5w/30 or 10w/30?

[moontan]

my truck is a 04 toy prerunner w/3.4v6, only 1600 miles on it. although the recommended vis. is 5w/30,i put 10w/30 pennzoil in it for the first oil change.i am still trying to convince myself pennzoil is good ,eventhough i have read otherwise here. regardless of brand, i do mostly stop n go driving,except for weekends when i haul out to the desert to offroad. should i stay w/ 10w/30 or go back to the lighter stuff? and when can i switch to synthetic if i choose? any advice would help ,thanks.......

[ February 24, 2004, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: moontan ]

 

[Al]

In your clmate the 10W-30 is fine. It tends to hold its viscosity a bit better than the 5W-30 stuff. Especially in the dino grade. You can go to synthetic any time.

Not sure where you red that Pennzoil is not liked on this board. In general Pennzoil finds a lot of favor here.

 

[moontan]

let my correct myself. i did read that pennzoil is good here. i am just wary of all the negative things i have heard over the years....

 

[mikep]

Like Al, I think a 10w-30 would be a good all around choice for your area. Some may even suggest a xw-40 during your warmer months and desert outings.

Mikep

 

[Motorbike]

quote:

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Originally posted by moontan:

should i stay w/ 10w/30 or go back to the lighter stuff?

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If you use an API SL GF-3 10w30 low cost oil it chances are it will become the light stuff you speak of in no time .

Have you seen the Union 76 5w-40 Synthetic out where you live ? I heard it goes for 2.99 a quart. Might be an option for you but there's many ways to go . The 10w-30 blends are staying in grade pretty well .

 

[mikemc]

For stop and go Cali. traffic and climate, I would definitely go with a good 10w30 dino as long as it is an option in your owner's manual. Pennzoil is very good, as is Gastrol GTX, Chevron/Havoline, Motorcraft and a few more.

 

[Jim Spahr]

10w/30 is much better than the 5w/30 dino oils. As to which dino is the best, read some of the posts here. The dino oils I see recommended a lot are Penzoil, Chevron, and Castrol GTX. I personally like Vavoline 10w/30 dino, but I am in a minority. It's sorta like asking: which truck is the best? Toyota, Nissan, or Ranger?

 

[brad_d]

I'm facing the same choice right now.

The owner's manual for my wife's 2000 Honda Civic LX states that 5W-30 is recommended for all conditions, but says that 10W-30 is allowed if the temperature never drops below...20F or 32F. I can't remember which, and it doesn't matter much because it doesn't get close to either one here in Long Beach.

The car's got 52,000 miles on it, and has been fed a steady diet of 5W-30 (various major brands of dino) for its entire life at 3,750 intervals. Driving is probably a 60/40 mix of freeway vs. surface street.

Based on what I've read here about 5W-30 falling out of grade more easily (because of all the VII's, right?), I've started thinking about moving to 10W-30. This would also have the logistical advantage of allowing me to use the same oil for both of our vehicles.

What downsides should I at least be aware of in going to 10W-30? Decrease in fuel economy (probably too small to notice)? Increased wear just after startup? Anything else?

 

[Blue636]

I live right around you guys. I'm using 5w-30 now... Mobil 1. I'm glad I did just before the extreme cold and rain came in - perfect timing. In the summertime when the temps get into the high 90's and I drive through a lot of city traffic, with the air on sometimes, I like 10w-40, Mobil 1 as well.

 

[wwillson]

quote:

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Originally posted by Blue636:
I'm glad I did just before the extreme cold and rain came in - perfect timing.

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I wish it would only rain here when we get extreme cold....

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

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Originally posted by wwillson:

quote:

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Originally posted by Blue636:
I'm glad I did just before the extreme cold and rain came in - perfect timing.

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I wish it would only rain here when we get extreme cold....

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Hehe, I was thinking the exact same thing. I rush to get 5w-30 in when we start getting the -5 F mornings. If it stays above 10-20 degrees in your area during the winter, 5w-30 is overkill for supposed cold weather flow gains. If you think your killing your engine with 10w-30 in 20 degree temps, worry about something else!