0W vs 5W ...

Pennzoil motor oil
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BarneyBonneville

Joined
Oct 29, 2025
Messages
4
If 0W-20 is good in winter what makes 5W-20 the preferred summer oil? Why would a slower W rated oil ever be better?

I mean wouldn't you always want the oil with the faster speed to the top end valves etc., even in summer? What does the 5W-20 have that is better than the 0W-20 at any temperature?
 
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BarneyBonneville said:
What does the 5W-20 have that is better than the 0W-20 at any temperature?
Click to expand...
It may be a matter of what the 5W-20 doesn't have compared to the 0W-20. And as always, not all oils are created equal.

In order to get the spread between the winter weight and non-winter weight, viscosity modifiers are used. Generally speaking, the less difference between the two requires less viscosity modifiers. There are many flavors of modifiers, but using a very broad brush stroke, less is more. That's why 5W-20 may be preferred vs 0W-20.
 
You are likely to find answers to your popular question here:

J

Thread '0W-20 in Winter and 5W-20 in Summer?'

Hi, Guys,

I was wondering is it OK for me to use 0W-20 for winter about 3 Month and 5W-20 for the rest of the year?

I drive a 07 Honda Accord 2.4L with 80,000+ miles on it, I’m an easy driver, majorly drive in city.
Here in the mid-west winter can be really cold, typically below and around 32 degree. But in the summer it will even go above 100 degree sometimes.

So,
Is it good for my car to switch around between 0W-20 and 5W-20? Or I should keep using 5W-20?

Is it necessary to use those “High mileage/Extended Performance” oils? My local shops always tell me to use...
T

Thread '5w-20 to 0w-20 for winter? Or for short trips?'

2012 Ram 1500 4.7L V8
80,250 miles
Used 5w-20 (per owner's manual) full sythetic (M1 or PP) since I got the truck at 22k miles.

Truck used to live a far more balanced life, 60% highway/40% short trip driving. For the last year and a half, it is more like 80% short trips/20% highway- and will likely stay on that use since I changed jobs. Last week, the oil life monitor dinged me for a 6month change even though it had only driven 3500 miles. PP out, PP in, Napa Gold 7899 off, Purolator BOSS on. (AAP special)

Questions:
-With the frequent short trips that NEVER get the oil to operating...
Z

Thread '0w vs 5w in a typical winter.... Does it matter?'

I live in Michigan and have Michigan Winters. These are usually 20's-30's with occasional teens or even around zero.

I can see an advantage of a 0w in every cold weather, but is there really that big of an advantage in normal winter weather?
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L

Thread 'Switch from 5W-20 to 0W-20 for winter?'

Have always used Honda's full synthetic 5W-20 in the '07 Accord V6. Should I switch to 0W for the coldest months? Any reason not to?
A

Thread '0w20 instead of 5w20 in extreme winters.'

Hi,
moved from Toronto to Winnipeg . Winters here are brutal. sometimes -35 or even -40 deg celcius.
car is 2003 honda accord 160k kms ( 100k miles)
I always put Mobil 1 5w20.
should I run 0w20 in winters to give extra protection at cold starts?
right now both Mobil 1 extended performance and advanced fuel economy are on sale in 0w20 weight and price is almost same as my 5w20.
any thoughts?
-35 or -40 does not last for months though.
my user manual says to use 5w20 and it shows a chart which covers range from -30 deg cel to +40 deg celcius.
R

Thread '5w-20 and 0w-20'

My CR-V calls for 0w-20. The wife's car is a 2009 Kia borrego v8 with 170k on it. Could I use the 0w-20 in both.
D

Thread '0W-20 vs 5W-20'

I'm new so excuse if this has been discussed here elsewhere, probably ad naseum. In easy-to-understand layman's terms, what is the difference between these two? I see the 0 oil advertised by M1 and others as "for use where 0w-20 or 5w-20 are recommended".

Is that true? Can you really just substitute the 0 for the 5 oil? For reference I live in Pittsburgh and my car is garaged. Occasionally my wife will come out from work and her Lexus RX-330 will have been sitting outside in 0-20 degrees for 8 hours. And in the summer we MIGHT get a stretch of 90-95 degree days. But that's about as...
R

Thread '0w20 vs 5w20 in hot weather'

0w20 vs 5w20 in hot weather
Which oil is better for hot weather like in Florida

interesting thing is that this hyundai in other countries manuals says to use 0w20, 5w20, 5w30, 10w30 and 0w40, all depending on temps car will be in. In usa they want you to use 0w20.
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Big O Dave

Thread 'Are 5w20 & 0w20 Interchangeable?'

I've been around here for a long time, but I find this to be somewhat perplexing.

Toyota wants their vehicles to use 0w20. If you can't find it, you can use 5w20, but then that must be replaced with 0w20 at the next oil change.

I just bought a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, and the preferred oil is 5w20, with 5w30 and 10w30 being approved alternates. No mention is made regarding 0w20.

Both 0w20 and 5w20 should have the same kinematic viscosity at operating temperature and the same HTHS, so what would be the issue?
S

Thread '5w20 instead of 0w20?'

hey guys,

my f-sport is due for an oil change soon and i been thinking about switching to 5w20 instead of 0w20.

currently i have Castrol EDGE Extended Performance ow20 in it, the 5w20 will be the same. it will be 5w20 Castrol EDGE Extended Performance.

would it be okay to switch? with summer coming up, im thinking about go up one.

thanks.
1BadManVan

Thread 'Mobil 1 recommends 0w20 instead of 5w20?'

This is for my 2018 Dodge Durango R/T, I’ve been leaning towards switching over to Mobil 1 Extended Performance as I continue to hear great things about it for an off the shelf oil that’s easily accessible. When I looked up the oil application guide direct through their website, they recommend the 0W20 Ep instead of the 5w20 that mine calls for. I know I hear the 0W20 Ep is supposed to be a better quality oil, is that the reason they are recommending it?

When I emailed them to inquire, I just got a very generic answer back that didn’t answer my question at all lol. So given that they have...
B

Thread '0w-20 or 5w-20'

Which would you choose? Guess the question is how important is it to reduce the VII as far as wear or mileage? When my warranty expires considering going from 0w20 to 5w20. Your view?
H

Thread 'Viscosities of various 0W-20 and 5W-20 oils'

I went through every major brand's Product Data Sheet (PDS) to document viscosities. The ones in bold do not have PDS that I could find, so I listed viscosities from VOAs for those. Sorted from high to low.

0W20 and 5W20 Oils​
KV100​
Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w20​
9.00​
Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W20​
8.90​
Castrol EDGE Extended Performance 5w20​
8.90​
Pennzoil SB High Mileage 5W20​
...
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B

Thread '0w20 or 5w20'

My 2009 corolla 1.8 says I can use either viscosity, but on every website oil selector shows 0w20. Not sure which I should use. I know that the cold weight is super close and the hot weight is the same. I know previous to 09, the engines used 5w30, and everything after calls for 0w20
L

Thread '5w20 instead of 0w20'

Seeing as how I can stock up on MC 5w20 for just under $20 a change, would it be okay to use 5w20 over 0w20 in a '14 crv? Thoughts and opinions welcome including any benefit to using 5 over 0.
T

Thread '5w-20 to 0w-20'

I have a 2010 Jeep Liberty with the 3.7 V6. I have been using the recommended 5w-20 conventional oil in it but recently found a super deal on some 0w-20 full synthetic. Is there any problem with running the 0w-20 synthetic in my Jeep?
0

Thread '0w20 or 5w20?'

I just bought a 2004 Honda civic. It specs 5w20 but I was considering 0w20 year round. Will this be ok? What would be the better choice? I live in ny so it gets a little chilly during the winter. Also what 0w20 or 5w20 would be better? Pup or Mobil 1 Extended Performance
 
Rand said:
You dont understand how it works.. I suggest researching.
both are 20wt and at temps over 32f the difference is very low.

Depends on the oil composition. The 0w20 may use better "components" or may not.
Click to expand...
Misunderstanding about what the winter rating means - and does not mean - is one of the most common points of contention on the board.
 
normal temperatures above freezing there is virtually no difference in a 0 and 5W, unless you live at the Soviet Vostok Station you'll never see it. where did you read that 5W20 is the preferred summer oil viscosity?
 
I think manufacturers tend to recommend 0wXX oils to guarantee you get synthetic oil with their maintenance minders. But there's no significant difference between a 5w and 0w above 0 degrees F.
 
sw91 said:
I think manufacturers tend to recommend 0wXX oils to guarantee you get synthetic oil with their maintenance minders. But there's no significant difference between a 5w and 0w above 0 degrees F.
Click to expand...
that's my thoughts you're more likely to get a full synthetic in a 0W20 vs 5W20 there's a handful of synthetic blends in 0W20 and only one i can think of sold at a brick and mortar store is Castrol GTX. the other blends i seen in 0W20 were Sunoco and Gulf.
 
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