000 miles oil change read your manual that’s for normal driving conditions 🤔🤔🤔 but wait read a little bit more and see the definition of normal almost no one in the world drives in normal conditions according to the auto manufacturers 🤦🤷. So use good oil and change it every 3000 to 5000 miles and your engine will love you for it.
I would like to know what’s the deal with 5W-40 oil and why it’s so rare to find anyone recommending or using it It’s a guess from my car’s manual but there is a chart that says “if you drive at temperatures from X to Y and use high quality oil this viscosity” So I chose 5W-40 because it does get cold here but it has become really hot here recently and it’s an older engine I am no expert but I think it’s the best oil for most older engines that are still running really well. The previous owner was using conventional 10w30 and I switched to a full synthetic 5w40 so it’s gonna be better no matter what and the fuel consumption stayed the same
Please help this conundrum….. “hotter oil gets thinner”…as a general rule, yet for multi-grade oils like 5W-30…..the base oil is 5 weight to allow better flow at low temps, but with its viscisity improvers it acts like a heavier 30 weight oil when at higher operating temps. In this arguement, the oil is thicker as it warms. Can you offer guidance on this apparent contradiction….. for better understanding?
Our 2018 F150…5.0 with plasma cylinder walls used 1qt of 5w-20 semi synthetic Motorcrafter oil every 3000 miles and went thru 2 Ford authorized oil consumption tests. At 20,000 miles I changed to 5w-30 Motorcraft semi synthetic oil and the consumption problem was gone. I now have 45,000 miles on the engine ant it might use a cup in 3K miles. I change oil every 4-5 k miles or yearly if I don’t drive it much…
Great article guys I’ve seen this stuff happen before myself and seen it talked about not this in depth tho I’ve seen most of it from high oil temps to lots of blow by from boost or ethanol use especially if it’s pig rich I find these people that say stick to oem manufactures hilariously full of themselves thinking they already know everything having an open mind is the only way to learn oem manufactures actually recommend different specs in different kind of uses or conditions mostly not on the manual in the glove box but if you do research on their web sites or some even have posters at the parts department stating it Subaru for one I can literally get a picture tomorrow from Subaru in surprise in phx az stating it being ignorant and using it to try and discredit professionals that work hard day in day out to get they’re knowledge is my biggest pet peeve of anyone actual red this looong as paragraph god bless your family’s 😊
Hey Lake Jr. I have a stock ford 4.6 3v in my Mustang and run 20-30 min hpde/time trial road courses. Oil temp usually settles at about 220 on cooler days and up to 235 on hot days. I’ve been running a 50/50 blend of FR20 and LS30. Should I continue with the blend or go straight 5/30 for my application?
Dear Lake, should I switch from manufacturer’s recommended 0W20 to 0w30 in Honda Accord 2012 4cyl engine for less engine wear and better engine protection? This car is my daily city driving vehicle in San Diego, CA with 200,000 miles on the odometer and usually 3K-5K oil change intervals with Mobil or Pennzoil. There are thousands of mechanics out there that tell users to stay away from SAE20 and other lower weight oil as the engine life is very much reduced because of using those. Please share your insight. Much appreciated!
The chart is sort of ambiguous. For instance my Honda K20C1, has a main bearing range of 0.0007 up to 0.0019, and it can vary from 1st position to 5th position on the same crank. Judging by the chart that means for 160-220F, the viscosity range is from 0W10 up to 10W30. Well…which is it? You see where I’m going? So going off the chart alone doesn’t necessarily work completely…it kinda points you in a direction, but doesn’t itself provide an answer.
Thank you Again MOG! WITHOUT correct lubrication and filtering correctly your doomed to fail. Like the old TV commercial you pay me now! Or pay alot more later it never pays to cut corners on lubrication. Do have a resource for someone who is good with ignition upgrades? I wa t to go distriborless on a 5.9 magnum using LS1 GM ignition coils an you make a recommendation please.
So this weekend we raced (sbc350/gm crank .0017-.0019, scat rods .002, mahle powerpack pistons, low tension rings, .500 lift rule, NA moror) running XP3 (10w-30 Synthetic) my oil temp guage (autometer mechanical) was pegged over 280-300 degrees. Same temp with autometer electric guage. My water guage was at 180-190 (weird split, oil/water). Oil pressure wot apx 65-70lbs @6500rpm. Why are my temps so high, and should I switch to driven 5w-20 XP1? Will that help keep temps down? Should i be concerned with 290-300 degree oil temps? Sorry for the long question.
I would love to see you guys build an engine and run it 500K mile on a Dyno with different visocisity oils repeatedly and weight and measure every part before you assemble the engine then after. Use a calibrated anylitcal scale to measure every part before and after. This way we can see how the chain wears, lifters wear, cams wear, bearings wear with each oil. Check for chain stretch etc…..
Simple: Read the owners manual. It tells you the proper oil viscosity to use for the car. It also gives you 2 viscosities that can be used, depending on temperature range the vehicle will be operating in. For example: Toyota Rav 4 Use 0W-20 in cold weather for easier starts, better fuel economy. Use 5W-20 in warm/summer weather.
I Was Told I’m Over Thinking What Oil I Should Run. My Mains Said 30 And The Rods Said 40. The Machine Shop That Built My Short Block Said 20w50. I Said Why And They Said The Added Bearing Clearance. I Called Amsoil And It Was Literally The Same Thing. They Said Yea Run 40 Weight But If Machine Shop Said 50 Run 50. He Was Like, It’s Not A Big Deal To Run Oil That’s A Little More Viscous. I’ve Got A Little 3.8 V6 Turbo Engine FWD Auto That I Will Be Daily Driving Again. It The Little Details That Will Drive You Crazy.
drive a 5.2l Dodge Dakota, 330k plus miles, use mfg recommended 10W-30 oil. No synthetics, just Valvoline or Penzoil basic oils. Change oil and filter at 7,500 miles weather it needs it or not. Always use Fram TG filters. Never have let the oil get down to ‘add’ level. Zero engine problems, oil pressure is still good. Fancy oils are no substitute for a well designed engine.
Hey guys! I just built a new engine for my accord, currently breaking in the motor… New pistons, rings, bearings and valves, head and block have never been worked on, they where perfect, but the crankshaft got worked on (0.025), its an H22A with F22 crank and rods, OEM is 5w30/10w30, I was thinking on using 5w40 because of the crank work, the engine will be used quite hard sometimes on time attack events and (allegedly) street racing.
@TotalSeal here in the tropics where the lowest ambient temps at night may be approx 24°C and during the dAy we see 33-34 AVG, all the way past 37°C on the hotter days, let’s imagine a very common (but healthy) VW/Audi 2.0T with 200k Kms…. What do you make of that scenario (there’s LiquiMoly/Mobil1 5W-50 full synthec now avail)
Thanks for the awesome info! I always seem to be thinking about running thicker oil in my car. It’s just a toyota v6 that i don’t drive hard but I would love to try 15w 40 oil in the summer when I do long trips. Never thought about the piston ring tension. I can’t seem to get myself to try anything other than the 5W 30 my manual says but this was a fun thought experiment for me. Looking forward to learning more from you guys!
0W40 Run it in 120°F ambient daily driver and in -30 ambient daily driver hwy, around town, light duty towing in a Toyota Turbo 3 cylinder to a LS V8. From .0007 to .0016 oil clearance on up UOA and Forensic tear down all good. I am not talking about use in racing, diesels or heavy Duty towing. I just want and HTHS of 3.5 or higer in an oil that flows and pumps well. You can build a 0W20/5W20 like Redline does that has an HTHS of 3.3 as well and all is well. Stay at or above HTHS of 2.9 and most modern daily driver engines will be happy and live a long life. Once you get bellow HTHS of 2.9 you are really getting into what I call the “Forest Gump ” are of oils. Sure you can do it and you might get away with it for modest CAFE advantages but it offers nothing to the consumer and you are riding on the edge of minimums. This is before you even get into VII shearing and additive packages and overly extended OEM OCI for the sake of lower initial cost of ownership for large fleets etc….My Toyota dealership has 0W8 and 0W16 in stock in the parts department and I say why bother! Consumer not dyno or NHRA qualifing or NASCAR qualifing engine! Trained Technician for Porsche and BMW in Germany. Raced in Rally Racing in Europe and SCCA in USA. Worked for General Motors for 7 years in Engineering Department. Worked in General Motors High Performance Parts for a decade. Worked in a minor role mostly in support for Childres Racing. Oil temps, coolant temps, head temps, power densities per liter on daily drivers has steadily increased since the initial emissions and fuel ecconomy issues in the 1970’s until today.
I read a thread on a Ferrari forum a number of years ago where they were talking about oil temps and viscosity for road course use. They came up with the conclusion of using a thinner (not drastically) oil if your oil temps are high as some of that heat is being generated by the shearing action of the oil while it is doing its job as a hydrodynamic bearing…and they noticed the temps decrease over the course of a 20-30 minute session on track. Was there something else at play here?
Can you please explain why 5w30 oil is more expensive then 5w40. While 5w40 is supposedly to suit better for older engines. And the 40 weight has better oil film through additives? Like a 10w60 race oil is for high performance engines. In my thought a 5w40 ia better for an old bmw m54 engine then 5w30 for running prolonged high engine revs like between 5000 and 6000 for more then 1 hour? I hope you can shed some light on this??
So if my vehicle requires 0w20 that’s what the manual and certified mechanics at Jeep Dodge Chrysler say it recommends 0w20 full synthetic oil if not true then what oil should i use and run on my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6 v6 4×2 ? Anyone with that type of vehicle what do you use and any results good or bad ?
Sir Speed, great info here. I may have dunced up on a few oil changes . Used one manufacturers “25000” mile oils to around 20k On my ’11 Tacoma 4.0 l 1GR-FE engine. On cold (35*f ) starts, sounds like my vvti rattles. Thinking I may have sludged my oil passages, I am using HPLUBRICANTS high ester blend oil to reduce it. Seems better. Always use either Mobil 1 or Toyota filters. Any chance you’d do a test on this company’s products? They are out of Manteno Illinois. Thanks for your hard work!
Why is this so controversial use the Dagga viscosity your manufacturer recommends and if you are racing your car on a track get a hold of once again the manufacturer to see if they recommend anything different at that time if you put our race engine in your car use whatever that engine developer tells you to use because that’s what they designed it to use. I don’t understand why this viscosity is so controversial, the manufacture has tons of engineers that go through all this when they develop and design and engine. Use what they tell you to
Most of this does not apply to a family car. A factory stock combustion engine need not be tweaked to get a faster turn around a course. It needs to be filled with an oil that will support a slower wearing out of all the parts that touch one another. The EPA drives the lower number oils suggested by manufacturers. It is about lower fuel usage for them. Neither the government nor the auto makers care about your engine falling apart after 90-100,000 miles. This site is about racing motors only. Worrying about break in oil for a late model 6 cylinder 4 door sedan is not where these guys live. Think.
If you are doing 2 mile trips as your norm in the city the last thing you want is 0W8 with direct injection and nothing but short trips with heavy fuel diloution. That is where 0W30, 5W30, 0W40 come in. 10,000 mile or 1 time a year oil change under city driving the last thing you want is 0W8 I would not even want 0W20. The fuel diloution alone is going to kill the engine. Likewise I would not want to be on the Autobahn or Autostrada and have 0W8 in my sump! Everything today is Turbo charged even Toyota’s little 3 cylinder economy car is turbocharged. Car’s and trucks are all Turbo I4 or V6 now!
I like that table…but who running a car they didn’t build the engine for know what the clearances are? Really! Good luck getting that from the factory! Just follow the factory spec, but go thinner if you like. IE 15w-40 to a 10w-40. No more than that. If you are on euro stuff at 0w-20 etc. Stick with factory. It’s a road car, not a race car! Race car oil does 1000km max!
You could also just run less oil and gain the same HP. Is 10HP worth your motor? I think NOT! Running thinner oil does all the great things you say. However! When. Not if your engine ever overheats that thin oil will self destruct. Bearing clearance and viscosity is an old wives tale and useful for manufacturers trying to achieve the best MPG to satisfy cafeteria standards. A performance built coyote engine with tight bearing clearance is going to want straight 50 or higher. When you have $10-20k tied up in an engine don’t F around with these bs gimmicks! Protect your investment! It’s not always about HP!
Okay, can u summarize for me pls? Lots of talking, I need the articles shorter, I need facts, im not looking to make a career out of oil…Also u should do comparative articles, this is better than the most costly at the same price or this is almost as good but at the fraction of the price! Use a 2 to 1 oil, 2 oil changes with Protective oil then a oil change with high detergent oil etc Turbocharger? NA? Cat? Direct injection? Use these specs for this type of engine PS. Thanks for the effort. It takes elbow grease to do all these articles then some idiot pops around and comments on it…thats me.
Sorry, but Driven sounds like an AMSOIL copy cat, let alone the ridiculous high price. This is all special marketing for those that do custom mods and builds to their engines, but try to lure common drivers into their tactics. Let’s name our proprietary synthetic base “mPAO” but never actually say what it is, then say we have special knowledge no one else has on how additives and viscosities work. It’s a scare tactic to make you think you need their oil or you’re not using oil that will optimize or correctly protect your vehicle.
I’m a little surprised that Lake wasn’t on top of this. And the unit is Stokes. Even one is one Stokes. Not one Stoke. The inventor’s name was Stokes. Get it right or get out. Sloppy article. The oil guy said something that Lake agreed to and I didn’t even hear what it was. Who cares? Big mess. Lake! WTF?
Good article! I don’t trust that woke climate change BMW has my engine longevity in mind when they prescribe 0W-20 for 300HP turbo 4cyl N20. I think they want to maximize profits under CAFE and they rather sell me a new car sooner. I know F1 engines run water thin oil so I’m open to thin oil engine efficiency and power if it still protects. I have run recommended 0W-20 PennzPlat every 5k miles and no problems at 100k in the N20 engine which is notorious for timing chain failures with insufficient oil changes. But I run recommended PennzPlat 10W-40 5k in my N52 BMW 6cyl, also with no prob at 200k. Can I trust BMW recs or are they just milking CAFE and boosting future sales? Or as Jerry Seinfeld would say, “What’s the deal with this 0W-20 koolaid oil”
Let’s talk 0w30 motor oil..I think at high temperatures say 250 degrees Fahrenheit..im sure the 0w means thickness of oil at high temperatures..and I think 30 means oil thickness and flow at cold temperatures at start up…if it’s not prove it…I don’t want to hear what the manufacturers says I want for you to prove it