5W-30 Shear question

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
941
Location
Houston, TX
Is it true that most dino 5W-30 oils shear to 20wt after little use? The dinos that I usually use are MC5k and Havy DS 5w-30. If this is true in those brands, I want to go ahead and use MC 5w-20, especially for the price with performance. Oh my engine calls for 5w-30 too.
 
I would say no, that statement is not true.

Some 5W30 dino's shear to a high 20wt depending on the application it's used in and how it's used.

I've had 5W30 shear slightly, but never any into the 20wt region. Some have though.
 
(all stuff so far)

However ..5w-30's ..of perhaps the same vintage as your car MAY have been more shear prone than those of today.
 
If your talking about your Q45, I'd be a little hesitant to put 5w20 in that. I'd stick with the nissan spec'd XXw30.
 
My understanding is that oils will shear down and thin a bit.
But not after 'a little' use. More like 3k+, and not a big deal.
Dino is worse in this respect.
If an oil is really old and beat up, with abuse and heat, it can start to thicken. But this is way after an oil change is due, and is unusual.
 
Most of the bad shearing took place with older formulations with weaker base stocks and VI improvers. The new modern day oils are less likely to have the same shear rate. When the new GF-5 oils come out they will be even more shear stable. Use your 5W-30.
 
I've looked at 5W30 dino shearing a few times. Seems most shear to 20W. Looking at five UOAs posted here today on the first page, the dino 5W30s sheared as follows:

Brand OCI 100C Vis.
QS 2800 8.2
Chev 4900 9.0
Val? 5300 9.2
GTX 2500 8.3
Shell 5200 8.8

SAE J300 specs 30W 100C Vis. as 9.3 min. So all 5 above sheared to 20W. Basically the same results I saw last time I looked.

Conversely, last time I looked, most syns stayed above 9.3 (30W)over the OCI.
 
I agree - most 5W-30 shear, but not that badly. Most end up around 8.8 - 9.2 cst, and that is right at the upper end of a 20-weight. It's not like a lot are going down into the 7-cst range.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll stick with the 5w-30 for my car!! I'm glad that I posted this because I was going to pick up a jug.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
My understanding is that oils will shear down and thin a bit.
But not after 'a little' use. More like 3k+, and not a big deal.
Dino is worse in this respect.
If an oil is really old and beat up, with abuse and heat, it can start to thicken. But this is way after an oil change is due, and is unusual.


It appears to my untrained eye, in reading many UOA's, that many of the engines that tend to shear traditional dino 5w30's also tend to shear traditional dino 10w30's as well. Would you agree with this?
 
If you see energy conserving on the label, you can count on it shearing to a 20wt. If it doesn't, consider yourself lucky.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Brian Barnhart
I've looked at 5W30 dino shearing a few times. Seems most shear to 20W. Looking at five UOAs posted here today on the first page, the dino 5W30s sheared as follows:

Brand OCI 100C Vis.
QS 2800 8.2
Chev 4900 9.0
Val? 5300 9.2
GTX 2500 8.3
Shell 5200 8.8

SAE J300 specs 30W 100C Vis. as 9.3 min. So all 5 above sheared to 20W. Basically the same results I saw last time I looked.

Conversely, last time I looked, most syns stayed above 9.3 (30W)over the OCI.


How many were fuel diluted?
How many were turbo's?
Flashpoints?

Some engines appear to shear oils. The same oils don't "routinely" shear.
 
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: Brian Barnhart
I've looked at 5W30 dino shearing a few times. Seems most shear to 20W. Looking at five UOAs posted here today on the first page, the dino 5W30s sheared as follows:

Brand OCI 100C Vis.
QS 2800 8.2
Chev 4900 9.0
Val? 5300 9.2
GTX 2500 8.3
Shell 5200 8.8

SAE J300 specs 30W 100C Vis. as 9.3 min. So all 5 above sheared to 20W. Basically the same results I saw last time I looked.

Conversely, last time I looked, most syns stayed above 9.3 (30W)over the OCI.


How many were fuel diluted?
How many were turbo's?
Flashpoints?

Some engines appear to shear oils. The same oils don't "routinely" shear.


Gary,

Do you have data for any dino GF-4 5W30 that doesn't shear over a typical OCI in a most non-turbo engines it's used in?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top