The wife and I have a 2017 Elantra I started doing oil changes on after getting a house + garage. Typical recommended spec per the owner's manual is Quaker State 5W-20 however the provided temp chart also lists 5W-30 as an alternative for hotter temperatures and even 10W-30. The car also eats a little bit of oil - at the 6 month mark before I last changed the oil, the oil line was hovering right above the L. We live in Houston which gets very hot during the summer so this being the case I figured switching to 5W-30 is a good idea so I went ahead and did the change using Quaker State full synthetic.
My question is this: is it a bad idea to switch back and forth between 5W-20 and 5W-30 every 6 months? I just did the change with 5W-30 in time for summer, but the next time it comes time to do it will be right in time for winter which doesn't get freezing cold but the temperatures still drop. I'm fairly certain the car will keep eating the 5W-20 at a faster rate than the 5W-30 due to the lower working temp viscosity. Would I be better off just running 5W-30 from now on regardless of whether its summer or winter?
Also am I ok switching the viscosity grade between 20 and 30 just by letting the old oil drain out and nothing else? Don't need a more in-depth oil pan clean out or flush or anything like that?
My question is this: is it a bad idea to switch back and forth between 5W-20 and 5W-30 every 6 months? I just did the change with 5W-30 in time for summer, but the next time it comes time to do it will be right in time for winter which doesn't get freezing cold but the temperatures still drop. I'm fairly certain the car will keep eating the 5W-20 at a faster rate than the 5W-30 due to the lower working temp viscosity. Would I be better off just running 5W-30 from now on regardless of whether its summer or winter?
Also am I ok switching the viscosity grade between 20 and 30 just by letting the old oil drain out and nothing else? Don't need a more in-depth oil pan clean out or flush or anything like that?