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I just changed to straight 30wt on my Ford Ranger 2.5L. The truck calls for 5w30 and I've been running Q Synth 10w30 recently. Initial impression is the motor feels a bit more sluggish when cold and a bit quieter when warm. The truck gets quite a bit of short hop work so it'll be interesting to see what it does to the gas mileage.

Seattle morning temps have been from about freezing to about 40F lately, so nothing too severe. In these conditions, do I need to be extra gentle on this motor now versus the multi-vis oil I have used in the past?

Also, can someone point me to the MSDS for this oil? I can't seem to find it...
 
On short trips I think it will give your fuel mileage a big hit, especially in cooler conditions. Not as large as in summer.

This is a strange one but a straight 20 weight on the heavier side of a 20 (say 9 or more cSt at 100 degrees) might be an interesting option, thicker when cold and thinner when hot but it would be dependent on the engine never getting fully to temperature. A safe way to do it, although strange and sure to cause other issues would be a cooler thermostat, say 180 degrees versus 195 degrees, and straight 20 weight oil.

I would love to try out something strange like a 15w30 with no viscosity index improvers. I know about Amsoil ACD's 10w30/straight 30 with no VI improvers already.
 
What is the purpose of this switch over to straight 30 wt oil.
I can see no benefit and only more potential for increased
engine wear. Somewhere like Seattle I would think that a good 10w30 should serve
you quite well. Or why not use the 5w30 your owners manual reccomends.
How many miles on your truck? Does the engine have any leaking, burning issues? Seems to me you are sacrificing efficiency
and protection in using the straight 30wt.

SS

2000 Honda Accord 3.0
2004 Honda Pilot 3.5

Mobil Clean 5000 5w30 / Pure One
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: slipperysam
What is the purpose of this switch over to straight 30 wt oil.

Check out the threads on polymeric viscosity index improvers.
 
Originally Posted By: slipperysam
What is the purpose of this switch over to straight 30 wt oil. I can see no benefit and only more potential for increased engine wear. Somewhere like Seattle I would think that a good 10w30 should serve you quite well. Or why not use the 5w30 your owners manual reccomends.


It's just an experiment. A while back, there was an interesting thread about the benefits of a straight weight oil so I bought a couple of changes on sale. I'm trying the Chevron SM 30wt in the Ranger and I have some Valvoline 30wt to try later.

The truck has 53k miles on it and runs like a champ no leaking and no oil consumption. I've had the truck since it had about 30k and the oil appears to have been kept very clean. I've mostly used dino and changed it frequently due to the short trips and not putting a lot of miles on it. It's a 1998 with only 53k miles!

You may be right about the efficiency, but I'll report back on how it impacts economy.
 
"This is a strange one but a straight 20 weight on the heavier side of a 20 (say 9 or more cSt at 100 degrees) might be an interesting option"

I'm thinking for most vehicles this is a perfectly good option. Look at the specs of Duron 20W here:

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resource/download.aspx?type=TechData&iproduct=181&language=en

With a pour point of -39C, and cold-crank specs of 4932cst @-20, this oil is pretty close to a 10W-20, and with a 100C thickness of 9.1cst; its about the same thickness as most regular 5w30/10W-30 oils are after 3k miles or so. So you get the benefits of good cold-weather numbers, a stable oil, and a HD add pack (DURON is PC's HD line).....what more could you possible ask for?
 
30W in Seatle ,short trips and this time of year, NOT good.
Anyway,i am willing to pay for your UOA if you are interested .
 
I'm pretty new to the world of oil obcession and haven't made the leap yet to doing oil analysis, how does it work? Don't you have to pre-order a kit or something? Seems like a waste of money to pay more for an analysis than the oil is worth, but if you're interested...
grin2.gif
 
you can pre-pay, as it does make the UOA cheaper; however, the Kit IS free, and is mailed to you Free... I have one that I haven't used yet -- been thinking about it, but haven't sent one in yet.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
"This is a strange one but a straight 20 weight on the heavier side of a 20 (say 9 or more cSt at 100 degrees) might be an interesting option"

I'm thinking for most vehicles this is a perfectly good option. Look at the specs of Duron 20W here:

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resource/download.aspx?type=TechData&iproduct=181&language=en

With a pour point of -39C, and cold-crank specs of 4932cst @-20, this oil is pretty close to a 10W-20, and with a 100C thickness of 9.1cst; its about the same thickness as most regular 5w30/10W-30 oils are after 3k miles or so. So you get the benefits of good cold-weather numbers, a stable oil, and a HD add pack (DURON is PC's HD line).....what more could you possible ask for?


Would a 50:50 mix of 5w-20 and 30wt be 20 or 30wt at full operating temp? Thanks, Joe
 
Scout,

I would like to participate in your oil experiment. It's the least i can to to ease your pain.
grin2.gif

You can either create a pay pal account or if you are not afraid you could give me your address so i can order it for you.
Any other suggestions are welcome.
 
Originally Posted By: jorton

Would a 50:50 mix of 5w-20 and 30wt be 20 or 30wt at full operating temp? Thanks, Joe


According to Shell's viscosity chart for blending, it's 30wt. Mixing with 1/4 30wt is 20wt.
 
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