Any high mileage - thin oil cars??

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Everytime I hear about a 300-400,000 mile car it's someone's dad's old car or something like that.. and say "he always used good ol' Pennzoil 10w40"...

So I'm wondering.. is there any high mileage cars in here, that used THIN oil all their life??
 
I posted a thread a while ago about a Ford Windstar that has over 276K on it using nothing but 5w20 oil. It doesn't consume/leak any and passed the emission test with flying colours.

I know it's not a the mileage you were talking about but it's getting up there.

I think a proper rated oil changed a reasonable interval will provide more than enough protection to the engine, even if it's a bit thinner than "the general standard"
wink.gif
 
I am sure there are. Everyone's reporting good UOA's with 5w20 on cars, I'm sure it protects as good as any, in an engine it's spec'd for..

Mind you, thin oil hasnt been mainstream that long to have been in a million mile car yet :p
 
Hi,
MrWideTires - The lighter - thicker debate has been beaten to death here but this may interest you;

For 1941 Model US Cars

Oil grades for all Makes and Models
The most common recommendations for in-line 4, 6, I8 and V8, V12 follow;

Engine:
Over 32F = 20 or 20W (highest 30), then some 90F> 30, 40 (highest 50)
Over 10F = 20W (lowest 10W)
Over -10F = 10W
Below -10F = 10W (plus 10% Kerosine - for all vehicles except Crosley)

Gearbox in Summer = 40, 50 , 70, SAE 90, SAE 90 EP, SAE 140 (1)
Gearbox in Winter = 30, 40, 50
Automatic = Hydra-Matic fluid
Rear Axle Over 0F = 80 EP, 90 EP, 80 Hypoid, 90 Hypoid, 140 EP
Rear Axle Below-0F = 80 EP, 80 Hypoid

So low viscosity oils really are not a new thing - they were a factory fill in 1941!!

The modern low viscoity lubricants are performing as intended in their correct applications - both in NA and here in OZ too!
 
Originally Posted By: MrWideTires
Everytime I hear about a 300-400,000 mile car it's someone's dad's old car or something like that.. and say "he always used good ol' Pennzoil 10w40"...

So I'm wondering.. is there any high mileage cars in here, that used THIN oil all their life??


I've been using nothing but 5w-20 in a 2006 model year Honda Accord and I got 75 thousand miles. I know my car is just entering the 'high mileage' milestone at 75k but I can tell you one thing about being not only specd *and* used 5w-20 and that is some oils are so slick and also 5w-20 that it a great combo not only for CAFE requirements with FE but also with performance. As far as wear and longevity. I can tell you I've had not only no problems but actually I have gained quite a bit not only in the FE which 5w-20 was aimed for (CAFE) but also performance(in conjunction).

thinner is not only better for wear per many here but also for performance when it comes to modern oils. I also love finding out which oils work best in my car and so far the list is Ford Motorcraft and Maxlife, one is a thin king and the other is HM king.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
MrWideTires - The lighter - thicker debate has been beaten to death here but this may interest you;

For 1941 Model US Cars

Oil grades for all Makes and Models
The most common recommendations for in-line 4, 6, I8 and V8, V12 follow;

Engine:
Over 32F = 20 or 20W (highest 30), then some 90F> 30, 40 (highest 50)
Over 10F = 20W (lowest 10W)
Over -10F = 10W
Below -10F = 10W (plus 10% Kerosine - for all vehicles except Crosley)

Gearbox in Summer = 40, 50 , 70, SAE 90, SAE 90 EP, SAE 140 (1)
Gearbox in Winter = 30, 40, 50
Automatic = Hydra-Matic fluid
Rear Axle Over 0F = 80 EP, 90 EP, 80 Hypoid, 90 Hypoid, 140 EP
Rear Axle Below-0F = 80 EP, 80 Hypoid

So low viscosity oils really are not a new thing - they were a factory fill in 1941!!

The modern low viscoity lubricants are performing as intended in their correct applications - both in NA and here in OZ too!


Thanks for the nice example Doug. Your opinion is highly regarded here and your objectivity bolsters that.
 
O.K. The question is: Does thin oil heat up more quickly on start up than a thicker oil?
 
When I lived in the mid-west from 1969-1979, lots of guys ran straight 20W in their pickups and used them hard for MANY years. Never heard of a problem from them. As a young car guy, I was rather astounded by that as I always used a 10W-40 at that point and changed every 2000 miles. I am always amazed how far oil technology has come in 30 years.
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
What is your idea of a thin oil?

5w-30, 5w-20, 0 weight oils?


All Energy conserving oils. I don't see much difference between a 10w30 and a 0w20 energy conserving oil. There is some difference it is defined in the fuel economy sequence but the differences are small.
 
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