Go out and do it first.
0W-16 Strength & Durability
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Go out and do it first.
Why play the smart ass card? This is what this entire thread has been dealing with the last 8 pages. What if this, and what if that. I've got a better question. Why do you have your ego invested in your motor oil? Again, no one is saying your engine will "blow up" if you use 0W-16. But the fact is heavier weight oils have been proven to protect better. There is no "what if" in that statement.
This is a fact that has been both tested and proven. Both in racing, and in laboratory testing..... Over and over. The 0W-16 worshipers all come back saying how it will "adequately protect" their engines. And it very well may. That doesn't mean there aren't better choices depending on where and how you drive. 0W-16 may very well not be the best choice. And as someone said earlier, I'm just not all that excited about, "adequate".
Even the owners manuals state that a higher viscosity oil is better suited for severe use........ On the exact same cars they slap bright yellow 0W-16 stickers on all over the engine bay. Why do you suppose they say that?
Here we see a few issues with your argument:
1. "better" is a terrible term. It's vague and subjective.
2. If the consumers will NEVER see a single negative effect of a lighter weight oil ie engine failure then your point is moot.
3. It's been proven without a shadow of a doubt in all scenarios possible huh? Tell me how.
So the engine will wear out sooner if driven on thinner oils. Blow up, wear out, not sure if there is a difference here?
1)..... "Better" is better. It's not "vague". Nor is it "suggestive". It simply means BETTER. Many products in stores are described as "better quality". Perhaps this will help.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dic...=1 : in a superior or,story better than I do.
2). & 3)..... There you go with "IF" again. And yet again, no one is talking about, "engine failure". We are talking about increased wear over time. Most people who pay tens of thousands of dollars for a new car, like to take the best possible care of it they can.
One way to do that is to keep it's wear to an absolute minimum. That is simply good common sense. Higher viscosity oils help in the accomplishment of that goal.
It has been PROVEN that a higher viscosity motor oil will do that, because it protects against said wear....... Wait for it....... BETTER. It's all over this thread, along with several others within the confines of this forum, how this is accomplished. Read it.
I'm done going back and forth with you, you aren't actually saying anything. I ask how it's proven, you say ITS PROVEN. But for one final note let me try and expand your mind a tiny bit:
Lets say there are 2 cars, same year, same mileage, same condition. Car A is $20,000.00, car B is $19,999.99. Car B's price is better than car A's correct? Yet this would not be a useful factor in a decision making process as the amount is so small it's irrelevant.
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
Geez - what percentage of vehicles have 0W16 in the pan?
Let's say I order 2 identical pizza's from the same place on different days. And both pizza's are made by the same guy. I pick up one on a Tuesday, and the other on Saturday. Will the Pepperoni on the pizza made on Saturday be better because it's fresher? Even if the travel time to the pizzeria was greater due to increased traffic, and assuming both pizzas were consumed upon returning home?
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
From what to what ? Not even on shelves here …
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
Yeah, lots of 0W20 thru 15W40 sold here … But every oil clearance would see 5W30 gone first …
My stash of 0W20 is getting thin (
) … so about one more OCI before the 5.3L gets 5W30 … (end of warranty about then anyway) …
Can we stop using race engines as examples both for and against the use of thin oil viscosities? Yes, a 0W-3 or 8 is used by race teams in high horsepower race engines, but they also rebuild/replace those engines more times than most folks would change the oil in their car. Top Fuel dragsters get a rebuilt engine after every single run.
@kschachn is absolutely correct here- thin oils opportunities for fuel gains over the very long term. Not that the individual consumer will ever notice the savings, but they're there and substantial enough for OEMs to produce them and prescribe them for select engines in their lineup. Outside of that, there's really no benefit to running a thinner oil over a thicker one.
For people who recognize that they ask more of their engine than the average, whether it be towing/racing/high heat/mountain driving/etc, they'll probably favor thicker oils which offer better protection. This isn't a debate- higher HT/HS and MOFT offers better protection. Instead, what you're really asking is 'do I really need better protection to achieve my ownership goals with this vehicle', and those people have answered in the affirmative.
For the folks on here who don't ask more from their engines than the average driver, using their cars to grab groceries and make the occasional highway run, they've probably don't care about much else than using what the OE recommends. This likely isn't going to cause them any problems, either. They'll motor their small displacement, naturally-aspirated engine to the grocery store and back on 0W-whatever for many years to come, likely longer than they'd prefer to even keep their car. I know.. I own a 2 liter, naturally-aspirated engine and use a grade recommended by the OEM.
@kschachn is absolutely correct here- thin oils opportunities for fuel gains over the very long term. Not that the individual consumer will ever notice the savings, but they're there and substantial enough for OEMs to produce them and prescribe them for select engines in their lineup. Outside of that, there's really no benefit to running a thinner oil over a thicker one.
For people who recognize that they ask more of their engine than the average, whether it be towing/racing/high heat/mountain driving/etc, they'll probably favor thicker oils which offer better protection. This isn't a debate- higher HT/HS and MOFT offers better protection. Instead, what you're really asking is 'do I really need better protection to achieve my ownership goals with this vehicle', and those people have answered in the affirmative.
For the folks on here who don't ask more from their engines than the average driver, using their cars to grab groceries and make the occasional highway run, they've probably don't care about much else than using what the OE recommends. This likely isn't going to cause them any problems, either. They'll motor their small displacement, naturally-aspirated engine to the grocery store and back on 0W-whatever for many years to come, likely longer than they'd prefer to even keep their car. I know.. I own a 2 liter, naturally-aspirated engine and use a grade recommended by the OEM.
I just recalled I had a white Camry loaner from my local dealer when they started using 0W20 many years ago. I recall because I remember having a hard time getting it back in drive after backing up and I was blocking the service lane. Mystery and confusing Toyota shift console with ferrari style gates.
I said this is going to run like junk. But I was very impressed with the engine. Car had less than 500 miles on it.
Skip to many months later when I had the SAME loaner again - the engine ran terrible making all kinds of noise and was low on power.
I saw on a service sticker it had just had the factory oil changed after 8700 miles!
Moral? It appears that even cars I don't own - but just drive briefly - give up the ghost early .
I said this is going to run like junk. But I was very impressed with the engine. Car had less than 500 miles on it.
Skip to many months later when I had the SAME loaner again - the engine ran terrible making all kinds of noise and was low on power.
I saw on a service sticker it had just had the factory oil changed after 8700 miles!
Moral? It appears that even cars I don't own - but just drive briefly - give up the ghost early .
It seems to me, too many people are too invested in their own point of view, which is usually nothing more than, "Just follow the owner's manual because the engineers know best."
I first came to BITOG over 20 years ago because I wanted the best possible oils, filters and additives for my engines. I want to read opinions and evaluate accordingly. If your opinion is Just follow the owner's manual, fine. State it and move on. If you have another opinion and have reasons for your opinion, post it all so I can evaluate.
I have been using 0w-20 in my wife's 2015 Civic. Since I only use full synthetic oil and change at 5 to 6,000 miles, I figure that is pretty safe. However, opinions stated here have me considering the possibility going to 5w30. I am still evaluating and appreciate opinions other than Just follow the owner's ;manual.
Finally, I think using anything other than full synthetic in any engine is nuts. There are good, and relatively inexpensive oils out there, it only makes economic sense to use them.
I first came to BITOG over 20 years ago because I wanted the best possible oils, filters and additives for my engines. I want to read opinions and evaluate accordingly. If your opinion is Just follow the owner's manual, fine. State it and move on. If you have another opinion and have reasons for your opinion, post it all so I can evaluate.
I have been using 0w-20 in my wife's 2015 Civic. Since I only use full synthetic oil and change at 5 to 6,000 miles, I figure that is pretty safe. However, opinions stated here have me considering the possibility going to 5w30. I am still evaluating and appreciate opinions other than Just follow the owner's ;manual.
Finally, I think using anything other than full synthetic in any engine is nuts. There are good, and relatively inexpensive oils out there, it only makes economic sense to use them.
In the middle of a very hot desert. Here in Kingman where we can see 110 in the summer and not that much freezing weather in the winter, I would not go 0w-16 in any vehicle. In Lake Havasu City, where is almost never freezes and summer temps can go over 120, there is even more reason to go heavier.
Adequate isn't such a great word either. I like words like superior, I don't think I'll be seeing 0W16 oils touting "superior" protection over an xw20 or xw30 oil anytime soon. Having said that I will say they should provide "better" mpg over an xw20 or xw30 oil.
You make an excellent point. If all you care about is what is, "manufacturer, (CAFE), recommended", then use that. But if that's the case why bother discussing it on BITOG?
It's a bit like a guy who hunts deer once a year with a $200.00 Savage he bought from Wal-Mart, telling a guy who has $25K tied up in a custom long range rig and glass, that he's wasting his money. It becomes nothing more than an unvalued opinion, simply because there is nothing of value in it.
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