Is BC 5W-40 better than GC 0W-30, select apps?

[HangerHarley]

Was in AutoZone today, to look at the Oils, inspired by BITOG.

Aside from astrol Tection Extra 15W-40 (?) I looked at the Syntecs. Noticed the following:

1) 5W-40 grade. It says "European formula, now Blended in the USA." no Belgian to speak of, or BC.. however, European Formula, on the back, by the hand and donut symbols. This intrigued me.

2) 0W-30 grade, says Made in germany. On front it again says "European Formula."

3) 5W-50 is on shelf, as is 10W-40. Quart seemed to be seeping.. dinged-up quart. No mention of Euro anything, just ordinary synthetic USA oil, so it seems.

Now if GC 0W-30 is a European formula and is very good and made in Germany, is 5W-40 a good answer for cars where GC is very vert good, but simply not viscous enough? (And for an Oil that meets Euro specs, im not worrying about GM 4718-M. 0r the 6940.)

We talk about GC.. what about 5W-40? Same kind of resilience in tough environments, like Nissan engines or VW? Where GC may be very very good, but a touch too thin? Maybe dparm can use 5W-40 and not 5W-50 (a USA oil) in his S4.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: HangerHarley
Is BC 5W-40 better than GC 0W-30, select apps?

In my opinion, no.

GC meets more stringent specs such as BMW LL-01 and MB 229.5, whereas BC only meets LL-98 and 229.3. Plus, GC achieves this with a lower viscosity spread which means it is more shear stable. GC also flows better at really cold temps. Out of the two, I would pick GC any time, every time, regardless of application.

 

[d00df00d]

Castrol Syntec 5w-40 has only one apparent advantage over GC, and that is Porsche approval. So, if you absolutely had to pick one of the two for a Porsche under warranty, it'd have to be the 5w-40.

For any other app, I'd take GC hands down. Quattro Pete gave a great summary of the reasons.

Viscosity is something to think about, but GC is a borderline SAE 40 anyway and Syntec 5w-40 is much more likely to shear. For Syntec 5w-40 to be preferable, you'd have to have an engine that absolutely requires an xw-40 but is very easy on its oil. I'm having a hard time imagining an application in which that would be the case.


By the way, there's nothing wrong with oil made in the USA. I'm using a few in my car right now.

The USA-made Syntecs get a bad rap, but only because they're nothing special and majorly overshadowed by their European siblings.

 

[shpankey]

Sibling? More like our tooty snooty aristocratic 3rd cousins on the nother's side. Why they think they're above their staion in life and in the world is mind bobbling. Obviously, embarrassed, they had to ask us for help in the face destruction.