5w synthetic > 5w dino ???

[toneloc12345]

Lets say I get either ST 5w30 "synthetic" or Havoline 5w30 or Trop Artic 5w30. Now I would assume they flow the best in cold weather in this order ST #1, TA #2, Havoline #3. Is this correct? If so why are they all rated 5w? If M1 5w30 flows way better in the winter than regular dino 5w30, why are they rated the same?

Off topic but would M1 0w20 be bad for a honda civic that calls for 5w30? She would mostly have very short trips during the winter, BUT the occasional 160 mile round trip home.

 

[delacerda]

What year Civic? A 5w20 may serve your purpose well.

 

[rpn453]

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Lets say I get either ST 5w30 "synthetic" or Havoline 5w30 or Trop Artic 5w30. Now I would assume they flow the best in cold weather in this order ST #1, TA #2, Havoline #3. Is this correct? If so why are they all rated 5w? If M1 5w30 flows way better in the winter than regular dino 5w30, why are they rated the same?

Off topic but would M1 0w20 be bad for a honda civic that calls for 5w30? She would mostly have very short trips during the winter, BUT the occasional 160 mile round trip home.

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They're all rated 5W because they all meet the 5W spec. Sure, some may do a little better than others, but you won't see a significant difference until you're around -30C (-22F) and below, where they have to meet the 5W spec. If you happen to see -35C (-30F) or lower with the 5W, then the synthetic will almost certainly have a big advantage. We see -40C (-40F) every year, so I'm very familiar with how oil thickens in cold temps!

If you want an oil that's better in cold weather, go for a 0W-30 and then you know it's better in the cold than any 5W. I don't like going away from manufacturer's recommendations on grade, so I'd stick with a 0W-30 for cold weather. But if you find some good UOAs with XW-20 oils in your particular engine, then there's no reason you shouldn't use 0W-20.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Except for GC. Folks say GC 0W30 is thickerer than 20W50 Wolf's Head..

 

[Shannow]

All of the weights are in bands.

That's why a 30 and 40 weight can be separeted by 0.2cst.

Oils that are listed in terms of cranking viscosities, 40C visc, and 50C visc would be the BITOG ideal (along with a "nutrition" label of the "fat" break-up, the zinc, phos, calcium etc)...hmmm...let's start a "truth in lebelling" movement for oils.

 

[toneloc12345]

It's a 1995 civic del sol with 165k. We rarely see temps below 0.

So does GC flow better than M1 5w30 at say 10deg? It has a better rating but is thicker than the M1

 

[Chris Meutsch]

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It's a 1995 civic del sol with 165k. We rarely see temps below 0.

So does GC flow better than M1 5w30 at say 10deg? It has a better rating but is thicker than the M1

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I would imagine you'll see possibly more consumption with better fuel mileage. I would stick with the 30w.