Changing viscosity with the seasons?

[fen1]

I stay with the same oil all year. I'm in the deep South and there isn't a great range of temperatures to be overly considered about. I'm using Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 and I think I'm doing pretty well.

 

[JavierH19]

Doesn't get cold enough for me. But if i had 0w-20 and 5w-30 i'd use the 0w-20 in the cold season to use it up or mix both.

 

[Hohn]

Seasonal switches made sense when oils had viscosity indices of 80-100 or so and you ran a 10w in the winter and a SAE 30 in the summer. Back then, the reason to switch was that your winter grades turned to water in the summer and the summer grades turned into bricks of candle wax in the winter.

That's not the case today when common oils are 150 to nearly 190 in viscosity index.

There's never been a weaker argument for changing oil viscosity seasonally unless it just happens to align with your OCI anyway. If you are shortening one OCI or lengthening another for the specific purpose of changing viscosity, IMO that's unwise.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I’ve hoarded a bunch of 0w-20 and also a bunch of 5w-30 from sales people have posted here. My new plan to use it up is to put my vehicles on a seasonal rotation where they all get 5w-30 in the spring to run during hot weather and 0w-20 in the fall for the cold.

Do any of you do something similar?

IMO it's rather silly thing to do on a commuter car.

 

[Chief2025]

I’ve hoarded a bunch of 0w-20 and also a bunch of 5w-30 from sales people have posted here. My new plan to use it up is to put my vehicles on a seasonal rotation where they all get 5w-30 in the spring to run during hot weather and 0w-20 in the fall for the cold.

Do any of you do something similar?

Yes
I do

Very short trip and oil never warms up.

 

[Oliveoil2]

This question really involves him using up his stash, not so much the seasonal oil weight change. Get rid of your hoard.

 

[mkiv808]

No need to swap back and forth. Pick one and run it year 'round. Change it when the mileage or time comes up to do so. 20 is 20 Summer or Winter and 30 is 30 Summer or Winter. You're engine operates at the same temp, Summer or Winter. If not, you have a problem that is neither caused nor cured by oil viscosity.

Engine will run slightly cooler in very cold temps vs very hot temps. Yes it’s not a big difference.

 

[CleanSump]

No.

 

[D1dad]

What’s strange about my 18 is they recommend 0w20, or 5w30 conventional if 0-20 isn’t available. So I guess 5w30 synthetic would grenade my engine lol. @120k my car uses not a drop and I just ran 2000 hard miles doing 80 plus, from Ohio to Florida and back. My thought is when it does start using a bit of oil, I’ve got the 30 weight to hopefully nip it. Being in Ohio and waking up to negative temps for most of January and February, I’ll likely go with 0-30. I’ve used 10 and 5 weight enough over the years to know that 0 is a definite benefit when it’s negative 5.

 

[Panda87]

Step 1: Use the 30 grade.
Step 2: Sell the 20 grade.
Step 3: Profit.
Step 4: Squander new found wealth in a Ponzi scheme.
Step 4: Take a lady out for coffee and pocket the rest of the profits. Win-win.

 

[CleanSump]

Step 1: Use the 30 grade.
Step 2: Sell the 20 grade.
Step 3: Profit.
Step 4: Squander new found wealth in a Ponzi scheme.
Step 4: Take a lady out for coffee and pocket the rest of the profits. Win-win.

Step 4 ended up costing me a bundle. Now any profit I make gets spent by the lady I took out for coffee.

 

[GMBoy]

No need to switch viscosities based on time of year. Heck even a 5w/30 syn will flow at negative degrees.

 

[Panda87]

Step 4 ended up costing me a bundle. Now any profit I make gets spent by the lady I took out for coffee.

The most expensive things in life often begin free.