Looking for Cold Weather Recommendations

[tojo7089]

Just bought a 2019 Ford F-150 3.5L Ecoboost with 96,000 miles. Getting ready to change oil for the first time. I don't drive very much especially in the winter up here in Montana. Very short trips in town daily. (I do however run it out on the highway about once a week to get it up to temp and hopefully burn off any condensation in the oil.)
Looking at the CCS testing I'm leaning towards PUP 5W-30. But I am wondering about maybe doing a 0W-30 as recommended in the manual for cold weather. Maybe the Mobil1 AFE. However, with the ecoboost engines I'm worried about fuel dilution and it getting too thin as the OCI goes on. I'm planning to do 4,000 mile OCI's. And after this change doing a UOA to check for fuel dilution.
What do you all recommend?

 

[dubber09]

edyvw mentioned WM sells Mobil1 ESP 0w-30 at good price, get one of those and don't look back.

 

[Rand]

Montana.. somewhere you might actually benefit from a 0wXX

The M1 ESP 0w30 is a very well regarded oil and $28 for 5qt at walmart.

 

[twX]

edyvw mentioned WM sells Mobil1 ESP 0w-30 at good price, get one of those and don't look back.

The concern I'd have with this oil is the ~1650 ppm calcium (unless it's been lowered in the last couple of years). If the 3.5 Ecoboost is known for LSPI related failures, even rarely, I'd use an API SP / dexos1 Gen3 oil.

API SP also includes the GDI timing chain wear test, which was specifically introduced to address the chain wear problems on Ecoboost engines.

Looking at the CCS testing I'm leaning towards PUP 5W-30.

I've used the PP/PUP 5W-30 for many years in a climate colder than anywhere in Montana. It's pretty close to a 0W oil in terms of CCS, at 4,000 cP vs the normal range of 3,100 to 6,600 cP. It has a very low MRV as well (10,200 cP), which would easily meet the requirement for a 0W.

PP/PUP are also very shear stable, and should end up being thicker than the AFE 0W-30 at operating temperature after some shear thinning. I would use the PUP 5W-30.

With all the short trips in cold weather, a block heater might be a good investment. It will help with fuel dilution, reduce cold start wear and improve fuel economy.

 

[Rand]

The concern I'd have with this oil is the ~1650 ppm calcium (unless it's been lowered in the last couple of years). If the 3.5 Ecoboost is known for LSPI related failures, even rarely, I'd use an API SP / dexos1 Gen3 oil.

API SP also includes the GDI timing chain wear test, which was specifically introduced to address the chain wear problems on Ecoboost engines.

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-personal-vehicles/our-products/products/mobil-1-esp-0w-30

PUP isnt a bad product can you find it in 0w30?

 

[facility1]

most any name brand synthetic 5w-30 or 0w-30 would work fine,compair the ccs test along with pour point as a guide PP is a fine oil,or QS ultra 5w-30 is reasonably priced at wall mart.have used Havoline pro-ds 5w-30 here in wis. and starts just fine at sub zero temps.

 

[dubber09]

The concern I'd have with this oil is the ~1650 ppm calcium (unless it's been lowered in the last couple of years). If the 3.5 Ecoboost is known for LSPI related failures, even rarely, I'd use an API SP / dexos1 Gen3 oil.

API SP also includes the GDI timing chain wear test, which was specifically introduced to address the chain wear problems on Ecoboost engines.


I've used the PP/PUP 5W-30 for many years in a climate colder than anywhere in Montana. It's pretty close to a 0W oil in terms of CCS, at 4,000 cP vs the normal range of 3,100 to 6,600 cP. It has a very low MRV as well (10,200 cP), which would easily meet the requirement for a 0W.

PP/PUP are also very shear stable, and should end up being thicker than the AFE 0W-30 at operating temperature after some shear thinning. I would use the PUP 5W-30.

With all the short trips in cold weather, a block heater might be a good investment. It will help with fuel dilution, reduce cold start wear and improve fuel economy.

Mobil1 ESP 0w-30 has both VW 504 and MB 229.52 approvals that are some of the toughest tests to pass that include LSPI and timing chain wear, the oil is better than API SP and D1G3.

 

[twX]

Mobil1 ESP 0w-30 has both VW 504 and MB 229.52 approvals that are some of the toughest tests to pass that include LSPI and timing chain wear, the oil is better than API SP and D1G3.

MB 229.52 has a test that involves measuring timing chain wear as part of a general engine wear test. It isn't specifically designed to cause the type of wear that affects some GDI engines (i.e. they don't intentionally contaminate the oil with large amounts of soot like in the Sequence X test that API uses). The MB test also has a wear limit that's 3 times higher than what's allowed in the Seq X test.

The MB LSPI test doesn't seem to be as stringent as the test used for API SP, or especially d1G3.

MB 229.52 is one of the best standards out there, and better than API SP / D1G3 in many aspects, but it isn't as good in terms of GDI timing chain wear or LSPI.

 

[Bighorn2500]

4K oil changes, any 5w30 will be fine.

Worried about fuel dilution/condensation, drive it more or move up to a 0w40 or 5w40 oil.

 

[dubber09]

MB 229.52 has a test that involves measuring timing chain wear as part of a general engine wear test. It isn't specifically designed to cause the type of wear that affects some GDI engines (i.e. they don't intentionally contaminate the oil with large amounts of soot like in the Sequence X test that API uses). The MB test also has a wear limit that's 3 times higher than what's allowed in the Seq X test.

The MB LSPI test doesn't seem to be as stringent as the test used for API SP, or especially d1G3.

MB 229.52 is one of the best standards out there, and better than API SP / D1G3 in many aspects, but it isn't as good in terms of GDI timing chain wear or LSPI.

Let's see if and what oil experts say, I'm not one of them

 

[bbhero]

Isn’t Mobil 1 ESP a dual oil that can be used in diesel engines as well as regular gasoline engines ?

And diesel engines put a whole, whole, whole lot of soot in their oil.. . Therefore it’s why Mobil 1 ESP is stated as meeting or exceeding API SP.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Your PUP 5w30 idea is a good one. Ride with that this coming winter. Mobil-1 EP Triple Action is my 2nd Choice.

 

[DFWoilguy]

I have several clients with that application or the 3.7NA/5.0 V8 and they ALL swear by Pennzoil platinum/Ultra platinum 5W-30 and motorcraft oil filter

 

[edyvw]

MB 229.52 has a test that involves measuring timing chain wear as part of a general engine wear test. It isn't specifically designed to cause the type of wear that affects some GDI engines (i.e. they don't intentionally contaminate the oil with large amounts of soot like in the Sequence X test that API uses). The MB test also has a wear limit that's 3 times higher than what's allowed in the Seq X test.

The MB LSPI test doesn't seem to be as stringent as the test used for API SP, or especially d1G3.

MB 229.52 is one of the best standards out there, and better than API SP / D1G3 in many aspects, but it isn't as good in terms of GDI timing chain wear or LSPI.

BMW LL04 has stringent timing chain test. Not sure whether new 0W30 has LL04 as BMW allowed 0WXX in LL01 and LL04 again since 2022.
As for LSPI. Calcium is band aid to bad engineering. But I would say, 1600ppm is safe amount.
Edit: i see it is not updated to LL04. But it states it meets SP testing requirements.
Personally, I would go Mobil1 0W40.

 

[edyvw]

Isn’t Mobil 1 ESP a dual oil that can be used in diesel engines as well as regular gasoline engines ?

And diesel engines put a whole, whole, whole lot of soot in their oil.. . Therefore it’s why Mobil 1 ESP is stated as meeting or exceeding API SP.

It is Low SAPS oil. But yes, it is used in both gas and diesel engines.

 

[ripcord]

Literally any 5w-30 on the shelf at Walmart will work fine. A good battery and block heater are going to be more important when it gets extra chilly.

 

[gfh77665]

edyvw mentioned WM sells Mobil1 ESP 0w-30 at good price, get one of those and don't look back.

This ^^^

 

[tcp71]

running this in my 2016 since new. I'm north of you.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Just bought a 2019 Ford F-150 3.5L Ecoboost with 96,000 miles. Getting ready to change oil for the first time. I don't drive very much especially in the winter up here in Montana. Very short trips in town daily. (I do however run it out on the highway about once a week to get it up to temp and hopefully burn off any condensation in the oil.)
Looking at the CCS testing I'm leaning towards PUP 5W-30. But I am wondering about maybe doing a 0W-30 as recommended in the manual for cold weather. Maybe the Mobil1 AFE. However, with the ecoboost engines I'm worried about fuel dilution and it getting too thin as the OCI goes on. I'm planning to do 4,000 mile OCI's. And after this change doing a UOA to check for fuel dilution.
What do you all recommend?

5W-30 should be just fine unless you are in Havre or Whitefish!

 

[tojo7089]

5W-30 should be just fine unless you are in Havre or Whitefish!

Haha. Used to be in Havre and Near Whitefish (Kalispell). Now I'm just north of Billings.