Kia 1.6 - 5w20 a must?

[thunderous1335]

What kind of oil would you run to deal with fuel dilution? I don't know if the car has had that problem right now of course, but I see Hyundais and Kias all the time in Walmart TLE with that issue

 

[Accent Abuser]

This owners manual (2015 Kia Rio) recommends 5w20/5w30/10w30:
"Lower viscosity engine oils can provide better fuel economy and cold weather performance, however, higher viscosity engine oils are required for satisfactory lubrication in hot weather... When choosing an oil, consider the range of temperature your vehicle will be operated in before the next oil change. Proceed to select the recommended oil viscosity from the chart." And the chart lists 5w20/5w30/10w30.
I'd use Quaker State synthetic 5w30 in that engine. Many members over the years said that in Hyundai/Kia 1.6L/2.0L/2.4L engines an OEM oil filter and synthetic Quaker State 5w30 oil ends up being the ideal combo. Less engine noise, no penalty to fuel economy, and good UOAs.

P.S. Those owners who wish to keep their cars for "the long haul" go with OEM oil filter and Mobil1 0w40. For some reason most aftermarket oil filters give some start-up rackety valvetrain noises on Hyundai/Kia, but OEM oil filters keep it quieter.

The 1.6l Gamma can use anything all the way up to 20w50. 0w40/5w40/10w40 seems to be the perfect balance of fuel economy and wear protection. I would not use a 20 if you want the engine to run quietly and be trouble free 300k+. It will also greatly benefit from an intake induction cleaning regularly. Seafoam spray, CRC GDI IVD cleaner, or Gumout Regane DI port and intake valve cleaner all work well for this purpose. No MAF to worry about so I just spray it right into the intake hose.

 

[Accent Abuser]

What kind of oil would you run to deal with fuel dilution? I don't know if the car has had that problem right now of course, but I see Hyundais and Kias all the time in Walmart TLE with that issue

It will if temps go to freezing where you live. I drive 99.99% 200mi+ full operating temperature drives and my used oil always smells like an open Jerry can during the winter. The best thing you can do is change it every 3750 miles in the winter.

The best oil for dealing with fuel dilution would be redline 5w40, but that's expensive. Mobil 5w40 or the wonderful yet illusive Quaker State 5w40 (or any 5w40 really) will work fine as well.

 

[ChrisD46]

Good to know about the oil filter. As far as 0w40 - it will "be ok" as it is simply a more superior oil in every way. It can go to lower temps, yet still offer better protection in high heat or severe use operation. None of the spec'ed 5w20/5w30/10w30 oils would survive the Porsche A40 test, for example. Yet Mobil1 can. And it can go the distance for extended oil changes. And it offers more cleaning ability than most oils out there. Only downside I see is it may accelerate carbon build up due to LSPI issues in direct injection engines, by 5%-10%. But that carbon builds up regardless of which oil is used (including those meant for reducing LSPI issues), it's just a matter of time before intake runners and valves need to get a walnut blasting procedure. Having dual injection (direct+port) takes care of that though.

*Not to get off topic - but not a good situation to buy a DI engine that eventually will need to be walnut blasted .

 

[MalibuRam65]

*Not to get off topic - but not a good situation to buy a DI engine that eventually will need to be walnut blasted .

There’s DI motors with over a 150k never having that walnut service done it really depends on the car manufacturer I guess

 

[walterjay]

I use 5-30 and 5-40 in my Hyundai 1.6 Turbo.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

There’s DI motors with over a 150k never having that walnut service done it really depends on the car manufacturer I guess

There are dual-injection engines with over 150k never having that walnut service done. Because direct injection takes care of efficiency, and port injection kicks in at certain RPM ranges and takes care of carbon build-up on the valves. Engines that have ONLY direct injection and aren't regularly fed various intake cleaners for decarbonization (Seafoam, Gumout, etc.) rarely, if ever make it to 150k without misfires and other weird issues related to carbon build up preventing the intake valves from operating like they should. Most Direct Injection (not dual injection) engines end up showing first signs of issues in 60k-120k mile range, while dual injection engines can go as long as good old port injection without issues.

 

[Accent Abuser]

There are dual-injection engines with over 150k never having that walnut service done. Because direct injection takes care of efficiency, and port injection kicks in at certain RPM ranges and takes care of carbon build-up on the valves. Engines that have ONLY direct injection and aren't regularly fed various intake cleaners for decarbonization (Seafoam, Gumout, etc.) rarely, if ever make it to 150k without misfires and other weird issues related to carbon build up preventing the intake valves from operating like they should. Most Direct Injection (not dual injection) engines end up showing first signs of issues in 60k-120k mile range, while dual injection engines can go as long as good old port injection without issues.

No walnuts for me at 167,300. Didn't get any intake cleaner until 127,000 and while the performance and idle was improved after the cleaning the engine wasn't misfiring or anything odd before.

Walnut blasting doesn't really need done on most later model DI engines so long as it's maintained. Oil change frequency is a big one in this because the filthy, soot filled DI oil gets deposited on the valves and leaves behind hard carbon deposits. A bottle of PEA based fuel system cleaner every OCI, frequent (5k or less) oil changes, and an intake cleaning every 10-20k is all you need to do to prevent this problem.

 

[Drew]

Have 2 Hyundais. 0w-40/5w40 and no consumption issues.

 

[Urshurak776]

My Hyundai and my 2014 Rio both get either 5W-20 or 5W-30. Sometimes 10W-30 in summer if I get a stash super cheap (like the Havoline SYnthetic O'Reilly blowout 3 years ago.)

Also, Used just about every oil filter out there on both vehicles (except FRAM, no hate on FRAM, just find them expensive.) No issues with any filter making noises, and I have run the OEM filter as well.

 

[Krieg]

Nothing is absolute. Grey is everything! Command decision should be made by owner.

 

[haggler]

DI issue on intake valves is way over blown. This isn't an early 2000s VW TSI engine were talking about.

 

[Overfill]

The manual outright says you can use higher viscosities. I used the cheapest I could get to the spec (SN), and wanted something with HTHS > 3.5, so I've used Delvac 1300 15w-40. Plenty of headroom to account for fuel dilution, and no issues starting up, down to the lowest temp I had it start with that at 22F. I aimed for OCI at 100 hours, which should be conservative given HDEO's TBN starting at 10.

 

[ChrisD46]

The manual outright says you can use higher viscosities. I used the cheapest I could get to the spec (SN), and wanted something with HTHS > 3.5, so I've used Delvac 1300 15w-40. Plenty of headroom to account for fuel dilution, and no issues starting up, down to the lowest temp I had it start with that at 22F. I aimed for OCI at 100 hours, which should be conservative given HDEO's TBN starting at 10.

*A 15W40 is allowed in the Kia 1.6L ?

 

[Revving2Redline]

Most c

If the 5W20 and the 0W20 are formulated the same, then the narrow grade (5W20) should be more shear stable and have a lower Noack volatility.

In reality the 0W20 is probably formulated with better base stock, like PAO or GTL, meaning they would have similar Noack and shear stability.

They are both xW20 grades, and should behave the same when warm. Obviously the 0Wx oil is better for starting at extreme cold temperatures than the 5Wx (which is still good enough cold starting for most people).

For most people, not starting at -40 in temp., they would be interchangeable.

Most certainly like 5w20 Redline which was crazy stable

 

[Revving2Redline]

How do you feel about QS 5w30 vs M1 0w30?

QS in the summer and m1 0w30 as a winter oil.

 

[odie]

Used 5w-30 synthetic for '18 Accent . Shell R.G.T. SN+ , GF-5 . Did well for the winter ( October > April (or was it MAY ?) .

 

[Gene K]

Yep in North America they run xW20 in most things, while in Europe they run C3 oils in most things.

While in Australia we would run 10W40 A3/B4 or 15W40 A3/B3 in the exact same cars. It's almost as if it doesn't really matter.

For many applications and normal conditions it doesn't appear to make a huge difference. I've seen some really high mileage engines that ran 20 grade, 50 grade and everything in between. However 0W-8 in Death Valley or SAE 70 in Northern Alaska seem contraindicated.

 

[Accent Abuser]

For many applications and normal conditions it doesn't appear to make a huge difference. I've seen some really high mileage engines that ran 20 grade, 50 grade and everything in between. However 0W-8 in Death Valley or SAE 70 in Northern Alaska seem contraindicated.

Once you start getting to super high mileage it might matter. I've had lots of 150k+ Hyundai, Kia and even Toyota come in for an oil change where I work and many vehicles sound like they have rod knock until the oil system gets primed. New and low mileage vehicles don't do this, and my high mileage Hyundai that's been run on 40 or higher makes no noise on a dry start.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I think I heard Molecule mention that M1HM had more ester and flowed better in the winter.