0w30 or 5w30 for 0w20 specked car

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Originally Posted By: parshisa
Planning on going grade higher on the next oil change. Not sure either go 0w or 5w. As far as start up temp i’m Not concerned as I live in TX. Looks like 5w has better NOACK compared to 0w so this is plus. What would you suggest folks?


I see in your signature you are using Amsoil SS. Not sure if you plan on going that route with the 30 weight might be a waste if not doing extended drains. Might consider the XL line the current formula in the 10/30 has a NOACK of 5.7% and preferred pricing is 6.30 a qt. vs 8.55 for the SS.

Still no PDS on the new formulation of XL which should be coming soon as October was the time for product release.

Since you are in Texas I vote for 10/30 as well, mild climate.
 
Go with the 0w30. It looks better if you have to prove oil changes for warranty purposes.
 
Originally Posted By: parshisa
Looks like we’re getting biased here. Ok, yes there’s fuel dilution, and yes I want to try to offset it some. Yes, engine sounds a bit [censored] to my taste, hope thicker oil will do better job with that regard. That’s it. Back to initial question: would 0 or 5 make a difference? Personal previous experience supported by UOA is appreciated


In TX, no difference between the oils. I used to have a bunch of UOAs with Amsoil both 5w30and 0w30 for the same two vehicles, hey were pretty much the same.
 
Any idea on why NOACK differs so much between 0w and 10w? Also, 10w30 ams seems to be the thinnest with 10cst only..really close to 20 weight i’d Say
 
I have only run 5W30s of various types in my last two cars and was able to get away with parking outside overnight on ski weekends in the White Mountains...I do keep an eye out for synths with lower -30C CCS viscosities to help with the very worst mornings. I have thought about trying a 0W30 for the next change, either M1 AFE if I can find NOACK results or Amsoil SS if I can convince myself that I don't mind the high SA too much.
Given that you are in TX, you should be golden with 5W30 and 10W30 would likely also be fine. If you might end up taking a trip to Colorado or Montana this winter, maybe 10W30 wouldn't be the best choice in case you happened to hit a real cold snap.
The thing that concerns me most about using 0W30 is NOACK loss, you can see in Amsoil's own SS PDS that 5W30 does markedly better on that front even though their 0W30 is still quite good. With a turbo, I feel better using oils with lower volatility as well as low SA due to the extra hot spot.

Personally, with any DIT I would look for the dexos1 Gen 2 label/license or a manufacturer's assurance that an oil has passed LSPI tests similar to those in Gen 2 (Amsoil is claiming this for some grades of SS while admitting their SA level are too high for the overall standard). One downside of 10W30 for me is that I won't see Gen 2 on any of those.
 
Originally Posted By: parshisa
Any idea on why NOACK differs so much between 0w and 10w? Also, 10w30 ams seems to be the thinnest with 10cst only..really close to 20 weight i’d Say


Believe that a 10W30 can use less volatile base stocks. The need for VIIs and pour point depressants in a 0W30 might also be a factor, although I think the real issue with those is a lack of shear resistance.
 
Many thanks for he great feedback. What would be the downside of elevated SA content? What are potential issues using such oil in TDGI?
 
Originally Posted By: Nickdfresh
Originally Posted By: Danh
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted By: parshisa
That is 20 weight, not 30


So you ran 20 weight all through the hot Texas summer but now with winter coming you want to switch to 30?
Can you share your logic with us? Are your cars using oil?


I think the OP has discovered there is a fuel dilution issue with one or both of his Hondas and a 30 weight oil might offset some of the viscosity dilution.


Good thing you spoke for him. Anything else you want to tell us about him?


Yes. He owns two Hondas, lives in Texas, is a friend to animals and avoids snarky posts.
 
Really 10w30 will be fine in any cold weather.
This new therory that you must have a 20wt or 0 grade oil if it goes below freezing is rediculas. Alot of cars have been starting alot of years on 10w30. Many old timers had 10w40 and no issues starting below 0. No noises and fuel will be a issue before oil.
Please put a quart of 10w30 in your freezer people to see it does NOT solidfy.
 
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I've towed my camper through the Adirondack mountains (sure, not real mountains) with my Ford Focus on a 95 degree day, with the AC going on 0w-20 oil.

I think 0w20 or 5w20 is fine
 
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How much different is the K24 in the Acuras that spec 5W30? Someone here had said it's a higher output version,but are the internals and construction the same basically?
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Really 10w30 will be fine in any cold weather.
This new therory that you must have a 20wt or 0 grade oil if it goes below freezing is rediculas. Alot of cars have been starting alot of years on 10w30. Many old timers had 10w40 and no issues starting below 0. No noises and fuel will be a issue before oil.
Please put a quart of 10w30 in your freezer people to see it does NOT solidfy.


You think it's really cold inside a freezer??
Maybe in Florida...
 
I'd use 5W-30 instead of 0W-30 in Texas. Or 10W-30. I've been very happy with PP in my Cruze 1.4 turbo.

If fuel dilution is a concern, I have not looked into it, but I believe there are some oils that do better with fuel dilution than others. I'd try searching the site for some threads on it. I think I read it in the UOA section.
 
My home freezer is -17C as most all should be.
That Aint warm.

I think the OP should go back to a paraffin oil like QSUD. I would run 1 qt 10w30 and the rest 5w30. Don't go all in with the 30 100%. Just one quart to start.
There are no warranty concerns with these grade choices. The oil is thick as honey ( thousands of cSt) when staring and running in new England not a - minor difference of 2 cSt hot as you would see between a 20 and a 30 ILSAC.

I'm sure the excellent Amsoil is a PAO, POE blend - and that wont be too quiet - especially in rackety Honda engines. Yes Hondas sound like bucket o' bolts to me when they go by - and I cant even hear too well.

Good luck. I had a Fit with the sick 1.5 with a moronic V8 length stroke in a nice engine. WHY? Stupid, noisy, unfulfilling motor.
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
My home freezer is -17C as most all should be.
That Aint warm.


And 10WXX is tested for cold cranking at -25C (-13F), so it's probably going to be just fine in a freezer (1F).
Parts of the continental US can get a lot colder than that, not even thinking about Canada and Alaska.
When I want to go skiing when my car has been sitting outside at -20F (-29C) or colder overnight, I sure don't want to worry about how gooey 10W30 is going to be in my sump. Those are great morning to ski, BTW, because most of the family day trippers are going to stay home and leave the slopes empty for me...just need to stop and warm up every 2-3 runs.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
How much different is the K24 in the Acuras that spec 5W30? Someone here had said it's a higher output version,but are the internals and construction the same basically?


Recent K24 Acuras spec 0w-20, too.
 
Why not put M1 AFE 0w20 in and see if it makes a difference first? I know one person said avoid M1 if you dont want noise, but the AFE has been one of the oils that kept my engine the quietest. I have heard some people say the regular M1 5w20 or 5w30 etc ran noisy... I used AFE and the EP and AFE seemed to be quieter in my engine. (not by any scientific test however) and to this day M1 0w20 AFE and PUP 0w20 keep my car the quietest. Try changing that first and wait at least 3-4k miles before passing judgment. If it still bothers you switch to thicker afterwards.. just remember, your car was designed and built to use 0w20 but if the noise truly bothers you then i guess change to thicker.

I feel like sometimes we try to look for solutions to things that aren't a problem. All the pro heavier oil types will be happy to push thicker oil blaming CAFE, but if the cars are designed to run thinner oil, what negative is it doing to your car by using it?
 
To the op,if you want a "thicker" oil but want to stay within 20wt spec,pyb 5W20 is slightly thicker than the pp.
 
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