2005 HEMI oil recommendation?

[EdwardG]

I have a 2005 ram 1500 with a 5.7 HEMI. Ive been using 5w20 (pennzoil synthetic) like it says on the cap, but have been hearing a lot about how 5w20 is just for emissions? Would I be better off with a different wt oil in the summer? Anyone want to drop some knowledge? Engine doesn't have MDS, has 350,000 km, and a mild cam swap if that matters.

Thanks guys!

 

[Olas]

If it runs well without using/burning oil or making strange noises then the current oil is doing its job just fine. The cam swap won't make a diffenece to the oil choice, you should install mechanical pressure & temp gauges to monitor the oils performance, if the pressure drops too low go up a grade. If you go too far you'll see that once the oil builds temp it'll be difficult to shed that heat, and that's when you've gone too thick.

 

[FCD]

Originally Posted By: EdwardG
I have a 2005 ram 1500 with a 5.7 HEMI. Ive been using 5w20 (pennzoil synthetic) like it says on the cap, but have been hearing a lot about how 5w20 is just for emissions? Would I be better off with a different wt oil in the summer? Anyone want to drop some knowledge? Engine doesn't have MDS, has 350,000 km, and a mild cam swap if that matters.

Thanks guys!

The move to 20 grade oils is because of a thing called CAFE ( Corporate Average Fuel Economy ) , manufacturers have switched to 20 grade oils so they can get 0.0000000000000001 MPG more out of their engines.
If the engine runs fine on Pennzoil 5W-20 i don't see a reason to switch to say a 5W-30 unless you are towing or something that involves a high stress being placed on the engine.

 

[Tech819]

You already have 350k what your using seems to be working.

 

[SatinSilver]

He could have just purchased it.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: EdwardG
I have a 2005 ram 1500 with a 5.7 HEMI. Ive been using 5w20 (pennzoil synthetic) like it says on the cap, but have been hearing a lot about how 5w20 is just for emissions? Would I be better off with a different wt oil in the summer? Anyone want to drop some knowledge? Engine doesn't have MDS, has 350,000 km, and a mild cam swap if that matters.

Thanks guys!


Unless you are having issues, leave well-enough alone and don;t fix something not damaged or broke.

 

[440Magnum]

Its not *just* about emissions and mileage. If a light oil provides enough protection, then the higher flow rate it gives is beneficial for cooling. Also, oil shearing friction is the dominant source of heat in engine oil except under high load conditions (especially in a big engine like a v8), so thinner oil lowers the oil temperature, sometimes significantly.

That said, if the engine output is higher than stock (cam mentioned) and it doesn't have MDS or VCT, then sure- a 30-weight is probably a little bit better, especially if you're going to thrash it hard. Either way, there's not *really* that much bottom line difference between a 5w30 and 5w20 in that engine.

 

[Nickdfresh]

If you're in ONT there is no reason to use anything heavier unless you start to consume oil. I'd look at MaxLife 5W-20 which is a nice syn blend...

Certainly at this point 0/5W-30 wouldn't hurt anything...

 

[Srt20]

We have almost the same miles on our 05 hemi. 217K miles, which is about 350k km.

5-20 cheap dino its whole life. 5k oci. Runs great, no noises. It actually burned 1 qt every 2500 miles since brand new. It has recently stopped burning that quart.