Lake Speed Jr video - Ignore Factory oil specifications!

[facility1]

I find lake speeds videos helpful and informative ,give him credit

 

[unkillsam]

I am still learning a lot and I find LSJ helpful. From my perspective, regarding General Motors, their Chief Engineer for the 2.7 Turbo Kevin Luchansky has stated publicly that the L3B engine was designed with 0w20 in mind but then they upped the spec to 5w30 for better wear protection and durability.

GM already has 0w40 spec for the performance V8 models with allowances to go to a 5w50. Now with GM virtually confirming it doesn't matter what grade oil you put in your car, I'm wondering if it would be worth the slight additional cost of "upgrading" the oil in my truck from a 5w30 to a 0w40/5w40.

My thinking is that the 5w30 is probably fine but then again I was also one of the ones that believed that you should always stick to manufacturers recommend grade or you will damage your engine.

 

[LordNilesStandish]

I am still learning a lot and I find LSJ helpful. From my perspective, regarding General Motors, their Chief Engineer for the 2.7 Turbo Kevin Luchansky has stated publicly that the L3B engine was designed with 0w20 in mind but then they upped the spec to 5w30 for better wear protection and durability.

GM already has 0w40 spec for the performance V8 models with allowances to go to a 5w50. Now with GM virtually confirming it doesn't matter what grade oil you put in your car, I'm wondering if it would be worth the slight additional cost of "upgrading" the oil in my truck from a 5w30 to a 0w40/5w40.

My thinking is that the 5w30 is probably fine but then again I was also one of the ones that believed that you should always stick to manufacturers recommend grade or you will damage your engine.

Try some, see how it likes it.

 

[siriusc1024]

Anybody concerned with what weight Xw-XX should be checking the PDS's for actual cSt. You'd be surprised how loosely the weight scale is used.

 

[Leo99]

Anybody concerned with what weight Xw-XX should be checking the PDS's for actual cSt. You'd be surprised how loosely the weight scale is used.

Maybe... for some or a lot of engines... it just doesn't matter

 

[Klutch9]

I think all his video is trying to say (regardless of clickbait title) is that thicker oil won’t hurt. Will it help? Maybe. Depends on engine and use case. We already knew this. Arm yourself with data about your engine and driving style, then make a decision.

For example, you’ll find reports of people who monitor oil temps, even in performance vehicles, that rarely ever get above 100 C/212 F during normal driving. Then there’s our Carnival, for example, which recommends 0w20. 12.3:1 compression engine. The factory service manual states that an oil sump temp between 226 F and 234 F is normal. There’s a member on here who has the same vehicle and confirmed that the oil does indeed reach that temp even with moderate driving. This vehicle also LOVES to upshift as soon as possible, and lugs occasionally. There are other vehicles that recommend 0w20 that never/rarely see these temps and have a much simpler engine. So is 0w20 enough?

At the end of the day it’s still a guess, but actual data will guide you in some direction that hopefully isn’t too far off.

 

[Plumb Bob]

LSJ gets "criticized" while PF is hated.

PF's a clown. His oil tests have no technical merit whatsoever.

 

[kschachn]

Anybody concerned with what weight Xw-XX should be checking the PDS's for actual cSt. You'd be surprised how loosely the weight scale is used.

Plus the fact that HT/HS is a better metric, backed up by an approval that requires a specific minimum. Oils aren’t “weights”.

Also remember the PDS is a listing of typical values that does not represent any specific production lot. And for some manufacturers or blenders it’s not even that, only a listing of license or approval requirements.

 

[dnewton3]

I'll quote myself from another thread about this same general topic ...

I watched a new YT video last night from "I Do Cars" regarding an L87 engine that precedes the recall range, but has the exact same issue. The engine had nearly cooked one of the crank/rod journals to a crispy black; clearly a lack of "lubrication" to some degree.
Note: cannot link the video here due to embedded profanity.

He called into question the range of the recall (maybe should be larger?), as well as why some other platforms don't seem to have the problems even though they are of the same displacement (Camaro and 'Vette) and timeframe. Further, many engines have used the same con-rod bearings for several iterations of engines with no problems, so it cannot be the bearings themselves. He alluded to the fact that it might be a manufacturing issue with the crank and not a design issue, but had no proof; only conjecture. If so, I don't see how a thicker oil is going to stop these failures, though it may delay them outside of warranty.

As time goes on, I think we'll see little parts of evidence start to amalgamate into the full story, but it will take time.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

The issue I have with many of LSJr's videos is that he does what most folks do ... paints with a really broad brush. The generalizations he makes can be very misleading to the uninformed.

As with most things in life, viscosity isn't a one-size fits all answer.

The following are direct quotes from this video:

"That doesn't mean that you should go out and put a thicker viscosity oil in your engine blindly. If the data says it's better for your engine, then do it. But don't do it without data. Right? That's the motto of this channel, science, not speculation."

"Just because you increase the viscosity of the oil doesn't mean you're getting better engine protection... Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't."

"I would encourage you if you want to change your viscosity, take a sample with the current viscosity, get a baseline, then change the viscosity, go up a viscosity grade, and then measure again and see did it help."

 

[SumGuy]

Is there anyone here with these GM engines that can check for the DTC P0016 code?

 

[buster]

I am still learning a lot and I find LSJ helpful. From my perspective, regarding General Motors, their Chief Engineer for the 2.7 Turbo Kevin Luchansky has stated publicly that the L3B engine was designed with 0w20 in mind but then they upped the spec to 5w30 for better wear protection and durability.

Interesting I didn't hear that.

 

[gfh77665]

PF's a clown. His oil tests have no technical merit whatsoever.

He does not promote them as "technical".

He stays in his lane. He even tell the viewer all he is presenting is a garage bench observation. I appreciate his candor, that some other YT notables lack.

 

[Leo99]

He does not promote them as "technical".

He stays in his lane. He even tell the viewer all he is presenting is a garage bench observation. I appreciate his candor, that some other YT notables lack.

PF shows you his methodology and shows you his data. The viewer is free to make their own conclusions.

 

[TiGeo]

PF's a clown. His oil tests have no technical merit whatsoever.

Hardly a clown. A lot of his testing is v. good.

 

[Pablo]

Hardly a clown. A lot of his testing is v. good.

I agree. I'm not going to say anymore what irritates me about each, beat to death.

PF does everyday stuff for the everyjoe-jane which is interesting
LSJ does stuff that is interesting as heck and fits this universe.

 

[cammyfive79]

Conclusion: my TSX recommends 0W-20 so if I immediately start using 10W-60 it will last three times as long and be three times moar betterz

I am looking forward to his upcoming videos on the results of PUP and VRP in his Boxster and wife's Sienna. Also, since he has collab'ed with HPL, I would LOVE to see some content with them about their own products and maybe his testing on them.

 

[nascarnation]

Manufacturing is difficult from engines to aerospace hardware things happen. Only thing you can do is learn and move forward. Toyota and GM are both claiming mfg issues leading to failure, now if that's a cover story I think that can be debated.

I know at GM there was a product plan in place to essentially go 100% battery electric (obviously political and customer preference has changed this).
So the handwriting was on the wall for engineering and manufacturing folks with powertrain experience in combustion engines and transmissions.
They lost a lot of expertise and experience to retirements and surplusing. Throw in Covid with work from home or don't work at all.
I think it's shown up in product issues on the engine and transmission side.

 

[Pablo]

I know at GM there was a product plan in place to essentially go 100% battery electric (obviously political and customer preference has changed this).
So the handwriting was on the wall for engineering and manufacturing folks with powertrain experience in combustion engines and transmissions.
They lost a lot of expertise and experience to retirements and surplusing. Throw in Covid with work from home or don't work at all.
I think it's shown up in product issues on the engine and transmission side.

Is this factually true? Loss of brain power?

 

[WiskyBadger]

Definitely dated, but my 2000 Silverado 4.8 Pushrod V8 was very happy on VWB 5W30 and 5k mile OCIs.

Zero oil consumption and smooth performance for 300k miles.

Always scrutinize your engine design and driving conditions.

I have a 02 4.8 in my 82 GMC and it likes anything 5w30. Doesn’t burn a drop of oil or leak anything. I have a Gen 4 4.8 to put in my other one.