5w20 vs 0w20

[gpshumway]

Originally Posted By: gogozy
thanks, is it possible they left out the 0w20 in GF-5 since most turbo application will specific something thicker? I wonder this mean 0w20 is still rate at GF-4 level for this test, and I can not find the GF-4 has any exclusion for 0w20.


I believe the 33C test is a new requirement for GF-5, so yes a GF-5 0w20 should exceed the requirements of GF-4.

Not sure what you mean by "thicker" 0w vs. 5w refers to oil performance in the range of -25c to -35c. 20 wt oils be they 5w or 0w can have a range of thicknesses at 100c. For instance Mobil 1 0w20 is thicker at 100c than Kendall GT-1 5w20 (8.7 and 8.2 cSt respectively).

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
What MIGHT the advantages be from 0-20 from a 5-20?


I heard that 0w20 is for sure "synthetic" and 5w20 can be made from a blend. So 0w20 will last longer and meet OEM long OCI claim.

 

[95busa]

SM Mobil 0w-20 used to carry GM 4718M (Corvette) spec. Clearly it was pretty good at high temps. I don't believe the SN carries 4718M because with DEXOS 4718M is considered obsolete to some extent(or that is what I have heard). I still have a bottle of the 4718M 0w-20....

 

[CATERHAM]

Also M1 AFE 0W-20 with it's HTHSV of 2.7cP is heavier than most 20wt oils so that gives it an advantage if you want a somewhat heavier at opoerating temp's 20wt oil.
I've suggested the oil to a couple of Corvette owners for street use.

 

[gpshumway]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I heard that 0w20 is for sure "synthetic" and 5w20 can be made from a blend. So 0w20 will last longer and meet OEM long OCI claim.


Both can be a blend. Conoco Philips makes a 0w20 blend they sell under their GT-1 brand, they also make the Honda branded 0w20 blend. There may be others as well.

5w20 can be "conventional". With today's high quality Group II+ and Group III base stocks the term "synthetic" has less meaning. Concentrate on the VI from the PDS and the shear stability in UOA, who cares if it says "synthetic" on the bottle.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: gpshumway
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I heard that 0w20 is for sure "synthetic" and 5w20 can be made from a blend. So 0w20 will last longer and meet OEM long OCI claim.


Both can be a blend. Conoco Philips makes a 0w20 blend they sell under their GT-1 brand, they also make the Honda branded 0w20 blend. There may be others as well.

AFAIK the CoP made Honda 0W-20 is the ONLY 0W-20 that is claimed to be a blend. Interestingly enough both the Full Syn and blend versions of the CoP 0W-20 oils have virtually identical viscosity spec's including the same VIs (177 and 176 respectively). Which beg's the question, is the blend really a blend or a marketing ploy of sorts?
In light of this one exemption I think it's still safe to say that all 0W-20 oils are synthetic (at least 100% GP III).

There are a couple of 0W-30's available as "blends" and they're all HDEOs.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: gogozy
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: gpshumway
The one difference between 5w20 and 0w20 which may be of consequence is that 0w20 does not have to meet the TEOST 33C High Temperature Deposit requirements of ILSAC GF-5, while 5w20 does.

Whether that test is relevant to your engine is another matter.


Are you saying 0-20 doesn't qualify to be GF-5?

I think he is trying to point out there is no limit on 0w-20 for GF-5's TEOST 33C test.
New to GF-5
"30 mg maximum Total Deposit Weight
Note: No TEOST 33C limit for SAE 0W-20"
GF-5 test

TEOST 33C is a deposit test, which a synthetic oil can easily pass but a dino oil has a hard time passing, as dinos tend to leave deposits at high temperatures and synthetics not nearly as much. If a dino 5W-20 SN passes TEOST 33C, a synthetic 0W-20 SN will readily pass it. Chances are that this is exactly why API doesn't require this test for 0W-20 oil -- because it passes it so easily.

0W-20 is virtually always a better substitute for 5W-20. It's made from higher quality base oil than 5W-20 and it's more fuel efficient. The only drawback of it is that it probably has a little higher NOACK volatility but you probably won't notice any change in oil loss due to evaporation, as it's usually not that much anyway. Therefore, if 5W-20 is specified, you can virtually always use 0W-20. The same goes for using 0W-30 instead of 5W-30 or 0W-40 instead of 10W-40.