0w20 vs 5w20 Pennzoil in my Dodge Challenger V6

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I'm a newbie to this forum and I'm just learning about the huge varieties of motor oil.
I have a 2020 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) and it's recommended that I use 5w20 for my car.
A local car guru says that using Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 might be "better" than Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 because it has a higher viscosity Index of 182 vs 167 VI of the 5w20.
Is the higher VI better for California driving?
 
There is a plus and a minus to that thinking… But if the car is under warranty I would use the OM required. But 5w-20 if you are sure the base oil is high quality synthetic would have less plastic. (VII) Personal prefer PUP 5w-20 if you go that way.
 
There is a plus and a minus to that thinking… But if the car is under warranty I would use the OM required. But 5w-20 if you are sure the base oil is high quality synthetic would have less plastic. (VII) Personal prefer PUP 5w-20 if you go that way.
Thank you for the reply. Was he thinking correctly that the higher VI will be "better"?
 
I'm a newbie to this forum and I'm just learning about the huge varieties of motor oil.
I have a 2020 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) and it's recommended that I use 5w20 for my car.
A local car guru says that using Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 might be "better" than Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 because it has a higher viscosity Index of 182 vs 167 VI of the 5w20.
Is the higher VI better for California driving?
The 0w-20 is really only advantageous if you see extreme cold. Being in California, you don't. The higher VI oil will have more VII polymer in it, which may not be desirable. There are lower VI 0w-20's that rely on PAO for their superior low temp performance, but that's another discussion.
 
Usually a higher V I in a finished oil means more viscosity improvers. The 0W part is good to -40*f starting temps more or less.
 
If you want to try it, feel free.

From their technical data sheet "Pennzoil Platinum® SAE 0W-20 is also suitable for use and
offers the same protection as SAE 5W-20."
 
I run 0w20 in my Pentastar which recommends 5w20. I ran 30 grade as well and according to the manual you can run 30 grade when 20 grade can't be found. When manual was written 0w20 was Synthetic and 5w20 was conventional which Dodge claims 8k on conventional.
 
I'm a newbie to this forum and I'm just learning about the huge varieties of motor oil.
I have a 2020 Dodge Challenger SXT (V6) and it's recommended that I use 5w20 for my car.
A local car guru says that using Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 might be "better" than Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 because it has a higher viscosity Index of 182 vs 167 VI of the 5w20.
Is the higher VI better for California driving?
You have the last-gen Pentastar V6 in your Challenger. In that engine, you can run up to 5W-30. Considering your climate, that would be a sound option.
 
The pentastar engine has called for 0W20 forever. What difference between this engine and other pentastar engines?

My 2017 Pacifica gets 0W40, 5W30, and 5W20 … whatever I have in the garage .
 
The pentastar engine has called for 0W20 forever. What difference between this engine and other pentastar engines?

My 2017 Pacifica gets 0W40, 5W30, and 5W20 … whatever I have in the garage .
I have the last version of it with ESS Upgrade (useless). They did several other upgrades inside to reduce friction. It also brings variable valve lift with it and an upgraded VVT system. These systems are sensitive to oil viscosity. I'm sure that a light 5W-30 in my climate won't make a dent, however, I doubt I can successfully run an oil with an HTHS of 3.5 or greater in it. In fact, I'm reasonably sure that the factory fill was 5W-30, lol. My warm idle oil pressure dropped from 30 PSI down to 27 PSI once I switched to Red Line 0W-20. The funny thing about Red Line is that if you replace the identical viscosity oil with it, usually your oil pressure goes slightly up. Not the case here. So it only stands to reason that the factory fill was a thicker oil. It wouldn't surprise me, since Stelantis knows their own engines better than anyone else, and given the recent 0W-20 shortages, they might have just used what they had available to move along the production.

For these reasons, they no longer allow the other viscosities in this Pentastar engine. Here is a complete list of what was upgraded: https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=16718&mid=
 
5w-30 and that engine will not be unhappy
Agree; in fact 5w-30 was the original specification for the Pentastar.

OP to answer your question, no 0w-20 won't hurt anything and in your climate likely won't help anything either.

As far as warranty concerns, I've been on here a long time and have never heard of a dealer testing the low temperature flow characteristics of an oil (or the viscosity at all!) when processing a warranty claim. As long as the oil and internals are clean and it's obvious that it's been changed regularly and on time (keep records), then no worries.

Also, :welcome:
 
Agree; in fact 5w-30 was the original specification for the Pentastar.

OP to answer your question, no 0w-20 won't hurt anything and in your climate likely won't help anything either.

As far as warranty concerns, I've been on here a long time and have never heard of a dealer testing the low temperature flow characteristics of an oil (or the viscosity at all!) when processing a warranty claim. As long as the oil and internals are clean and it's obvious that it's been changed regularly and on time (keep records), then no worries.

Also, :welcome:
Thank you!
 
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