1st time actually noticing a viscosity difference..

[earthbound]

so i have a 20' forester with the 2.5 and have been using Mobil ep 0w20 w/out any issue of course except upon a cold start-up (overnight) i get a slight timing chain noise no biggie as the 2.5 in my 16' outback did it as well only worse/ they are known somewhat for this...anyway i changed to Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30 and it was whisper quiet upon start-up. question is why and how are the additives in Quaker State Ultimate Durability really making that much of a difference?? i would also think 0w20 would be flowing to the T.C faster than 5w30...just my unbiased experience with Quaker State Ultimate Durability in which finally made at least an audible difference in one of my vehicles..

 

[Blinker]

Some will say you’re crazy but I certainly believe you. Why? Because I have experienced the same exact thing. Many people will say it isn’t possible, but I say they just haven’t experienced it yet.

 

[wpod]

You changed the viscosity/ base oil blend then wondered about the additive package? What did I miss?

 

[nicholas]

I echo your sentiment with the 5w30.
Especially on a boxer engine

 

[aquariuscsm]

My Accord always had vtc noise on startup with 0W20. Absolutely zero startup noise with 10W30.

 

[walterjay]

Perhaps its the higher moly content in QS.

 

[kschachn]

Flow is irrelevant. The thicker oil quiets your chain noise due to a thicker film. It is good.

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

I can sure tell you in my tiburon the difference between a 30 and a 40 grade oil is huge. However most of this difference is noticeable power loss from the thicker oil and not the sound of the engine

 

[92saturnsl2]

Flow is irrelevant. The thicker oil quiets your chain noise due to a thicker film. It is good.

This is what I'm thinking. There's always some residual oil left on the chain components even after the engine is shut down for awhile. I think the thicker viscosity is helping quiet the noise.

The real question is whether that noise is problematic or indicative of increased wear (in the case of xw-20), versus no noise but thicker, more resistant to flow 30 weight oil at cold start.

 

[aquariuscsm]

This is what I'm thinking. There's always some residual oil left on the chain components even after the engine is shut down for awhile. I think the thicker viscosity is helping quiet the noise.

The real question is whether that noise is problematic or indicative of increased wear (in the case of xw-20), versus no noise but thicker, presumably slower oil flow at cold start using a 30 weight.

The 5W30 will be pumped at the exact same speed as the 0W20.

 

[92saturnsl2]

The 5W30 will be pumped at the exact same speed as the 0W20.

 

[UNC197]

I’ve experienced that fresh new oil is noticeably quieter in my mazda3. Once the oil has some time/miles on it all the oil’s I’ve used will get a bit louder over time.

 

[ZeeOSix]

The 5W30 will be pumped at the exact same speed as the 0W20.

Whaaat? ... You'd think that positive displacement oil pumps are the most mysterious machines on Earth by so many thinking the forced pump flow changes with viscosity.

 

[OilUzer]

I like Molybdenum & thicker oils but not too thick.

 

[snowshew]

Flow is irrelevant. The thicker oil quiets your chain noise due to a thicker film. It is good.

Is this due to the 5W vs 0W or 30 vs 20? If one were to extrapolate, would a 0w40 be noisier or quieter than the 5w30 (in theory, anyway).

Assuming "cold start up" is above 0F (for sake of conversation) couldn't there be a lot of similarity of the residual films in the bearings/chain components? Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30 and EP 0w20 have similar moly, boron, so I am assuming the answer lies in base oil or viscosity properties rather than additives. Thanks!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Quaker State Ultimate Durability has 200+ ppm of molybdenum ( according to Shell) vs maybe 60+ ppm in M1.

 

[PimTac]

Quaker State Ultimate Durability has 200+ ppm of molybdenum ( according to Shell) vs maybe 60+ ppm in M1.

I wonder why that is?

 

[Silver]

The 5W30 will be pumped at the exact same speed as the 0W20.

But the thicker oil will leave a thicker film to be present at startup before that exact same flow speed reaches the tensioners, or whatever. Right?

 

[aquariuscsm]

I wonder why that is?

I’m guessing QS relies on mostly moly while M1 uses a bit of moly and other aw? Most of this beyond the simplistic goes way over my head

 

[wpod]

I wonder why that is?

A base oil blend then an additive package is added to achieve an oil that meets or exceeds the requirements of the specs needed to meet the rating.