It's 2017: Any reason NOT to run 0W-30 year round?

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
I was hoping to get some for a 5.3 with similar mileage, but it scanned for full price at my Autozone.

According to Mobil's website, the viscosities are almost identical: 0w/5w hot is 10.9/11.0, and 40C is 62.9/61.7.


The HTHS for M1 5W30 is 3.1 while 5W30 EP&AP and 0W30 AFE are all at 3.0, not much difference there.
If you want a high HTHS M1 5w30, you can pay through the nose for ESP to get 3.58. It also has very low SAPS and NOACK loss as well as a super high flashpoint, but you have to deal with a really low starting TBN that probably means you shouldn't do long OCIs in the US (higher sulfur fuel than Europe).

Does M1HM improve on these numbers?


Forgot about that one!
XOM says that the HTHS for M1 5W30 HM is 3.1, same as their standard 5W30.

 

[KrisZ]

0WXX oils pour out of the bottle too fast for my liking, that's why I don't use them.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
0WXX oils pour out of the bottle too fast for my liking, that's why I don't use them.

Yeah, that is a good indicator of proper oil selection. Have you tried the hand-to-manifold test yet? There used to be someone on here who swore by that method.

You must be pouring them out a well below zero?

 

[Indydriver]

Sorry, guess I could have looked it up so I did. So 0W-30, 5W-30 and 5W-30HM all have an HTHS of 3.0-3.1.

0W-40 is 3.6 and really interesting is 10W-30HM at 3.9.

At 40 C (a more useful temp), 0W-40 at 70.8 is lower than both 30 wt HMs. Hmmm.....

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Sorry, guess I could have looked it up so I did. So 0W-30, 5W-30 and 5W-30HM all have an HTHS of 3.0-3.1.

0W-40 is 3.6 and really interesting is 10W-30HM at 3.9.

At 40 C (a more useful temp), 0W-40 at 70.8 is lower than both 30 wt HMs. Hmmm.....


40C is only 104F, so your oil is gonna flash right through that while it's warming up.
Might even start there on a really rough summer day...

 

[KL31]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
40C is only 104F, so your oil is gonna flash right through that while it's warming up.
Might even start there on a really rough summer day...


Indeed I can confirm that my oil temp gauge has read 40 a couple times and very close to 40 a number of times upon startup when the weather outside has been 35-40. Very sunny with no cloud cover makes things the hottest when car is parked out.

My car can reach 80C about half way through the drive on those days but on a cold winters day might struggle to hit 80C by the end of the drive.

As for the OP's question, the only reason to not use 0W30 is cost. No point in paying more for something that may not be required. If it's the same price though, I'd always get 0W30 if I could.

 

[xtell]

Run either the 0w-30 or 5w-30. Your engine will never know the difference. New engine technology + better oil refining techniques + "you need this" marketing lead everyone to second guess oil choices that have work well over the years.

 

[cmhj]

Ya people worry too much

 

[Indydriver]

Yeah, I was looking at that viz based on the CW that most wear and tear occurs on cold start-up. The HTHS spec is at 150C which my Oil never sees. The 100C spec is more functional.

My point in the overall comparison of the four oils was the surprising increase in viscosity of 10W-30 at all testing temps, higher even than 0W-40. 0W-40 and HM have much higher levels of Phos and Zinc than standard 5W-30 which has 20% more than ATF. I ran 0W-30 in my Tahoe 5.3 this past winter and it burned a quart during an 8000 mile OLM driven OCI. I'm going to change to something a bit tougher now that cold start up is milder. Right now, I'm leaning toward 5-HM 10W-30+ 1 0W-40.

 

[mightymousetech]

The lower the viscosity at 40C the better. Period.