5w20 Debate - Oil provides protection for 276K KM

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Originally Posted By: kustomizingkid
Hmmm... I'm running 5w20 in my mod motors with no plans on changing...


Yep, not necessary to change grades
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Originally Posted By: RISUPERCREWMAN
I run Mobil-1 5w-20 in my 2007 Ford F-150 5.4 3v....


How do you like the truck? My brother has the same truck (FX2), and is very happy with it. Only 30K miles, but has been flawless. It's also an incredibly smooth ride and drives great.
 
5w20 holds up well in Miami jungle heat 4 sure..My whole family has been using it 4 years..My last car over had 150K miles on it before it was totaled by a hurricane.

I was very leary about using it at first but after a few trips to Key West in bumper to bumper traffic with temps in the 90's and a/c on the whole time I am very comfortable using it now..I also do runs to NYC from Miami and generally put on 5K miles or more on those runs and the 5w20 Motorcraft does just fine.
 
I know grades 5w30 and 10w30 are considered energy conservative oils as well 5w20 pushes the bar a bit further. if 5w20 was the only spec'd oil, the manuals and manufactures would not opt for a different grade.
 
What I don't understand is, if all any of us need is 5W20 why do the manufacturers(with all the knowledge and testing data) recommend much thicker oils (for the same engines) in countries with no EPA issues?
We can get the same temperatures here in N.A. so why not use the thicker oil? Also, if things go bad under the hood the thicker oil gives you a bit more protection until you notice the problem.
Ian
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Just thought I would post some real world experience with the 5w20 oils for all the naysayers out there that say a 20wt won't provide protection.

My dad just inherited a 2000 Ford Windstar from our neighbour with a 3.8 Litre engine and it has 276K KM (172K Miles) on it.

It consumes no oil and the engine is in perfect running order. It passed the emission tests with flying colours.

It has had 5w20 Motor Craft oil all it's life and has seen 10K KM (6K Miles) OCI's religiously.

It was given to my dad for some work that my dad did for him for free and because the van needs some other repairs like brakes, tires, exhaust etc...


Thanks for posting this! A lot of negativity on the board toward the thinner oils. I've been doing exhausting research on the topic both on and off the board. There's more to newer engine designs than bearing clearances, and the thinner oils are doing a fine job IN CARS SPEC'D FOR THEM. Remember the USA leads the world in tech, product availability, etc. There is more to this thinner oil debate than just CAFE. While we lead in tech we also lead in freedom to voice opinions, and use what ever we feel is best. YMMV

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I'm still pretty new here but a long time lurker. It's good to see posts like this, honest real world experience from people who have actually used a product or grade of oil. Or people who bought cars and know the history and what was used, not opinions based on their beliefs. There is a wealth of information to be learned here from real world experiences, and I enjoy learning and sharing.

Opinions are fine, if it is stated as opinion, and not disguised as fact when in reality it isn't.

AD
 
Originally Posted By: buster
The first viscosity Mobil 1 was a 5w20. Most conventional 5w30's shear to a 5w20 and have so for years.

There is no one size fits all viscosity. It depends on a lot of things.
True. But why did Mobil 1 pull that viscosity off the market for more than a decade?
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
What I don't understand is, if all any of us need is 5W20 why do the manufacturers(with all the knowledge and testing data) recommend much thicker oils (for the same engines) in countries with no EPA issues?
We can get the same temperatures here in N.A. so why not use the thicker oil? Also, if things go bad under the hood the thicker oil gives you a bit more protection until you notice the problem.
Ian
Perhaps it relates to the availability of 5W-20 viscosity in certain markets? Perhaps not. I dunno.
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Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Probably lack of sales and the lack of cars spec'd for it.



+1 I think this is the reason. ... Can't sell a product that doesn't really have an applicable/recommended use.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Probably lack of sales and the lack of cars spec'd for it.

I guess it was hard for people to believe that a 20 grade could protect as well as the usual 10w-40. Déjà vu, anyone?
 
My Operating center is in New Mexico and we have a fleet of half ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks loaded up to max legal GVW running Ford Modular engines in the oilfields all the time. No engine failures no exessive consumption..nothing. I see no reason to be concerned.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Probably lack of sales and the lack of cars spec'd for it.



And the belief that anything less than a 25W-70 will cause your engine to instantly puke its crankshaft out through the oil pan.

Can you imagine trying to convince people in Australia that a 5W-20 is perfectly acceptable for many of their engines?
 
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