0-20 motor oil

That has nothing to do with the oil grade. It is more on the speed of the car than rpms.

Computers control your engine more than your right foot nowadays.
No im not saying that the oil grade has anything to do with it, im just saying is that the thin oil in the van is good enough for the engine because it isn't seeing any high rpms.
 
No im not saying that the oil grade has anything to do with it, im just saying is that the thin oil in the van is good enough for the engine because it isn't seeing any high rpms.

So, if I am going up a hill in my Mazda running 0w20 at 5000rpms I might be overtaxing the oil?

I do this too. Plus, a lot of the newer pickup trucks are specified to run on 0w20 now. We have a member who recently posted his experience of towing with no issues.
 
There are now millions of miles accumulated on motors running 0/20w oil. It's a topic on BITOG that refuses to die. 0/20W oil-I guess is still in the "kicking and screaming phrase" on this board-as is the ultimate future of EVs on our roads.


Just another day on this special place.


Yep and engines that are running 0w16 are accumulating miles now and we haven’t heard of any failures from those motors either.
 
Man, you guys are being brutally ugly for no reason. @xgmad has a valid point, if you would stop and think for a moment. I can name a few examples off the top of my head where the manufacturer recommended a higher viscosity oil for valid reasons. The Nissan 300zx, Nissan recommends 10w-30 at a minimum, same with the Honda S2000.

In more modern day examples we have the track pack Mustang requiring 5w-50 for track usage, and the C7 Corvette required 15W-50 for track usage (street driving 5w-30 is required). Then they developed a specific 0w-40 with Mobil1 that is recommended/required depending on what model year your Vette is, 0w-40 can be used in both street and track use. The ZR1 requires 15W-50 for track use, 0W-40 for street. These are just the examples off the top of my head.

To get back on point, if your shift points rarely exceed 2K rpm then your engine isn’t being stressed very much. A 0W-20/5W-20 oil is perfectly fine if the manufacturer calls for it. Last time I checked I didn’t see the Honda Odyssey or Mazda CX-5 listed as “track” vehicles, hence very rarely do these engines see wide open throttle, red line operation.

A lot of trucks now spec 0W-20 with no mention of going up in oil viscosity when towing. They can do this because of advanced engine technology and better cooling (coolant and oil temp). Many manufacturers are using coolant controlled oil coolers (I’m looking at your Hyundai) which greatly control the oil temperature. Another advancement is dual stage oil pumps which can lessen the effect of oil shear .

Toyota has an excerpt in a lot of their vehicles owners manuals saying it’s recommended to use a 5W-30 for prolonged high speed driving or towing.
 
Some additional food for though. Today’s 20 grade oils and even lower grades are not the watery thin oils you might think they are. There is a great thread in another sun forum here with some info on a new PAO developed by Exxon Mobil.

 
Man, you guys are being brutally ugly for no reason. @xgmad has a valid point, if you would stop and think for a moment. I can name a few examples off the top of my head where the manufacturer recommended a higher viscosity oil for valid reasons. The Nissan 300zx, Nissan recommends 10w-30 at a minimum, same with the Honda S2000.

In more modern day examples we have the track pack Mustang requiring 5w-50 for track usage, and the C7 Corvette required 15W-50 for track usage (street driving 5w-30 is required). Then they developed a specific 0w-40 with Mobil1 that is recommended/required depending on what model year your Vette is, 0w-40 can be used in both street and track use. The ZR1 requires 15W-50 for track use, 0W-40 for street. These are just the examples off the top of my head.

To get back on point, if your shift points rarely exceed 2K rpm then your engine isn’t being stressed very much. A 0W-20/5W-20 oil is perfectly fine if the manufacturer calls for it. Last time I checked I didn’t see the Honda Odyssey or Mazda CX-5 listed as “track” vehicles, hence very rarely do these engines see wide open throttle, red line operation.

A lot of trucks now spec 0W-20 with no mention of going up in oil viscosity when towing. They can do this because of advanced engine technology and better cooling (coolant and oil temp). Many manufacturers are using coolant controlled oil coolers (I’m looking at your Hyundai) which greatly control the oil temperature. Another advancement is dual stage oil pumps which can lessen the effect of oil shear .

Toyota has an excerpt in a lot of their vehicles owners manuals saying it’s recommended to use a 5W-30 for prolonged high speed driving or towing.
I guess that's why my 2018 Silverado w/the 5.3 using 0/20W towing my 5,000 pound-travel trailer up 9,000 foot mountain passes at 90plus ambient degrees hasn't blown up yet.................
 
I guess that's why my 2018 Silverado w/the 5.3 using 0/20W towing my 5,000 pound-travel trailer up 9,000 foot mountain passes at 90plus ambient degrees hasn't blown up yet.................
Yep, I also forgot to mention that oil sump capacity has increased as well. I wouldn’t be concerned at all with 0W-20 in your 5.3.
 
But how long are the engines lasting relative to the 20 grade engines? Does the far thicker oil contribute significantly to startup wear from slower flow, or poorer flow after warm? I don't know and most likely will never know the answer to this, mountains of anectotal evidence aside. 😁
I don’t think it matters, most cars are going to the junkyard with a running engine and a blown transmission anyways. This site is largely just audiophile types having fun using different stuff. I doubt if anything there is really much of an advantage over going with what is in the manual for normal passenger car use.
 
I don’t think it matters, most cars are going to the junkyard with a running engine and a blown transmission anyways. This site is largely just audiophile types having fun using different stuff. I doubt if anything there is really much of an advantage over going with what is in the manual for normal passenger car use.
Wisdom.
 
Are today’s 20wts okay for cars that see frequent wide open throttles?

Secondly for top end noise such as valves etc is it true that thinner oils run quieter?
 
I agree, it is the same with many automakers who have embraced GDI engines. The majority of the engine noise that comes from my Hyundai GDI engine is from the high pressure GDI fuel injectors. If you want to quiet that engine down use a light Xw-30, Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 and Idemitsu 5w30 come to mind.
Don't forget the solid lifters, those also greatly contribute to their excessive noise. A 30 or 40 grade drastically reduces the clacking of the valve train to the point I can barely hear the engine running at idle with the AC off.
 
Are today’s 20wts okay for cars that see frequent wide open throttles?

Secondly for top end noise such as valves etc is it true that thinner oils run quieter?
For clogged/poorly designed hydraulic lifters it might but with solid bucket lifters I've found the opposite to be true. Is 20 grade okay for wide open throttle? Probably if the engine is designed for a 20, is it ideal? Probably not. Thicker oil offers greater MOFT under heavy loads, and that oil film is less likely to collapse. The only reason to use a 20 grade is for fuel economy but I'd hazard to guess anyone frequently running wide open throttle doesn't care about fuel economy so why risk it?
 
Awhile back Hyundai had a tech bulletin to follow a severe service oil change because of their GDI fuel dilution issues and believe they were opting a 5w30.
That Service bulletin concerned engine rebuilds after knock sensor listening devices picked up excessive noise caused by assembly debris. The 5w30 fill requirement was made because all Hyundai at the time had that as a choice in their manuals. Whereas 20 was recommended in specific vehicles. This made it easier not to mistakenly put 20 in one of the turbo vehicles after the inspection or needed rebuild. It is not a recommendation to switch from 20 to 30 since subsequent to this campaign, 20 is still recommended and printed on oil fill caps.

A previous Sonata of mine made it to 188k miles before trading it in. It used zero oil and ran strong on a healthy diet of 5w20 conventional and synthetic. I understand this just one anecdote but there are far more people sharing this same experience than not.
As for what I do currently, 20, 30 and 40... I use them all.
 
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*Try the "ARCOgraphite Blend" : 1 qrt. of Castrol Magtec (20W or 30W) and fill the balance with your normal synthetic SP , GF6 , D1 / Gen 2 rated synthetic oil of choice . My latest example of this fill : 2021 Kia Seltos 2.0L MPI engine , 1 qrt. Magtec 5W30 and 3.3 qrts. of M1 5W30 (Kia allows 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 for this engine) .
 
*Try the "ARCOgraphite Blend" : 1 qrt. of Castrol Magtec (20W or 30W) and fill the balance with your normal synthetic SP , GF6 , D1 / Gen 2 rated synthetic oil of choice . My latest example of this fill : 2021 Kia Seltos 2.0L MPI engine , 1 qrt. Magtec 5W30 and 3.3 qrts. of M1 5W30 (Kia allows 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 for this engine) .
*Try the "ARCOgraphite Blend" : 1 qrt. of Castrol Magtec (20W or 30W) and fill the balance with your normal synthetic SP , GF6 , D1 / Gen 2 rated synthetic oil of choice . My latest example of this fill : 2021 Kia Seltos 2.0L MPI engine , 1 qrt. Magtec 5W30 and 3.3 qrts. of M1 5W30 (Kia allows 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 for this engine) .
If the magnatec is so good why not use all of it?
 
That Service bulletin concerned engine rebuilds after knock sensor listening devices picked up excessive noise caused by assembly debris. The 5w30 fill requirement was made because all Hyundai at the time had that as a choice in their manuals. Whereas 20 was recommended in specific vehicles. This made it easier not to mistakenly put 20 in one of the turbo vehicles after the inspection or needed rebuild. It is not a recommendation to switch from 20 to 30 since subsequent to this campaign, 20 is still recommended and printed on oil fill caps.

A previous Sonata of mine made it to 188k miles before trading it in. It used zero oil and ran strong on a healthy diet of 5w20 conventional and synthetic. I understand this just one anecdote but there are far more people sharing this same experience than not.
As for what I do currently, 20, 30 and 40... I use them all.
My 08 sonata ran fine on 5w20
 
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