Dodge Challenger 5.7 oil

Not to sound dumb....but has anybody used like 3 quarts of 5w 20 and 3 5w 30 or 4 quarts of 5w20 and two 10w 30 of the same brand of course... to get a thicker viscosity of oil?
Please don't go there and don't do that. It's about the worse thing you can do. 5W-30 API SP ILSAC GF6A is slightly thicker than 5W-20. Just use any of the excellent options out there like PUP, Mobil 1 EP, Valvoline (nice additive pack), Castrol EP (super high flash point). All of these have. a cSt of 10 or less at operating temperature, so just a hair over 5W-20. Or just use a thin 0W-40 like Mobil 1 FS 0W-40. PUP SRT 0W-40 is also an option but has fewer antiwear additives than Mobil 1. Castrol 0W-40 was at some point recommended for SRT application, even after FCA dumped Mobil 1. Mixing oils is very fashionable on certain RAM forums, and I've seen people that believe that they're doing something special or amazing by doing this, however, they aren't. If anything, you will make the additive packages less effective, because honestly, you have no way of knowing the different chemistries that go into each type of oil, not to mention the base oils. The bottom line is that you won't gain anything.
 
How about the Wix vs the Wix XP vs the stock OEM?
Win XP isn't much of an improvement over the OEM filter. If you want good flow, then pick a FRAM ULTRA XG2, or if you want the ultimate FRAM TITANIUM FS2, then you can only get that at Advance Auto Parts. The Purolator Boss PBL24651 has the same flow as the XG2/FS2. WIX XP is inferior to all the filters that I just mentioned. Royal Purple 20-820 is also an awesome filter. Many run it with RedLine Oil 5W-30 in their HEMIs. Personally, I'm not too fond of any of the OEM Mopar filters, and they're made either by Purolator or WIX. Of course, it's your ride, your choice 😁
 
Win XP isn't much of an improvement over the OEM filter. If you want good flow, then pick a FRAM ULTRA XG2, or if you want the ultimate FRAM TITANIUM FS2, then you can only get that at Advance Auto Parts. The Purolator Boss PBL24651 has the same flow as the XG2/FS2. WIX XP is inferior to all the filters that I just mentioned. Royal Purple 20-820 is also an awesome filter. Many run it with RedLine Oil 5W-30 in their HEMIs. Personally, I'm not too fond of any of the OEM Mopar filters, and they're made either by Purolator or WIX. Of course, it's your ride, your choice 😁
WIX is owned by MANN, which I would give preference over FRAM anytime.
 
I don't want Fram as I mentioned. When I was looking for filters when I got the car, everyone seemed to recommend the OEM as being decent then. I can't fnid any good deals on the Puro Boss ones up here. :/
 
I don't want Fram as I mentioned. When I was looking for filters when I got the car, everyone seemed to recommend the OEM as being decent then. I can't fnid any good deals on the Puro Boss ones up here. :/

As far as I know, NAPA Gold is WIX XP, so either that or WIX XP then. It's still better than the paper Mopar filters.

WIX is owned by MANN, which I would give preference over FRAM anytime.

No love for FRAM? I mean, every brand has its bad apples. You wouldn't catch me dead using a Purolator One or Purolator Classic oil filter. I think that every brand's top tier filter offering is good enough for us mere mortals. 😁
 
As far as I know, NAPA Gold is WIX XP, so either that or WIX XP then. It's still better than the paper Mopar filters.



No love for FRAM? I mean, every brand has its bad apples. You wouldn't catch me dead using a Purolator One or Purolator Classic oil filter. I think that every brand's top tier filter offering is good enough for us mere mortals. 😁
Napa Platinum is Wix XP :)
 
As far as I know, NAPA Gold is WIX XP, so either that or WIX XP then. It's still better than the paper Mopar filters.



No love for FRAM? I mean, every brand has its bad apples. You wouldn't catch me dead using a Purolator One or Purolator Classic oil filter. I think that every brand's top tier filter offering is good enough for us mere mortals. 😁
I used various filters. But anything signed by MANN I will take it. Also, they own Purolator.
Now, could they offer some cheap product bcs. that is what people want? Sure, under name of Purolator or WIX, but top products will probably be just copies of MANN filters, and it does not come better than MANN or MAHLE.
 
The manual doesn't state that 5W-20 "must be used" in the 5.7L, however it is recommended and they also state that "Lubricants which do not have both the engine oil certification mark and the correct SAE viscosity grade number should not be used." I believe some of the confusion is understanding FCA's definition of "SAE viscosity grade". Since there is no wording that allows the use of 0W-20 as an alternative I believe they're saying 5W-20 is the only " SAE viscosity grade" recommended for the 5.7L. The 3.6L engine has the exact same wording however the recommended "SAE viscosity grade" for this engine is 0W-20 and there is no wording allowing the use of 5W-20 in place of 0W-20. The Jeep owners manual is the same, the only recommended "SAE viscosity grade" for the 2.4L engine is 0W-20 and for the 3.2L engine it's 5W-20, with no allowance for substitutions in either engine.

Anyone with a basic understanding of oil grades understands that both 0W-20 and 5w-20 are the same "SAE viscosity grade" with different winter ratings, but for reasons only known to FCA they seem to classify them as different "SAE viscosity grades" to be used in different engines and the two are not interchangeable.

Just a theory to consider and I'm sure yogithecat will have a response claiming that I'm preaching and pontificatin
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Read in the middle of the section of this part out of the 2020 Challenger owner's manual that was posted earlier in this thread where it says "NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine MUST use 5w-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper operation of the fuel saver technology"
 
The FRAM Ultra is an excellent oil filter. Every filter manufacturer has their top of the line, mid-range, and low-end offerings. The same could be said about Purolator: nothing below their BOSS lineup is worth buying.



Do you ever get tired of preaching this stuff and pontificating the sanctity of what FCA came up with, a car manufacturer that produces engines based on ancient (by today's standards) designs? Did you know that their main concern always is the average fleet MPG? This company is in the stone age when it comes to R&D, and they haven't spent any money on it. They are desperately hanging on to what they have, and thinning out the recommended oil viscosity is one of the few things they have left. The problem is that they can't really go beyond 0W-20.

Let me back peddle to my oil cooler issue: I don't need an oil cooler to run thicker oil. I need one to be able to run the factory specified 5W-20 while towing. Otherwise, when my oil goes up to 250F ~ 280F while pulling 7000 lbs on a mountain, I'm dealing with about 3~4 CST (at best) viscosity while the oil itself oxidizes at an alarming rate. Besides wearing out bearings and bushings prematurely in my engine (never mind everything else), do you know what happens to the oil under those circumstances? It creates sludge and polymerizes everywhere else where a thin layer of oil is left on cooldown. Imagine if I did this on the factory specified Mopar filter, it would be even worse. Quite honestly, I would rather use 5W-20 because I wouldn't have to spend more time warming up my truck every day before leaving. It has better flow characteristics and provides better internal cooling, amongst other things. If I install an oil cooler, even the expensive Mopar solution with the 45-degree filter adapter, I can have my warranty voided (which will be up in July of this year anyway) because it counts as engine modification. Using 0W-40 motor oil to deal with the harsher conditions of towing in the absence of an oil cooler is actually a plausible explanation. I even installed a Mopar oil filler cap that says "0W-40 - Synthetic oil recommended."

Finally, do you know the difference between 0W-20 and 5W-20, other than cold temperature properties? It is a fact that most 0W-20 oils are crap with very high NOACK values, made of cheap base oils. To make 0W-20, the oil formulator has to balance base oil quality and the amount of additives they put into that oil. And the easiest way to make 0W-20 is to take out additives like ZDDP. That's why, for example, Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 has 650ppm of Zinc, while Mobil 1 EP 5W-20 has 850ppm of Zinc. The catch here is that Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 is one of the very best 0W-20 oils out there because it's mostly made of PAO/POE, and that's why @OVERKILL uses it in his truck. The base oil is so good that it compensates for the lower amount of ZDDP in the oil. While the 5.7 HEMI doesn't need much ZDDP, it's still a good sacrificial anti-wear additive to have, especially in less expensive motor oils that don't have modern organic anti-wear additives.

At the end of the day, everyone can and should use what they think is right for their vehicle. Oil-related engine failures are not very common these days. People like myself are commonly known as "poor". No, I am not middle class. I am poor. As such, I have to make a vehicle last a very long time and get the most out of it. I'd rather do my due diligence in maintaining my vehicles because, honestly, I don't have much faith in the manufacturer's warranty, especially when it comes to RAM, as they will gladly ram the repair bill up my rear-end rather than properly perform a warranty repair. Just ask some of those who had lifter failures. Now, if you want to use 5W-20 or whatever oil in your vehicle, that's fine. Just don't preach to others what they should do. I don't tell others what they should or shouldn't put in their crankcase. If I'm asked, I'll give my opinion, especially if I had some experience with a particular vehicle. However, there is no such thing as a terrible motor oil anymore that shouldn't be used. Even Super Tech and Kirkland are decent options. Maybe people shouldn't rush to buy Dolar Store branded motor oil, but that's a different conversation.



FCA could have done a better job writing that section of the owner's manual, especially for pickup trucks.



Let me put it this way: you're more likely to grenade a HEMI with an "all original" Mopar paper filter with a botched drain-back valve than with a FRAM Ultra oil filter.
If this isn't pontificating, I don't know what is. Your not a hypocrite much are you?

What I wrote earlier about the 5.7L must use 5W-20 oil came straight out of the 2020 owner's manual posted earlier in this thread. If you don't like the wording than take it up with FCA or whoever. I don't care what people use in their 5.7L's. You come across as a rude know it all. Calm down, it's only oil.
 
I’m usually late to the party...but hasn’t there been service bulletins regarding oil since there have been cam/lifter failures?
Our law enforcement cars are Chargers with the 3.6 and the Fleet group is using a full synthetic 5w20
with Wix filters.
We’ve lost two camshafts over 6 years.
Must be ok...
 
View attachment 44680
Read in the middle of the section of this part out of the 2020 Challenger owner's manual that was posted earlier in this thread where it says "NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine MUST use 5w-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper operation of the fuel saver technology"
You’re correct, it does say that, my mistake. I have a 2020 RAM 1500 with the Hemi and it doesn’t say that in my manual. Here’s page 369 and 370 from my manual, it’s the same except for the warning at the end of the 5.7L section about the Fuel Saver Technology.
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5DB86DC5-549A-410D-8A22-A4C0E31DA127.jpeg
 
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You’re correct, it does say that, my mistake. I have a 2020 RAM 1500 with the Hemi and it doesn’t say that in my manual. Here’s page 369 and 370 from my manual, it’s the same except for the warning at the end of the 5.7L section about the Fuel Saver Technology.
View attachment 44693View attachment 44694
It doesn't make any sense why the discrepancy between your truck and the Challenger but of coarse I have no idea if the internals are the same or different between the two 5.7's.
 
View attachment 44680
Read in the middle of the section of this part out of the 2020 Challenger owner's manual that was posted earlier in this thread where it says "NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine MUST use 5w-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper operation of the fuel saver technology"

Which is complete nonsense, MDS works just fine with other viscosities, within reason. It's the same system on the 6.4L, which spec'd 0w-40, the difference is just programming sensitivity to oil pressure at temperature, which is how it infers viscosity and if you stray far enough from spec, you are able to get the viscosity code stored.

FCA's verbiage is totally bizarre, and there are definitely some inconsistencies in the recommendations.
 
Which is complete nonsense, MDS works just fine with other viscosities, within reason. It's the same system on the 6.4L, which spec'd 0w-40, the difference is just programming sensitivity to oil pressure at temperature, which is how it infers viscosity and if you stray far enough from spec, you are able to get the viscosity code stored.

FCA's verbiage is totally bizarre, and there are definitely some inconsistencies in the recommendations.
I agree. I don't have a vehicle with one of these engines but I've read many posts from people who have used other viscosities in the 5.7L with no issues. Why they say you must use 5W-20 for the Challenger's 5.7 but not for the Ram's make no sense and why other FCA engines with the same technology calls for other viscosities other than 5W-20.
 
If this isn't pontificating, I don't know what is.
Well, I'm sorry... 😢 Pontificating is when someone expresses ideas that are dogmatic and have to be rigorously followed. Though I agree that I could have worded my comments far better and shorter than I did, all I'm telling everyone else is to use what they need and that they don't have to fear the manufacturer's recommendations so much. Pontificating is quite the opposite. Nevertheless, I see your point, and I should have been more considerate.

Your not a hypocrite much are you?

Well, I'm human... 😿 We're all hypocrites by nature because we're trying to live up to our own ideas about ourselves.

What I wrote earlier about the 5.7L must use 5W-20 oil came straight out of the 2020 owner's manual posted earlier in this thread. If you don't like the wording than take it up with FCA or whoever.

I'd love to. However, I doubt that FCA cares why I or everyone thinks about their wording. I would like to ask their engineers, or even better, their accountants, how they rated my truck for towing 9000 lbs. on 5W-20 without installing an oil heat exchanger, never mind an actual oil cooler on my engine. Pulling that kind of a load in the summer on mountain roads will not end well for my engine. I'm sure that it was a cost-cutting measure, nothing more. The Chargers and Challengers all have the oil heat exchanger from the factory, and I believe that the cars with the 6.4 HEMI have both installed.

You come across as a rude know it all.

I apologize for that, especially for coming across as rude. That wasn't my intention. I like to share what I learn, but I'm far from a know-it-all. In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Up until a few days ago, I didn't know anything about antifreeze, and now that I want to install a 180F thermostat in my truck and do a flush I had to read up on it. Funny thing is that between Peak Global Extended Life and Mopar 10 Year Antifreeze, I decide to go with the Mopar for the truck, it's actually good stuff.

Calm down, it's only oil.

You're absolutely right, and I'm sorry if I upset anyone. My apologies :)
 
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