Does 5W-30 REALLY protect better than 5W-20?

At present my 2007 Ford Fusion 2.3 has 270K using M1 20wt oils. I change it every 10K with only 2-4 oz of oil consumption. The cyl head is like new clean, and there is no sign of engine wear. My 2017 Fusion has 110K with 10K OCI. No oil consumption to date.
You da man, Tig1 ^^^ 4 decades of M1 like this ^^^ = impressive intestinal fortitude !
 
*Say an engine has 0W20 stamped on the engine oil cap of a made for the USA vehicle - can you safely use 5W30 in that engine ?
 

Does 5W-30 REALLY protect better than 5W-20?

Yes and No.
It all depends on quality and viscosity of base oil and polymer thickening efficiency of VM's (Viscosity Modifiers) used to formulate the final product that eventually meets the desired SAE J300 grade.

If the blend requires higher content of VM's to bring the product to grade in most cost effective way such VM's will most likely contain larger molecules because they are better thickeners. But the trade off is that they are easily broken and this affects the shear stability of the final product.

The blend requiring VM with lower thickening efficiency due to higher quality and viscosity of base oil will be more shear stable due to smaller molecules in VM.

It all comes comes down to cost and what you're willing to pay for.
 

Does 5W-30 REALLY protect better than 5W-20?

Yes and No.
It all depends on quality and viscosity of base oil and polymer thickening efficiency of VM's (Viscosity Modifiers) used to formulate the final product that eventually meets the desired SAE J300 grade.

If the blend requires higher content of VM's to bring the product to grade in most cost effective way such VM's will most likely contain larger molecules because they are better thickeners. But the trade off is that they are easily broken and this affects the shear stability of the final product.

The blend requiring VM with lower thickening efficiency due to higher quality and viscosity of base oil will be more shear stable due to smaller molecules in VM.

It all comes comes down to cost and what you're willing to pay for.
Those are side issues. Wear comes from metal-to-metal contact so it is ultimately about keeping the parts separated due to the film thickness. This is represented by the HT/HS so yes an oil with a higher HT/HS "protects better" as it will provide a higher MOFT.

And better (or less) VII will contribute to shear stability but as we've seen here mechanical shear is rarely an issue. Fuel dilution is a far more prevalent problem.
 
Thick vs. thin, is 5w30 better than 5W20, or vice versa? I look at it this way, I have seen this horse beaten to death for years now. I read evidence from both sides and as a result in my applications which in all honesty is all I care about, both with 5W20 on the fill cap, 0W30 and 5w30 takes the prize. Maybe one of these days there will be evidence to convince me to make a change, or maybe one of these days I will purchase a new vehicle and think otherwise.
 
Those are side issues. Wear comes from metal-to-metal contact so it is ultimately about keeping the parts separated due to the film thickness. This is represented by the HT/HS so yes an oil with a higher HT/HS "protects better" as it will provide a higher MOFT.

And better (or less) VII will contribute to shear stability but as we've seen here mechanical shear is rarely an issue. Fuel dilution is a far more prevalent problem.
Side issues but still important. HTHS is a measure of VM's capability in engine oil.
 
Thick vs. thin, is 5w30 better than 5W20, or vice versa? I look at it this way, I have seen this horse beaten to death for years now. I read evidence from both sides and as a result in my applications which in all honesty is all I care about, both with 5W20 on the fill cap, 0W30 and 5w30 takes the prize. Maybe one of these days there will be evidence to convince me to make a change, or maybe one of these days I will purchase a new vehicle and think otherwise.
0W-30 FTW
 
There are several low-cost oils available at Walmart carrying approvals which require demonstrated stay-in-grade performance.
You think I am not aware of it? You've have whacked that approval and stay in grade horse to death many times already.
It's like listening to broken record.
 
You think I am not aware of it? You've have whacked that approval and stay in grade horse to death many times already.
It's like listening to broken record.
You’ve learned a lot in your stay here. What’s incorrect about it? Are you suggesting the “Gokhan Formula” is the holy grail to determine oil quality?

One is demonstrated real-world performance and the other is, well, not that.
 
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