Can I use 0w40?
- Thread starter joemo
- Start date
There is no good reason you should, and there is no good reason you shouldn't, other than maybe marginal decrease in fuel economy.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
As QP touched on, sure, you can use it, but what do you expect to gain? What do you believe to be deficient in the factory recommendation that will be remedied by a heavier oil with higher levels of AW additives? Have you modified it to produce more power than stock?
Nope!
A good Euro 0w40 will meet a host of tough specs a run of the mill 5w30 couldn't possibly touch. Not that you need it, but why not run the better oil? Isn't that what half the discussions here are about anyway?
I happily use Mobil 1 0w40 in my vehicles that spec 5w30. From a technical standpoint it is a very light 40 weight oil being just over the kinetic viscosity borderline between 30 and 40 weight oils.
If I was limited to only run one oil in all my gas engine cars, everywhere and every season, it would be a name brand Euro 0W40 A3/B4 oil, like M1 or Edge or Pennzoil Platinum Euro, with OEM specs like BMW LL-01, MB 229.5 & Porsche A40.
If I needed a low-SAPS version, and the OP doesn’t need this in their Buick V6, it would be the C3 version of the above with BMW LL-04, MB 229.51 or Porsche C30.
OP, not a problem, your car will be fine. In theory these oils have passed higher wear tests, shear stability stay-in-grade tests, etc than a regular API oil. But, like all things, it’s the law of diminishing returns, so the ”improvement“ over a standard oil will probably be very minor and probably not observable in day-to-day driving. Just like the minor reduction in fuel economy will also probably not be observable in day-to-day driving.
BTW I recall reading a thread from the oil formulator Doug Hillary a few years ago, after he had just returned from a big international endurance race at the Nurburgring, where he had access to many racing teams. He commented that most racing teams were running M1 0W40 A3/B4 straight off the shelf.
If I needed a low-SAPS version, and the OP doesn’t need this in their Buick V6, it would be the C3 version of the above with BMW LL-04, MB 229.51 or Porsche C30.
OP, not a problem, your car will be fine. In theory these oils have passed higher wear tests, shear stability stay-in-grade tests, etc than a regular API oil. But, like all things, it’s the law of diminishing returns, so the ”improvement“ over a standard oil will probably be very minor and probably not observable in day-to-day driving. Just like the minor reduction in fuel economy will also probably not be observable in day-to-day driving.
BTW I recall reading a thread from the oil formulator Doug Hillary a few years ago, after he had just returned from a big international endurance race at the Nurburgring, where he had access to many racing teams. He commented that most racing teams were running M1 0W40 A3/B4 straight off the shelf.
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It's not going to hurt anything and might be worth trying if you have cold start piston slap like most 3.1 engines.
What temperatures are you starting your mower? Unless you're near freezing the viscosity between the two is nearly identical with the 40-grade slightly higher at typical mowing temperatures.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
With 130k on the clock … not a bad idea. Made that switch on our Cruze at 100k … quieter …
We put over 200k on one of those 3.1 slappers and if there is an oil that will change that, I never found it. Ours was a 2000 Lumina, great car that just refused to die.
Yeah if it is true piston slap then no oil will make a difference.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Well, I don't think you'll get any appreciable additional life out of using the 0w-40, but it certainly isn't going to hurt anything so if you want to give it a shot, there's no real downside.
I would either do a regular xW40 (also why not 10W40 since you live in MO) or a high hths xW30 (a3/b4 kind of oil) but not both.
Jumping from xW30 to a3/b4 xW40 is kind of like skipping 2 grades. Take it easy, do it one at a time
Jumping from xW30 to a3/b4 xW40 is kind of like skipping 2 grades. Take it easy, do it one at a time
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D
Deleted member 89374
I switched all our vehicles to 0W-40 (look at my signature) to overcome their shortcomings and design flaws and have not noticed any negative Ill effects. The fuel economy is the same as before, or slightly better. Truth be told, 0W-40 is a nearly universal motor oil. These Euro spec oils have good additive packages with detergents and dispersants galore. Unless you have a weezy sub 2.0L naturally aspired engine, there isn't a single good reason to run any of the thin ILSAC GF6 spec motor oils. I wish you the best of luck with your vehicle and God Bless!
Jumping from xW30 to a3/b4 xW40 is kind of like skipping 2 grades. Take it easy, do it one at a time
That's a bunch of nonsense.
Also, you tell the man to go with 10W-40
, but not 0W-40? What kind of non-sese advice is that? It's like saying "don't go thick on your oil, go thicker!"I switched all our vehicles to 0W-40 (look at my signature) to overcome their shortcomings and design flaws and have not noticed any negative Ill effects. The fuel economy is the same as before, or slightly better. Truth be told, 0W-40 is a nearly universal motor oil.
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Also, you tell the man to go with 10W-40
Never said don't use 0W40. He lives in MO (that's not Montana btw) and I said why not 10W? It meets the state W rating and has less vii (vm).
While you research vii, can you please explain the "design flaws" of other oils (other than 0W40)? I am interested in for example "design flaws" of xW30 or a3/b4 xW30 ...
Also you get the same or "slightly better" fuel economy with thicker 40 oil? Since we are talking about nonsense
