0w30 vs 5w30
- Thread starter mco30mco
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0w30s start with a lower viscosity base stock and do tend to have more VIIs. All other things being equal (which they rarely are), they will have slightly higher NOACK and may shear at slightly a faster rate. I don’t personally think it’s enough difference to make a difference, unless you like to do extended drain intervals. They will also flow better when cold.
I personally use Amsoil Signature and HPL Premium Plus 0w30 in all my vehicles all year long. I think they’re a great balance of strengths with few drawbacks. Michigan winters do get cold enough where I think you’d benefit from the 0w.
I personally use Amsoil Signature and HPL Premium Plus 0w30 in all my vehicles all year long. I think they’re a great balance of strengths with few drawbacks. Michigan winters do get cold enough where I think you’d benefit from the 0w.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
Always best to include manufacturer model, year and specific engine, to better serve your questions.
2022 2.0 ford ecoboost
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
What oil grade(s) does your owners manual recommend?
0w or 5w30
Ow30’s for me seam to need changing a lot sooner than 5w.
I still will occasionally run a 0w in the winter as we get very cold Jan/February (-20F not uncommon)
I still will occasionally run a 0w in the winter as we get very cold Jan/February (-20F not uncommon)
0 or 5w30. I’ve read on here though that others have even bumped up to 0or5w40.
IMO that's too broad of a brush. There's a small difference in the amount of VII between the 30 grades unlike the 0w/5w in 40 grade. In addition the consumer is unlikely to know the type of VII used anyways which is just as important.
@OVERKILL one time posted a blending table and I think the difference in VII between a 0w30 and 5w30 was around 2%.
On an aside a 0w-30 will pump no faster than a 5w-30 once the oil has been ingested by the oil pump. The winter rating is an indicator of effort to turn the crank and gravitational flow into the pickup tube.
dnewton3
Staff member
This ^^^
Also, "Michigan" is a big state with a wide range of average temps. What you might see in Detroit isn't the same as you'd see in the UP.
In the lower part of the state, I doubt the 0w vs 5w choice would make any difference. However, in the UP after a really good cold soaking at -30F, combined with a weak battery, there may be some benefit to running the thinner lube.
Triple_Se7en
$50 Site Donor 2024
You running that turbo, I'd opt for the 0w30. I use 0w and I haven't any turbo.
Does the Owners Manual's oil page / chart specify ILSAC / GF6A..... anything like that?
Does the Owners Manual's oil page / chart specify ILSAC / GF6A..... anything like that?
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It can absolutely hit -22F anywhere in Michigan, FWIW.
I ran short oci for first couple changes with valvoline EP and then Quaker state ultimate both because of the higher moly that I thought would help with breakin. Now at about 9500 miles thinkin of goin with Mobil 1 esp and staying with that since it’s easy to find and rated api sp
dnewton3
Staff member
A few years back it hit -18F in central Indiana a couple nights in a row. But that doesn't make it "normal".
My point is valid; there's a big difference between the southern part of MI and the UP. No one "needs" a 0w unless the temps would reasonably reflect a repeating and consistent low temp (-25F ish).
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I don’t disagree, I just know it’s possible to encounter those repeating and consistent low temps anywhere in Michigan, depending on the severity of the winter.
That 2% figure is in terms of the percentage of VII content in the entire formulated oil. A 0W-30 may have around 50% more VII than a 5W-30 (~4% vs 6% VII content).
BITOG member Ghokan published a good spreadsheet that shows VII content and full shear viscosity (HTFS) estimates of various oils. Taking an example, Mobil 1 5W-30 has 4.4% VII and an HTFS of 2.32 cP, while Mobil 1 0W-30 has around 6.9% VII and an HTFS of 2.02 cP. In full shear conditions, the 0W-30 has a viscosity somewhere in between that of a typical 0W-20 and a 5W-20, so it's about a full grade thinner in high shear conditions.
The puming viscosity will be lower as well. The thinner oil will have a higher flow rate to the engine when the oil pump is bypassing, and the oil pump on any engine will be bypassing on any cold start in winter conditions.
My feeling is 0W-30 is to hard to find on sale. 5W-30 seems pretty common place with a whole lot more availability. Unless you need to go -30F 5W will get the job done with a hair to spare!
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OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Remember, Gokhan's estimates were just that, estimates, and there were many oils that clearly didn't function with the estimation function, yielding wildly off-side results.
Here's a 5W-30 with 8.5% VM:
Here's one with 11.74% VM:
The 0W-30 in this table has 7% VM, the 5W-30 2.8%, when both are blended with PAO, but then so were the previous examples:
Here's a 0W-30 with 5.7% VM:
Two Group III-based 5W-30's, 9.1% and 8% VM:
The examples are myriad. It's not safe to simply assume that the 5W-30 has less VM.
As we've seen with Mobil, they use different slates of base oils for the different grades, they are not doing those SpectraSyn PAO examples, because they can, and do, use cheaper base oils in the grades that aren't shooting for the 0W-xx Winter grade.
twX said:
What temperature are you considering winter conditions? Because both my vehicles don't always go on the relief during the winter months. Yes, my Jeep does when it gets down around -15C or lower, but we do not see those temperatures consistently all winter.