Is there a difference between 0w20 and 5w20 in MD

[Gokhan]

Don't forget that 0W-20 has a higher VI (viscosity index) than 5W-20, which means that it will be thinner during cold starts even on a hot sunny day.

TGMO 0W-20 SN is a clear winner in the VI department but more or less all 0W-20s will have a higher VI than 5W-20s for a given brand variety.

Originally Posted By: dabble
Hi, I live in Baltimore, MD where Winter temps average 23F but there can be lows up to negative 10F.

Is there a significant difference in cold start wear between 0w20 and 5w20 in Baltimore?

I have a 2011 Toyota Camry with 42k. I drive 10k and change my oil every 5k. I use Castrol GTX 5w20 and a Toyota filter.

It's time for you to go synthetic and switch to TGMO 0W-20 SN or perhaps Mobil 1 Extended Performance /AFE or Pennzoil Platinum 0w20 SN or some other brand you like. You can then probably extend your OCI to 10,000 miles as well.

 

[Gokhan]

Your owner's manual says something like this: If 0W-20 isn't available, you can use 5W-20 but you should switch back to 0W-20 at the next oil change. The translation is as follows: If synthetic oil isn't available, you can use conventional oil, but you should switch back to synthetic oil at the next oil change. (That's because TGMO 0W-20 is synthetic and TGMO 5W-20 is conventional.)

Conventional oil is a thing of the past for most car makes. Newer Toyotas require synthetic oil.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
....yawn...

And there's evidence of this improved start-up/warm up wear somewhere

That's not an advertisement ?


In the temps the OP is seeing it isn't going to amount to a hill of beans, even over the life of the vehicle. Now if he were to move to Wyoming or Montana or somewhere in Canada it might make a difference.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah at 20°C tomorrow morning there really is a difference between a 0w and 5w?? Get some real data/facts to prove that hypothesis.