High Milage oil in cold temperature

[fpny]

Shall I use high milage (High Mileage) oil in the winter time, like Castrol High Mileage 5w30 oil for example. Since High Mileage oils are usually a little on the thick side. Should they be use in 0F-30F temperature? Will they make starting the engine more difficult or generate more engine noise when at low temp compares to regular 5w30 conventional or synthetic 5W30 oil?

 

[SPITMAN]

The answer to all of your questions is "yes". but with qualifications. High Mileage oils are slightly thicker but still with the viscosity range for the value they are labeled as. The difference between a standard 5w30 and a High Mileage 5w30 during cold cranking will be unnoticable. Therefore, if you beleive that your vehicle would benifit from a constant dose of High Mileage (both summer and winter) then go for it without reservation. However, if your vehicle can tolerate it, switch to a 0w30 for the winter and run the High Mileage 5w30 in the summer only. Just my .02 worth ...........

 

[jorton]

I noticed relatives in Michigan GM's and Toyotas moan and groan after cold start at 20F using conventional 10w30. If it were my car I would use half and half 5w-20 & 5w30 in these conditions.

 

[cdherman]

jorton == switching to a 5w30 is a great idea, but becareful with that 5w20 recomendation. Toyo and GM both probably don't like it older engines, AND it not really going to start any better than a 5w30. What it will do is thin out much quicker at operating temps.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

I'm running Maxlife synthetic High Mileage 10w30 oil in temps as low as -14F so far, I haven't noticed a single issue; starts just the same as it did with 5w30 conventional in the engine.

I'm not happy with GC 0w30 in another vehicle, in how it's starting in the same temps; but I don't think I can rightly blame it on the oil. It has a factory battery that's 3-4yrs old, so I think that's the main issue.

 

[hominid7]

Quote:

---

I noticed relatives in Michigan GM's and Toyotas moan and groan after cold start at 20F using conventional 10w30. If it were my car I would use half and half 5w-20 & 5w30 in these conditions.

---

That was the power steering pump you were hearing. 10w30 is good down to at least 0*F, in many applications lower than that.

 

[The_Jeff]

I've run maxlife 5w30 down to a few degrees below zero and it's dandy... as it should be. Got to compare same engine (saturn 1.9 sohc) with Supertech syn 5w30 and valvoline Full Synthetic 5w30 over this same winter and very similar conditions in the three cars in my fleet .

 

[JackFish]

I'm using GTX 10-30 HM with a dose of slob, and it's freakin' 30 below up here.

If I check my oil at these temperatures and it drips off the dipstick I figure I'm good to go. But I am anxiously awaiting warmer weather and a few hundred more miles and will change it out to some 5-30 in the stash.

 

[fpny]

I had Castrol High Mileage 5w30 oil in my 96 Toyota Avalon for this winter. In some cold morning or evening, when the temp is below 20F when I start my Avalon, it seems to make some strange noise after the engine started for a couple seconds and then it went away. But when I start the Avalon when it is 20F or above, the car never make the same strange noise after it started. I just wonder if this got something to do with the High Mileage oil or is something else makeing that noise since this is the first time I am using the High Mileage oil in this car for the winter. Thank you in advance for any inputs.

 

[r961161]

I have been using Valvoline HM 5W30 all year round in our office delivery truck, a 1995 Mazda B3000 with 190K miles on the clock. The engine starts as usual in the mornings even with the low -20C temps that we had in the past few weeks here in Toronto.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Quote:

---

I had Castrol High Mileage 5w30 oil in my 96 Toyota Avalon for this winter. In some cold morning or evening, when the temp is below 20F when I start my Avalon, it seems to make some strange noise after the engine started for a couple seconds and then it went away. But when I start the Avalon when it is 20F or above, the car never make the same strange noise after it started. I just wonder if this got something to do with the High Mileage oil or is something else makeing that noise since this is the first time I am using the High Mileage oil in this car for the winter. Thank you in advance for any inputs.

---

Could be your taste in oil filters. Some are better than others.

Could be driveway engine slant/horizontal filter mount - in combination with your engine design.

Could be a wrong viscosity/oil weight" in the oil jugs you purchased. Nobody's perfect - not even the bottlers.

 

[TallPaul]

Quote:

---

If I check my oil at these temperatures and it drips off the dipstick I figure I'm good to go.

---

I like that. Nice tough and dirty way to gauge whether to start her up on a really cold day? Or do you mean you warm it up until it drips off?

 

[JackFish]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

If I check my oil at these temperatures and it drips off the dipstick I figure I'm good to go.

---

I like that. Nice tough and dirty way to gauge whether to start her up on a really cold day? Or do you mean you warm it up until it drips off?

---

Cold. It's my viscosity check!

If it doesn't drip, I better plug in the pan heater! But I have never seen that yet.
I kind of meant that tongue-in-cheek, because I see a lot of posts from people down south who will obsess over the 0W vs. 5W vs. 10W whose engines never really see extreme weather.
But I also use the block and oil pan heaters whenever possible/necessary. I would like to keep this engine as long as possible! And it is best not to risk having your car fail in extreme weather, but if it does it will be related to fuel and spark, not oil.
Seriously though, I think if it drips off the dipstick there should no problem for it to be pumped around.