Best 0w20 for Extreme Cold Start at -20F?
- Thread starter WillsYoda
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I think the new formula Mobil 1 Extended Performance is still around 30% PAO...shouldn’t effect things too much.
But I guess if you’re looking for boutique oils that might carry the PAO you’re looking for, I’d look into HPL or Amsoil.
Mobil 1 Extended Performance has always been that off the shelf everyday bottle that one could go to for that PAO, bummer that has changed. I just bought a jug of their new formula and I’m mixing it with 2.5 quarts of their old formula, for what might be my last Mobil 1 extended drain. Then I might try HPL or Amsoil.
But I guess if you’re looking for boutique oils that might carry the PAO you’re looking for, I’d look into HPL or Amsoil.
Mobil 1 Extended Performance has always been that off the shelf everyday bottle that one could go to for that PAO, bummer that has changed. I just bought a jug of their new formula and I’m mixing it with 2.5 quarts of their old formula, for what might be my last Mobil 1 extended drain. Then I might try HPL or Amsoil.
is -20°F extreme cold starting? wouldn't even require the 0W rating
There is "required" and "better." I've started at -20 with a dealer bulk 0w20 and the car rattles like mad. And I've started with the old higher PAO version of Mobil 1 Extended Performance and it starts smoother by a mile.
I've also started with a 5w30 and notice more rattle at startup. Sure, a 5w30 will work, but it seems noticeably harder on the engine than the equivalent 0w20.
Ok rattling is a good enough reason to look for something else. I would too.
Redline performance series is PAO/ester blend.
Redline performance series is PAO/ester blend.
Yeah. I've also compared Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 to Mobil 1 Extended Performance 0w20 at -20 and the Mobil 1 Extended Performance starts much smoother at those temps than PP. But now Mobil 1 Extended Performance's base oil is mostly natural gas like PP. So I was thinking of trying something else. Redline would be good, but it is way more expensive than Mobil 1 Extended Performance.
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That’s the problem. Price. You can’t find anything like the Mobil 1 Extended Performance in that price range.
I was going to say Ravenol ECS but if price is a factor that one will probably get ruled out.
If you have price as a factor you will be very limited or not finding anything over M1 my choice would be HPL.
Sounds like the dealer bulk 0w20 may have been 5W20. Doesn't the 0W refer to the cold starting thickness of the oil? If so, shouldn't all brands of 0W20 be similar? Like gasoline octane.
Extreme cold start at -20 LOL well I see you have never spent a winter in Havre or Whitefish Montana!
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Eneos 0w20 is all you need
HAHA! -20 would certainly be extreme cold to me, but you can always find someone from even colder places. -20 might seem tropical to an Alaskan that sees -50, and -50 would be balmy to a Siberian that experiences -80 every winter.
The 0w-20 that is readily available at Walmart and others by us that I like is Castrol Edge Extended Performance. Meets some tough Mercedes specs, If I am buying an off the shelf 0w-20 that is my go-to...
Check out posting #9. It’s from Dogmeme’s cold weather adventure two years ago.
Any 0w___ will be just fine. This from a Canadian with direct experience above the Arctic Circle.
-20 is a pretty typical cold start in mid winter, so that is why I choose that number. -40 is the coldest start I've done. We had a week where it was -30 to -34 every morning for 7 days straight. -55 is the coldest day on record, but we stayed inside.
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Plug in the block, pan, and battery heaters and worry less.
