Car Spec. for 5w20 and Using 5w30

[Ndx]

Hello,

So I Have Mazda 2.3L
Car is spec. for 5w20 ... and I wonder If i would like to start using 5w30 It would do any bad ?

I heard about some clearance in bearings that they may run hot ...

as we know 5w20 its only for fuel economy ...

w30 oils are giving better protection for sure.

What are you thinking about that ??

 

[Bulli]

use a 5-20 IMO, sstart using 5-30 when your bearing clearances increase

 

[demarpaint]

Stick to the mfg suggested grade of oil and you'll be fine!

Frank D

 

[Big Jim]

You have a bad premise. We don't all know that 5W20 is just for fuel economy and 5W30 provides better protection. Just the opposite, many of us believe that thinner is better as long as the engine is designed for it.

Here is a link you may find useful:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/link-to-aehaas-writings.18776/

 

[Bryanccfshr]

No. Your oil never gets to 100c operating temp anyway in your driving regimen. So 5w20 is thicker for you than a hot 5w30.

Besides, 5w20 has proven itself to be in the wear control business.

 

[dave1251]

5w30 better protection? If your engine was designed for 5W-20 use it. 5W-20's hold up just fine.

 

[scoobie]

my car is spec 'd for 5w30 but i run 5w25 synthetic for more protection. thinner oil flow better and cools better. especially right now it's pretty cold out. subaru impreza NA 2.5

 

[bar1]

No problem using 5w30. All mazdas sold outside US and Japan spec. 5w30 (with some exceptions).

 

[bar1]

Originally Posted By: dave1251
5w30 better protection? If your engine was designed for 5W-20 use it. 5W-20's hold up just fine.

When those engines are sold outside US/Japon, spec. is 5w30.

 

[rg200amp]

5w20 works great. Look at the used oil analysis section.

 

[ZZman]

Either will work fine. But I always say to stick to the manufacturers recommendation for weights. Plus you live in Canada......It doesn't get warm there does it?.......

 

[SrDriver]

5W20 or 0W20 weight oil will serve you well.

We live in southern Alabama just a few miles from the Florida line and run 5W20 year around with no issues whatsoever.

 

[Steve S]

Not a whole lot of difference in the viscosities .But running 5w-20 will give about 1.5% better mpgs better according to Ford Motor Co. And still your engine probably outlast the rest of the car with the 20 wt. so why not run 20wt.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Originally Posted By: Ndx
Hello,

So I Have Mazda 2.3L
Car is spec. for 5w20 ... and I wonder If i would like to start using 5w30 It would do any bad ?

I heard about some clearance in bearings that they may run hot ...

as we know 5w20 its only for fuel economy ...

w30 oils are giving better protection for sure.

What are you thinking about that ??


Using 5w30 is fine if you want to do that, but the reasons you're considering it are false.

The Mazdas run great on 5W-20 and it's the recommended weight, so why wouldn't you just run that?

 

[Smokescreen]

Originally Posted By: bar1
Originally Posted By: dave1251
5w30 better protection? If your engine was designed for 5W-20 use it. 5W-20's hold up just fine.

When those engines are sold outside US/Japon, spec. is 5w30.


For this reason alone I chose to run 5w30 and sleep well at night. I faced the same dilemma when I bought my (North America 5w20 spec'd) 09 Corolla. Not only did my fuel economy not go down, but it ran a little quieter, started up just as easy and maintained all of its power. From what I have found the 20wt push is in North America alone & while it will protect your engine well enough, you have the choice to run a more widely available 0w30, 5w30 oil flavor. As mentioned the engine will most likely outlast the rest of the car as proper maintenance trumps oil weight any day of the week.

 

[Ed_T]

Wouldn't the 20w be a 'cleaner' brew, more stable, less poly-whatevers etc etc etc in it? A better oil all the way around?

Could be the rest of the world gets the 30w nod due to longer recommended OCI's. Europe generally is way out there, like once a year under average mileage in some cases.

Worldwide availability could be another issue.

 

[Drew2000]

Use either, but a 5w20 or 0w20 that meets the Ford 5w20 spec has to pass a much more vigorous standard than the 5w30. For a conventional oil, I would definitely use a 5w20, for a syn, really won't matter. FWIW, I ran Synpower 5w30 in my Tribute during the warmer months, and now use Mobil 1 0w20 for the winter.

Why? because it depends on what I can get on sale for the cheapest price for my oil stash. 5w30, 5w20, 0w30, 0w20

 

[old farmer]

Well here's my story on that.
We have a 2001 Taurus 3.0 liter Duratec. Spec is 5w20.
Walnuts had a great sale on Pennzoil Platinum 5w30.
I wanted to use it but didn't know if 5w30 would be ok, like you.
So I asked on this forum and was told 5w30 was the spec for that motor before 5w20.
So I switched to it and it's fine.
Brother in law just bought a newer Ford truck with a 5.4 V8 and 5w20 spec. He started using Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 because of the sale price.
He asked at the dealer about it and was told it's ok to use it. They don't always put in 5w20 themselves. Sometimes they are out of it and they just use 5w30, without the customer knowing any different.
So I guess the only difference will be a bit lower fuel economy. So small a difference that you'll never notice it.

 

[BuickGN]

5-30 won't hurt a thing. I run a straight 30 in my 5-20 spec'd '06 TL. The same motor with the same clearances spec'd 5-30 or 10-30 just a couple years prior with no changes to bearing clearances.