Coyote 5.0 just hit 2k miles
- Thread starter Truck-Guy
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For the newer 5.0, Ford recommends 5w30 solely to try to minimize oil consumption due to the cylinder liners being applied with a plasma process. The viscosity change is not retroactive.
Ford recommended 5W-30 for the Mustangs in Australia (not CAFE driven) before they ever recommended it in the USA as you mentioned.
That’s also in Australia which is a different climate, in a different vehicle that is driven differently with a different cam.
The cam doesn't matter to what oil viscosity is used. People in the USA drive Mustangs just as hard, and it gets real hot here too in parts of the USA. And yes, all the journal bearing clearance specs are the same regardless of country the engine goes to. Ford specified 5W-30 because they know it's better than 5W-20 for engine protection, and they are not driven by CAFE for cars sold in Australia. Ford finally went to 5W-30 in USA Coyotes because they finally broke down and did it to work and protect better in the Coyote.
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Sources for the statement that 5w30 protects better? I find that hard to believe as both OEMs and oil companies have independently verified that 5w20 does not equate to less protection.
Many wear studies show that less wear over the long run results with a higher viscosity (specifically the HTHS viscosity). It's been discussed here for years in many threads. The HTHS viscosity of xW-20 is near the viscosity where wear on some engine components starts to increase. Ford went to 5W-30 on the Coyote because they know it causes less wear issues. 5W-20 in the Coyote was mainly a CAFE driven recommendation. Many Coyote owners use xW-30 or even thicker oils, mostly the guys who race their cars. 5W-20 would be fine for grandma driving, but not as good for hard use conditions.
I’m not trying to be difficult, but do you have sources to support these claims? I am unaware of any studies verifying what you claim. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong, but I don’t see any sources showing that.
This has been discussed for years on this board ... with lots of technical info. Here's one, showing the effect of HTHS viscosity on piston ring wear. The HTSH of xW-20 is around 2.3 and for xW-30 it's around 3.2. Look at the wear curve at those two points on the top graph. You will have to do some back reading here and/or go do some self research on wear vs viscosity. There is lots of info on the subject.
Right, I’ve seen a lot of the threads on it and it’s beating a dead horse. The study shown above is comparing base oils without additives and the wear difference is marginal at best. In fact, the graph shows that the HTHS of 2.3 is more optimized than the 3.2.
The top graph clearly shows the wear rate based on the HTHS viscosity. How is an oil with 2.3 HTHS "more optimized" over an oil with 3.2 HTHS viscosity in terms of wear. If both oil had exactly the same AW/AF package, the higher viscosity oil will result in less wear. Sure, AW/AF additives (the tribofilm, aka "film strength") help reduce wear but only after the viscosity failed to do so (the "FM effect" annotation on the top graph starting around 2.3 cP HTHS). Viscosity is always the main mitigator of wear between rubbing parts. Been that way ever since Tribology was invented well over a 100 years ago. But you can believe whatever you want.
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Would ESP 5w30 suit your needs?
In the Ford manual (at least in my 2018 GT, don't know what years this applies to) it states to use 5w20. BUT if you go to the track, switch to 5w30 and when you're done, dump that and go back to 5w20. Ford, at the time, wanted to keep within CAFE, it seems, but thought it best to use a heavier oil if going to be stressed. They finally thought just use 5w30 as the standard and be done with it.
I understand what you guys are saying, but as I stated earlier, that graph shows that the wear difference between base oils is minimal. Furthermore, the viscosity change increases fuel economy, leading to the “optimal” viscosity range being noted on the graph. If we assume that the wear difference is the same with and without additives, the customer saves a decent chunk of change on fuel while making very little change to wear.
"Optimal" when trying to factor in both fuel economy and wear protection balance. Some people care more about added wear protection headroom to account for all driving conditions. I switched to 5W-30 in my Coyote at 2000 miles after complete break-in and started driving it a lot harder. Don't want to be on the ragged edge of MOFT and increased wear. I can't even tell if the mpg changed with 5W-30, the difference is in the noise level.
My 5.0 in my 2016 f150 was a knocking POS.
I will never buy another Ford after that experience.
Triple_Se7en
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Kia and Hyundai are perfect examples on how 5w20 lacked protection (2012-2019). A world of difference when switching to the 30s. Even the 0w20 is built better than 5w20s.
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