Havoline 5w20, '99 Ford F150 4.6L V8, 5033 miles

[MNgopher]

At long last (don't get too excited yet, as I will explain below):

Specs:
Vehicle: 1999 Ford F150 4x4 Extended Cab Shortbox
Engine: 4.6L V8 OHC
Oil: Texaco Havoline 5w20
Oil Filter: Carquest Premium (Wix)
Make up oil: 1 qt, same as when using 5w30.
Air Filter: Fram (New at beginning of interval)
Time Period: 6/30 to 9/23
Temps: 40F to near 100F, typical day low in the low 60's, high in the low 80's. In otherwords, Minnesota in the summertime

Truck sees around 50%-60% highway miles. Truck used to haul several heavy loads (no towing) and saw a decent amount of gravel road driving.

Columns Below are:
1st: Most recent UOA on Havoline 5w20
2nd: Valvoline Durablend 5w30
3rd: Valvoline Durablend 5w30
4th: Blackstone Universal averages

code:

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Miles on Oil: 5033 4984 4036 Univ.

Miles on Unit: 90392 85359 80376 Avg.

Sample Date: 9/03 6/03 1/03



Aluminum 3 4 3 5

Chromium 1 1 1 1

Iron 12 14 16 22

Copper 5 4 2 10

Lead 0 0 0 1

Tin 0 0 0 1

Molybdenum 2 3 3 31

Nickel 1 2 1

Manganese 0 0 1

Silver 0 0 0

Titanium 0 0 0

Potassium 1 2 0 1

Boron 1 1 42

Silicon 9 9 4 13

Sodium 3 3 2 6

Calcium 2219 2496 1980 1862

Magnesium 30 8 12 400

Phosphorus 783 829 721 796

Zinc 1007 999 908 975

Barium 0 1 1



Vis @ 100C 8.9 10.3 10.5

Flashpoint 425 400

Fuel
Antifreeze 0 0 neg

Water 0 0 neg

Insolubles .3 .5

TBN: 4.7 1.8 8

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TBN's are blackstones for 1 & 2, Dyson on 3.

The good news: The oil did very well. Plenty of life left and better wear in all areas except a slight bump in copper. Otherwise I am very happy.

The bad news: Likely this was not the most recent formulation of Havoline 5w20 shown on the spec sheets. I put another batch of the Havoline 5w20 in, but it was MUCH darker in color compared to this version. Remember the Chevron and Havoline spec sheets all changed a few months ago. (and yes both sets of bottles had the ChevronTexaco labeling on the back - no equilon stuff here) So, we'll see what the next UOA brings in another 5000 miles.

[ October 09, 2003, 12:12 AM: Message edited by: MNgopher ]

 

[khager]

The 5W-20's are looking better every day.

 

[Patman]

This oil did a great job here, and it's surprising since it does not have moly or boron in it! I wonder how it's showing such low wear numbers then? Perhaps the new formula now has moly and/or boron and your iron numbers will get lower. You certainly can't argue with zero lead! 5w20 definitely works well in certain engines, it's obviously not too thin here.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

No moly eh. Doesn't the chevron sister oil use moly?

 

[Bootlegger]

Gopher, Check your PM's

 

[Bror Jace]

Yes, the most recent versions of Chevron Supreme show a fair amount of moly (80PPM?).

And since most manufaturers/blenders put more moly in their 5W20s than their other weights, I'd have to conclude that either this is NOT the same stuff as Chevron Supreme or it is a fairly old batch.

Stuff still did well, though.

--- Bror Jace

 

[buster]

Where are all the guys who claim "thick is superior"? John B?

Just goes to show that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to oil. Some engines need thicker some can use any and some use thin.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
Where are all the guys who claim "thick is superior"? John B?

Just goes to show that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to oil. Some engines need thicker some can use any and some use thin.

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Exactly! It definitely pays off to do UOAs, because then you can pinpoint exactly which viscosity your engine likes. Obviously if your engine can get away with a lighter viscosity, you're better off because you'll get better MPG and make more horsepower too.

 

[MarkC]

Where do you find the spec sheets? I looked on both Chevron and Havoline webites and can't find anything with actual numbers. Maybe i'm just going blind.

 

[Drew99GT]

On Chevrons website, if you go to the oil section, there is a list of options on the left side of the page. One of those options is product data sheets. Then, the3 section it takes you to is a search deal where you have to type in the product your looking for. When you get to it, you have to click on "printable salesfax", which will download a pdf of the product data sheet. Oh, and this is the only way I've found havoline data sheets as well because it takes you to chevrontexacos website.

 

[buster]

quote:

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For the record, I was initally very mistrustful of these ultra-thin oils because they were brought about for environmental reasons and not for superior lubrication.

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I have felt the same way. I've always believed though that the manufacturer wouldn't recommend something that was going to hurt them down the line. I was also skeptical of 20wts beccause they were brought about by fuel efficiency reasons and environmental reasons as you stated.

The issue though is "what viscosity is right for my engine", not, "50wt oils for all vehicles". If my UOA turns out good with the 0w-20, I'll use that. Why use a thicker oil if you don't have to? It makes no sense. Your loosing HP and increasing heat.

 

[Surprise]

Look at the mileage of the vehicle, 90k. This is well past the "High Mileage" mark on some oil containers and past the point when most people start to use thicker oil. Obviously thick oil isn’t needed for this truck!

 

[buster]

Very few engines today I believe benefit from thick oils. I think a 20wt to high 30wt is all 99% of most engines need. Proof is in the UOA's.

 

[Sin City]

The 5W-20 Havoline oil clearly did better than the previously used 5W-30 oils. Wear is about the same and you should be getting slightly better fuel economy, easier cold starting, and your TBN is high for a "dino" oil with 5,000 miles. I assume you also paid less for the Havoline than you paid for the Valvoline Durablend. The Ford 4.6L V8 really does work very well with 5W-20.

The fuel economy benefit of 5W-20 is only supposed to be about 0.6% compared to 5W-30 but if you consider how many Ford's and Honda's there are on the road that savings represents an enormous amount of fuel saved every year. If there is no reduction in durability than I see no reason not to use this oil in engines for which it is recommended. I would however change over to 5W-30 ir 10W-30 in the case of an older high mileage engine where you are having high oil consumption or excessive mechanical noise.

 

[MarkC]

Thanks

 

[Bror Jace]

"Where are all the guys who claim 'thick is superior?'"

For the record, I was initally very mistrustful of these ultra-thin oils because they were brought about for environmental reasons and not for superior lubrication.

However, thanks to the UOAs I've seen, I'm something of a convert. The stuff works well and if I had an engine which called for a 5W20, I'd use one.

--- Bror Jace

 

[MNgopher]

All in all, I am pleased with this showing.

Oil consumption was the same as experienced using 5w30 oils, so that is not an issue in my mind. 1 quart every 5000 miles is fine in my book.

Price wise, this is close to being a wash. The cheapest I've found the Havoline 5w20 is 1.59 a quart, and the last cases of the Durablend I bought were about a 1.50 a quart. Still not the easiest to find 5w20 oils, as most places have it, but only one or two brands. The best source I have found (around here anyways) is Autozone, which seems to be carrying it in nearly all the brands they offer.

Fuel mileage wise, I didn't own this truck last summer, so I cannot offer a real comparison there. In any event, it isn't any worse than before!

 

[buster]

I'd stick with this oil. It works.

 

[Cressida]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sin City:
... easier cold starting, ....

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I don't see where cold starting will be any different since both are 5w- oils. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.

 

[Jay]

quote:

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Originally posted by MNgopher:

...Likely this was not the most recent formulation of Havoline 5w20 shown on the spec sheets. I put another batch of the Havoline 5w20 in, but it was MUCH darker in color compared to this version...

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I recently bought a qt of Chevron Supreme 5w-20 just to have a look at it and send some in for analysis. I noticed, also, that it was very dark.

Nice report, by the way. I remember cautioning you against trying 20-weight with your high-mileage truck. I was wrong.