Another Mobil 1 5w40 question

Pennzoil motor oil
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racer12306

racer12306

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I have read some excellant reviews of the Mobil 1 Truck and SUV oil. I use it in my fiances beetle and it seems to have quieted the engine down some. I am now considering using it in my 2004 Dodge Neon SXT. The neon has almost 40000 miles on it.

I understand the fuel economy may suffer a little. But that is one of my questions, how much did peoples fuel economy go down, if any, particularly in low horsepower engines (
The main goal would be to quiet down a knock that is notorious on neons. I would be sticking to my 5000 mile oci's atleast until the warrenty was up. Then I may consider Amsoil/Eao filter and a 15000 mile oci. But thats later. I have a little time before I need to make a decision I still have a case of Mobil 1 5w30 that was a parting gift from my old job at jiffy lube.
 
If anything, I would expect a low hp engine to be less prone to suffering from worse fuel economy due to thicker oil, compared to a higher output engine, which may react more noticeably to thicker oil. For what it's worth, viscosity appears to have no noticeable effect on gas mileage in my 174 hp, 2.8, V6 engine.

By the way, I wouldn't call a 150 hp engine "low hp."
 
i was thinking that was a little high, maybe <135 or 140 horsepower. my neon is only 132
 
I'd say 40-75 hp is low. While it depends of course on vehicle weight, type of engine and gearing, there are plenty ~100 hp cars that can outrun vehicles with twice as many horses. Most cars in NA are over-motorized, especially small ones.
 
Your gas mileage will suffer depending on the length of your commute. Short commute ..the stuff is probably a 60 weight when you turn off the key. Longer commute, the stuff will probably reach a 40 weight. Either way, unless you're really anal about checking your fuel economy, I doubt that you'll notice it.
 
I ran this stuff in my '95 Accord, which has 145 hp. I've also run that car on 15w40. Neither oil gave me any inkling of power or mileage loss, and I've got mileage for all but one tank over the last two years. Lots of that driving was with cold oil in the city too! Delivering pizza even!
 
I know this does not fit the parameters of your question(< 150 hp) but I did not notice any difference in mpg between the T & SUV and 5w30. I did notice an immediate 7 psi increase in oil pressure.
 
i understand that is can be used in any engine. i use it in my fiances beetle. i was wondering about the economy change in going from a 5w30 to a 5w40. even if it is one or two mpg thats not that big of an issue, i would still be over 30 mpg.

what other factors should i be considering?

details about everything i can think of that might effect whether i use it or not:

car: 2004 Dodge Neon SXT
engine: 2.0L sohc 132 hp/130 ft-lbs
trans: manual
mileage: the car currently has 37500ish miles on it. the time when i would need to change the oil with something other than my current oil supply will be at approx 45000 miles.
modifications: stock with the exception of a K&N air filter and two little breather filters that eliminate the use of the pcv valve (an attempt to reduce/eliminate oil consumption or atleast keep oil out of the intake manifold), if these really count as modifications.
commute: i drive 50 miles each way to school. it is during drive time for the most part. time is anywhere from an hour to two and a half hours, but generally hour to an hour and a half. very rarely does this car see less than 15 mile trips.
current oil use: i am currently using Mobil 1 5w30. it has had syn oil since 5000 miles (except for a short time period between 15000 and 20000 miles). i uses approximately 1 to 1.5 qts in my 5000 mile oci.
my reasons for switching to 5w40: my goals are to reduce oil consumption, reduce the knock that is common with neons, provide better protection for my engine (it has to last a long time, maybe 150,000 to 200,000 if not a little more)
better choices: would a better choice be the Mobil 1 0w40, the GC 0w30 (since i have heard its a thick 30wt, nearly a 40wt), BC 5w40, rotella t 5w40, other options are appreciated.
reasons for not switching: ???????

i know i can go to Walmart and get 5 qts for $21 (Mobil 1 5w40) and rotella t is about $18 for 5 qts. so i would like to can keep prices in that area. availability is also a concern.

i also received an email response from mobil 1, this was their exact reply:
quote:
If you are under warranty the Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W40 will not meet your owner's manual requirements. You should use the 5W30 or 10W30 viscosity when under warranty, other than that, the 5W40 will cause any adverse effects on your engine.
Click to expand...
the last sentence is a little confusing so i replied asking for a clarification.


thanks for all of the responses thus far.
 
I'd first try GC and see if oil consumption drops enough (assuming you'll pay the little extra $ for this oil). If not, then I'd step up to the quite thick Mobil 1 5W-40. If that doesn't do it, I'd just accept that amount of consumption since going any thicker might do more harm than good. These 2 oils are more highly regarded than the other oils you listed so I'd stick with these 2. Oil consumption sucks but it shouldn't be avoided at the exclusion of all other factors.

In that email reply Mobil 1 sent you, I think they accidentally just left out the term "not" before "cause any adverse effects".

And this part is perhaps more important than your oil choice, so please give this serious thought: put your PCV system back the way it was. Not doing so prematurely ages your oil and harms your engine. You can read up on the internet (and here) about the advantages that PCV systems provide. If that makes it burn more oil, so be it. Good luck.
 
i just checked my service manual and it states that oil must
quote:
API SERVICE GRADE CERTIFIED
Use an engine oil that is API Certified (GF-3).
Mopart provides engine oils, meeting Material Standard MS-6395, that meet or exceed this requirement.
Click to expand...
and
quote:
SAE VISCOSITY
An SAE viscosity grade is used to specify the viscosity
of engine oil. Use only engine oils with multiple
viscosities such as 5w30 or 10w30. These are
specified with a dual SAE viscosity grade which indicates the cold-to-hot temperature viscosity range. Select an engine oil that is best suited to your particular temperature range and variation (Fig. 2).
Click to expand...
granted the 5w40 is not on Fig. 2 but exxonmobil says that the 5w40 can be used where 5w30, 10w30 and 10w40 is specified. i think these quotes from the service manual make exxonmobils reply sound like a c.y.a. response to take any blame off of them.

edit: i noticed in my owners manual that the oil needs to be atleast an SL and the Mobil 1 Truck and SUV is.
 
i was considering making an oil separator that would keep the pcv system in use but keep the oil out of the intake manifold. at one point i had a very large puddle of oil in the manifold. i was unaware of that the lack of a pcv system would prematurely age the oil so i will get on that oil separator asap. thanks for the info.

ps. i too think that they just left out the "not", but i just wanted clarification.
 
thanks for the link, i saw it back when it started and was considering it then but didnt.
 
Racer my Saab 900 was a 2.0 turbo but the way the toque curve was set, it was pretty much na up till about 3k. Besides, turbo cars are no different (actually lower compression) unless you are doing full throttle acceleration and really using the turbo.

Anyway, it'll be fine. Economy is only one factor you need to be considering. Many european small cars call for 40 weight oils. Don't let the Truck and SUV label scare you into thinking that the oil is only for big burly engines.
 
another thing i was thinking of was added a qt or two of 5w40 to 5w30. should i try this first? i could do a 50/50 mix of 5w30 and 5w40. any thoughts on this? i use nearly a full 5 qts to fill the engine.

EDIT: i know some people will say try it and see what happens, so i guess a better question has anyone had any experience in mixing these two oils. also does anyone else on here have a neon with oil consumption issues, if so how did you reduce/stop it?
 
How about another option? Use a 5w30 and add a full bottle of VSOT (valvoline synpower oil treatment). It will up the viscosity into the 40w range, and many people have noted how it quiets down engines and makes them smoother, some even report increases in MPG! $4 at pep boys.
 
i will look into that, hopefully there is a pepboys between towson and north east md. i know there is one about a half an hour further north in de.
 
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