Freezer Test - Edge 5W30 vs. Motorcraft 5W20

[NateDN10]

I have 5-gallon a jug each of Edge in 5W-30 and Ford Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5W-20; they're going to be the winter fill for our two cars. I was interested to see which one was actually thicker in the cold.

To start with, the Edge was noticeably thicker at room temperature. Nothing crazy, but it was noticeable.

Put a couple ounces into a cup and put them in the freezer, which is about 5 degrees F, for 8 hours, then poured them back into the jug they came from. I couldn't tell a difference in thickness. They were both about as thick as the non-genuine maple syrup is at room temperature. Both poured easily.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

i put a quart of MC5000 in the freezer at about 3 degrees for a few days (forgot) and even at such a low temp, it still seemed to flow extremely well.

 

[simple_gifts]

IIRC pouring and pumping are different properties. Someone can chime in if I have misunderstood this.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Synth 5w-20 is thinner than (0w) 5w-30 synthetic, but dino 5w-20 is thicker in those temps.

 

[Captain_Klink]

that's why i like the 5w20 so much for winter use, the measured cold MRV for conventional 5w20 is often better than the synthetic 5w30, so I can save a bit of money. obviously the MC is about less than half the price of the Edge.

 

[Finklejag]

I hope your freezer is on the bottom. I wouldn't want to lift a 5 gallon jug of oil!

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: Finklejag
I hope your freezer is on the bottom. I wouldn't want to lift a 5 gallon jug of oil!

Ha! My bad. I meant 5 quart.

But I guess all we can get from this is that, for relatively normal winter cold-start temperatures, a $12.50 jug of synthetic blend 5W-20 performs about as well as a $26 jug of synthetic 5W-30 (although I got for $10 off with the rebate last year).

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
that's why i like the 5w20 so much for winter use, the measured cold MRV for conventional 5w20 is often better than the synthetic 5w30, so I can save a bit of money. obviously the MC is about less than half the price of the Edge.


MRV is at a quite cold temp. In the single digits and teens, 5w-20 dino is not a thin as a 0w-30 or good 5w-30 synth.