Is the recommended 0-20 bad for engine life?

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Wolfkc said:
I read up on oil years ago and my general take away was that the upper number for when the engine was hot should be at least 30 if not 40 and the cold number was always too high so go as low as possible, certainly use 0 instead of 5 or 10. In general it may not make a huge difference but until now I’ve always been asking for 0-30 or 0-40. But today I was told at three different oil change shops that I had to use 0-20 because that was all they could select or that was their shop rule. I know the auto mfg’s have asked for thinner oil to help get their mpg up. But IMHO i suspect that is at the expense of some engine life. I'd rather lose .5 mpg and have even a few more months of engine life. Even if the cost comes out in favor of using the thinner oil, time and effort or big factors for me.
I know some people on this forum, at least in years past, do very detailed even scientific study of such things as how much running a thinner oil hurts engine life. And I know there will be some people on both sides of the issue, there always are. But I'd still like to get a few comments on what people think of being forced to stay on 0-20. Should i find a different shop to get the oil I think is better or just accept the trend?
Click to expand...
You CAN buy a better 0w20 but it's not at Walmart,etc. Boutique oils will still be listed as 0w20 but usually with high hths, higher TBN, etc.
 
Yuk said:
Because times change and new information may have become available since the question was asked last.
Click to expand...

No, times are not changing every single day and with every single forum member.
It remains the same and for everyone. Why not just precceed existing threads?


Yuk said:
For those who are so triggered by these questions, simply scroll on. There is no requirement for you to answer.
Click to expand...

Your wrong, it impairs the forum as it gets more and more confusing. It doesn't help
at all, it gets even more complicated especially for new members and it's annoying.
.
 
picklyrickly1073 said:
I don’t think it’s bad for engines since the wear metals rarely seem to be elevated even with heavier fuel dilution. I ran 0w-20 in my old Prius for 10k miles at a time and owned that car from 100k to 200k miles trouble free. But the new car is direct injected and turbocharged which is generally harder on oil and has me contemplating bumping to a 5w-30 at least in the warmer months (I usually get 2OCI in warm months and one in cold months).

And then I always go back to remembering the Hondas that get whatever the dealer has whenever the light comes on and still last and think my 5k intervals are more than adequate even with 0w-20. But the. 5w-30 doesn’t even trade off that much MPG. I’ve debated this a while, will probably just run 5w-30 the next OCI from mid summer to late fall and see how it is (I’m sure the butt dyno won’t be very useful)
Click to expand...
"Wear metals" in a $30 spectrographic analysis are not the method of measuring engine wear due to the oil. Sorry. I'm sure that's been discussed before but somehow it keeps being missed.

Besides, fuel dilution causes other negative issues with the oil. Here is a good reference:

Fuel Dilution -- The Cause, Effect, and Detection

Fuel Dilution is the thinning of engine oil by gasoline or diesel fuel. During the service life of the engine oil, some amount of fuel dilution is inevitable, but several factors can cause excessive dilution:
www.savantlab.com www.savantlab.com
 
Wolfkc said:
I read up on oil years ago and my general take away was that the upper number for when the engine was hot should be at least 30 if not 40 and the cold number was always too high so go as low as possible, certainly use 0 instead of 5 or 10. In general it may not make a huge difference but until now I’ve always been asking for 0-30 or 0-40. But today I was told at three different oil change shops that I had to use 0-20 because that was all they could select or that was their shop rule. I know the auto mfg’s have asked for thinner oil to help get their mpg up. But IMHO i suspect that is at the expense of some engine life. I'd rather lose .5 mpg and have even a few more months of engine life. Even if the cost comes out in favor of using the thinner oil, time and effort or big factors for me.
I know some people on this forum, at least in years past, do very detailed even scientific study of such things as how much running a thinner oil hurts engine life. And I know there will be some people on both sides of the issue, there always are. But I'd still like to get a few comments on what people think of being forced to stay on 0-20. Should i find a different shop to get the oil I think is better or just accept the trend?
Click to expand...
Go look up what 2024 Toyotas spec , that'll really blow your mind.
The future is here old man!
 
kschachn said:
SAE grades have changed multiple times since then. Today's 20-grades are not the same. That was before HT/HS but it likely was around 3.0.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the HTHS of multigrade conventional oils back then was pathetic, that is why Mobil could get away with recommending a 5w20 to be used in the cars of that day which most required 10w30, it had a high enough and stable enough viscosity to be used in those engines.
 
930.engineering said:
No, times are not changing every single day and with every single forum member.
It remains the same and for everyone. Why not just precceed existing threads?




Your wrong, it impairs the forum as it gets more and more confusing. It doesn't help
at all, it gets even more complicated especially for new members and it's annoying.
.
Click to expand...
Technology and science change, there is no such thing as settled science. The 0/5W-20 of today is not the same lubricant that was first introduced 20 years ago... and the technology is changing constantly.
Cheers
 
Last edited:
kschachn said:
SAE grades have changed multiple times since then. Today's 20-grades are not the same. That was before HT/HS but it likely was around 3.0.
Click to expand...
It's interesting that you gave 930.engineering a (y) when he replied to my comment, and then you proceeded to support comment.

Questions are just questions, there is no need for us to censor discussion about motor oil.
 
Yuk said:
Technology and science change, there is no such thing as settled science. The 0/5W-20 of today is not the same lubricant that was first introduced 20 years ago... and the technology is changing constantly.
Click to expand...

'20 years'? Nobody said '20 years'. You suggest the last thread is '20 years old'?
Completely wrong, not honest. We see the every same topic every single week.
Provide a scientific report that says 'technology and science' would change every
week please. Thanks.


Yuk said:
Questions are just questions, there is no need for us to censor discussion about motor oil.
Click to expand...

And you are empowered to 'censor' forum members where they place their (y)?
Interesting to notice, downright internally inconsistent.
.
 
picklyrickly1073 said:
Maybe some of the more common topics should be merged and stickied if it’s going to prevent members from throwing a tantrum every time someone asks a question about oil on an oil forum.
Click to expand...
You are free to suggest to a moderator they be merged when you see it happening.

Or members can search for existing topics as well, but sometimes that’s not the objective.
 
930.engineering said:
'20 years'? Nobody said '20 years'. You suggest the last thread is '20 years old'?
Completely wrong, not honest. We see the every same topic every single week.
Provide a scientific report that says 'technology and science' would change every
week please. Thanks.




And you are empowered to 'censor' forum members where they place their (y)?
Interesting to notice, downright internally inconsistent.
.
Click to expand...
No, I have no interest in censoring anything. I'm just pointing out the contradiction.
 
at least it's not 0w8. i have a Honda with the 1.5T and it never gets too hot. i tried 0w30 once and the engine felt sluggish and made a grinding noise when quickly revving it. no issues with 0w20.
 
Been using Mobile 1 since 1975...and way back then it was 5w20...never ever had a engine or engine oil issue in any of my many cars over the years...
 
Wolfkc said:
I read up on oil years ago and my general take away was that the upper number for when the engine was hot should be at least 30 if not 40 and the cold number was always too high so go as low as possible, certainly use 0 instead of 5 or 10. In general it may not make a huge difference but until now I’ve always been asking for 0-30 or 0-40. But today I was told at three different oil change shops that I had to use 0-20 because that was all they could select or that was their shop rule. I know the auto mfg’s have asked for thinner oil to help get their mpg up. But IMHO i suspect that is at the expense of some engine life. I'd rather lose .5 mpg and have even a few more months of engine life. Even if the cost comes out in favor of using the thinner oil, time and effort or big factors for me.
I know some people on this forum, at least in years past, do very detailed even scientific study of such things as how much running a thinner oil hurts engine life. And I know there will be some people on both sides of the issue, there always are. But I'd still like to get a few comments on what people think of being forced to stay on 0-20. Should i find a different shop to get the oil I think is better or just accept the trend?
Click to expand...
After this video you will have any doubt

 
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