Best oil for Chevy 2.7 in ND winter

The performance requirement for a 0W rating can be exceeded of course. Unlike the other ratings there is no requirement to label the oil with the better performance category since there is no better category. You have to rely on the blender’s word for this. If HPL says it is better then what is required then I’m sure it is. They are all the same in that they meet the requirement for labeling.

And yes a full synthetic oil most likely meets the performance requirements for a better winter rating easier than does a blend. But as a blanket statement that’s very vague.
 
I don't think it's as simple as you're suggesting it is. HPL has stated in their thread that their premium plus has better cold weather properties than the premium or regular oil, even though all 3 do have 0w options. And David has explicitly stated that unless you're living in a cold climate, the premium plus is wasting money.

So clearly he is saying there is a difference.

Their product 0W product may very well exceed the cold weather performance of other 0W oils but it's a moot point since there's no way for me to objectively evaluate those claims and I have no objective way of determining what real world benefit their oil would have above and beyond other 0Ws. As I said, once you start trying to read the tea leaves it gets difficult...
 
I don't think it's as simple as you're suggesting it is. HPL has stated in their thread that their premium plus has better cold weather properties than the premium or regular oil, even though all 3 do have 0w options. And David has explicitly stated that unless you're living in a cold climate, the premium plus is wasting money.

So clearly he is saying there is a difference.

You do believe the marketing, don't you?
 
Just run 5W30 synthetic and don't worry about it. Let it warm up a few minutes before driving off. You won't have any issues.

I'm in Winnipeg and I just run 5W30 in the truck. It sits at the airport for days. No issues. I use a stick on oil pan heater. My previous truck, 1998 C1500 4.3 sat outside its entire life, rarely plugged in. I sold it at 300,000 kms. M1 5W30 changed every 5000 kms. When I sold it, the buyer wanted it brought to GM to go over it. They came back saying it had 180 psi on all cylinders. Like new compression.
 
So I live on the Canadian border in the cold area in the continental US. We get below -30F every winter and days (all day) below -20 f every year. I have a new 2022 silverado with the new 2.7 HO engine (which I love), they couldn’t put an engine block heater in her because the parts weren’t available and they apparently have to take the whole front of the truck apart to retrofit it now and I don’t want that. So until there is an aftermarket option I’m going to be without an engine block heater. The manual says I can run ow-30 in it when -20f temps are expected, right now it has M1 5w-30 EP in it. What 0w-30 oils have the best low temperature flow qualities? I can get M1 fuel economy oil locally, I believe I saw Castro too. What do y’all think?
I lived in Moorcroft outside of Gillette, WY in 2010-2011 and worked for Key Energy and Kissack water and oil (for verification of geographic similarities). I ran 5w30 (2004 5.3 Tahoe Z71) when i first moved there, until the first real freeze. Started it up and sounded terrrible............then I ran 0w30 M1 and had no starting issues of any kind. Drove the thing another 100k until it got totalled. Run M1 0w30 with confidence.

I would say that most and 0w30 will have roughly the same characteristics, but can only attest to M1 in particular to this question.
 
Their product 0W product may very well exceed the cold weather performance of other 0W oils but it's a moot point since there's no way for me to objectively evaluate those claims and I have no objective way of determining what real world benefit their oil would have above and beyond other 0Ws. As I said, once you start trying to read the tea leaves it gets difficult...


Actually if you take the time to look at the data we publish and then compare that information you will quickly learn that there is a difference. You can simply compare the CCS and MRV numbers which were all measured not calculated and see for yourself. CCS and MRV of course defines your W rating. As Kschachn has correctly pointed out there is a limit meaning you cannot exceed the next W rating at anything above a 0w. Since you cannot go further than 0w there is absolutely nothing stopping you from going as deep as you want beyond the ceiling of the 0w. Having an oil for very cold climate is exactly why I made the choices I did when creating the PCMO premium plus series. As for not being able to see a difference, well the good news is that’s something we do so you don’t have to. There is a difference there as well. In a lab freezer at -30c in beakers you can absolutely see the difference. There are a few people from BITOG that have come through our lab and have seen it for themselves. The presence wax or other solubility issues are easily seen by looking at the clarity of the oil. You can read newsprint through ours before the glass frosts up. Not so much for a lot of other oils.

David
 
Actually if you take the time to look at the data we publish and then compare that information you will quickly learn that there is a difference. You can simply compare the CCS and MRV numbers which were all measured not calculated and see for yourself. CCS and MRV of course defines your W rating. As Kschachn has correctly pointed out there is a limit meaning you cannot exceed the next W rating at anything above a 0w. Since you cannot go further than 0w there is absolutely nothing stopping you from going as deep as you want beyond the ceiling of the 0w. Having an oil for very cold climate is exactly why I made the choices I did when creating the PCMO premium plus series. As for not being able to see a difference, well the good news is that’s something we do so you don’t have to. There is a difference there as well. In a lab freezer at -30c in beakers you can absolutely see the difference. There are a few people from BITOG that have come through our lab and have seen it for themselves. The presence wax or other solubility issues are easily seen by looking at the clarity of the oil. You can read newsprint through ours before the glass frosts up. Not so much for a lot of other oils.

David
I apologize as there was some ambiguity in my post. Please let me clarify. Yes, we can all read the CCS and MRV for various oils and compare them but there is still no "objective real world" way to evaluate the meaning. If CCS and MVR are 10% lower than another oil does that mean it's 10% better? Better than what measures? Does that have ANY real-world meaning to someone like me where it barely goes below zero a handful of times per year? What does that "real-world difference" translate to as far as my vehicles? 10K more miles until it dies? 100K more miles until it dies? No measurable difference at all? I have no idea but now I'm factoring in a price difference as well.

So as I said, staring at your info and the info for another similar grade oil, while I can certainly see there's a difference, I can't translate that difference into some meaningful, tangible, or objective benefit for my engine. You say it's better. I ask how? In that way it's like reading tea leaves - it says something but I don't have any idea what that something is for my vehicle. A person can drive themselves bonkers trying to figure out real-world benefits and so my point is to stop trying. By the appropriate grade and spec quality oil at a good price and move on with life.
 
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I apologize as there was some ambiguity in my post. Please let me clarify. Yes, we can all read the CCS and MRV for various oils and compare them but there is still no "objective real world" way to evaluate the meaning. If CCS and MVR are 10% lower than another oil does that mean it's 10% better? Better than what measures? Does that have ANY real-world meaning to someone like me where it barely goes below zero a handful of times per year? What does that "real-world difference" translate to as far as my vehicles? 10K more miles until it dies? 100K more miles until it dies? No measurable difference at all? I have no idea but now I'm factoring in a price difference as well.

So as I said, staring at your info and the info for another similar grade oil, while I can certainly see there's a difference, I can't translate that difference into some meaningful, tangible, or objective benefit for my engine. You say it's better. I ask how? In that way it's like reading tea leaves - it says something but I don't have any idea what that something is for my vehicle. A person can drive themselves bonkers trying to figure out real-world benefits and so my point is to stop trying. By the appropriate grade and spec quality oil at a good price and move on with life.
I completely understand this too. It's like yes we can go down the rabbit hole of "good/better/best" for eternity here, but when even the merely "good" options (let's say that means Mobil 1 and company for the sake of discussion) meet the minimum requirement for a 0W (which itself covers all of my operating conditions) then what's the point of going any further besides bragging rights?
 
I apologize as there was some ambiguity in my post. Please let me clarify. Yes, we can all read the CCS and MRV for various oils and compare them but there is still no "objective real world" way to evaluate the meaning. If CCS and MVR are 10% lower than another oil does that mean it's 10% better? Better than what measures? Does that have ANY real-world meaning to someone like me where it barely goes below zero a handful of times per year? What does that "real-world difference" translate to as far as my vehicles? 10K more miles until it dies? 100K more miles until it dies? No measurable difference at all? I have no idea but now I'm factoring in a price difference as well.

So as I said, staring at your info and the info for another similar grade oil, while I can certainly see there's a difference, I can't translate that difference into some meaningful, tangible, or objective benefit for my engine. You say it's better. I ask how? In that way it's like reading tea leaves - it says something but I don't have any idea what that something is for my vehicle. A person can drive themselves bonkers trying to figure out real-world benefits and so my point is to stop trying. By the appropriate grade and spec quality oil at a good price and move on with life.


Thank you for this. This is a very valid question. And from that perspective I can tell you that the real world difference won’t be seen until you start reaching extremes. You would have to be below -20c before the differences would be realized. When we went all in it was for extreme cold temperatures. Northern border, Canada, Alaska is where the PAO will shine. So restated, 90% of your 0w’s will be nearly identical as most won’t build deeper in the spec. These also will be pretty adequate at cold temperatures. However with the title of the thread, it opens the door for the need to look at those numbers if you are “looking for a best solution for cold North Dakota” climate.

My apologies for misunderstanding your question
 
If you ‘want’ to run a 0W-30; M1 AFE 0W-30 is ‘technically’ your only option of a Dex1/Gen3 certified product, afaik.
That said, any 5W-30 full synthetic should be more than capable…want to get technical? M1 5W-30 and PP 5W-30 seem to have some of the lowest CCS values at -30C, so they make starts the easiest of a 5W-30.
 
If you ‘want’ to run a 0W-30; M1 AFE 0W-30 is ‘technically’ your only option of a Dex1/Gen3 certified product, afaik.
That said, any 5W-30 full synthetic should be more than capable…want to get technical? M1 5W-30 and PP 5W-30 seem to have some of the lowest CCS values at -30C, so they make starts the easiest of a 5W-30.
winters where the OP is are commonly well below -30f (colder than C) sometimes in the -50f range in the morning before the sun comes up.......it is brutal................also just becuase it will "flow" doesnt mean it will "flow good enough"

I lived in that area for a bit, and one day in my garage it was -41 without the 20mph wind outside........a killer. To put that in perspective....one day i was at Walmart, and got me a soda at check out............i left the store and by the time I walked about 200 ft to my truck, the soda had already started to freeze. I was able to crush the ice that had formed on the surface of the inside of the bottle..........that cold. Just a personal experience I figured I would share.
 
So I live on the Canadian border in the cold area in the continental US. We get below -30F every winter and days (all day) below -20 f every year. I have a new 2022 silverado with the new 2.7 HO engine (which I love), they couldn’t put an engine block heater in her because the parts weren’t available and they apparently have to take the whole front of the truck apart to retrofit it now and I don’t want that. So until there is an aftermarket option I’m going to be without an engine block heater. The manual says I can run ow-30 in it when -20f temps are expected, right now it has M1 5w-30 EP in it. What 0w-30 oils have the best low temperature flow qualities? I can get M1 fuel economy oil locally, I believe I saw Castro too. What do y’all think?
In that cold I would choose @High Performance Lubricants 0w30, @Pablo Amsoil 0w30, Redline 0w30 or M1 0w30.
 
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