Mixing Mobil 1 TDT 5W-40 and EP 0W-20?

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njohnson

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Hey everyone,

A few years when AutoZone had the Mobil 1 TDT 5W-40 on sale for the same price as conventional, basically, I bought quite a few of the containers of TDT. What I am wondering is, can I mix the TDT and Mobil 1 EP 0W-20 together to roughly get a 30 weight to use it in some of our vehicles and equipment that call for a 30 weight oil? The equipment is outdoor power stuff powered by Honda engines, mower, log splitter, etc.. The vehicles are all older, so, nothing that requires the latest specs.

Has anyone here mixed the two?

I am wondering about any negative additive clashing?
 
It will mix, they all mix. The real question is will there be any negative additive clashing? Maybe, maybe not. That's really not the answer you were looking for, but I doubt anyone can give you any factual data one way or the other.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
It will mix, they all mix. The real question is will there be any negative additive clashing? Maybe, maybe not. That's really not the answer you were looking for, but I doubt anyone can give you any factual data one way or the other.

Which additives will clash?
 
Mobil to Mobil. It'll be fine. I mix in 2qts Penn Euro 0W40 with 4qts Penn 5W20 conventional to get a nice 9.83 cSt according to Widmans mixing conversion chart.
 
I would just run the 40wt straight in whatever OPE you have. The 5W will be fine at any temperature you will use OPE, even a snowblower. I use RT6 in everything, from lawnmowers to tiller to snowblower. Only thing that doesn't get RT6 is the electric weedeater!

Use the EP in your car, or sell it to someone who needs a 20wt. No sense in mixing it.
 
Its power equipment. It won't matter if you mix it or not. Its not like its a 2019 Corvette and we have to agonize over whether it matches GM's durability testing results. This is simple. Mix away.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by demarpaint
It will mix, they all mix. The real question is will there be any negative additive clashing? Maybe, maybe not. That's really not the answer you were looking for, but I doubt anyone can give you any factual data one way or the other.

Which additives will clash?

Maybe you can tell me. I wasn't able to answer the OP, only share my take from years of the same questions being asked and discussed here. People who know a lot more than I do say mixing is never the best way to go, to buy the grade of oil you need, and not try and make it. I agree. However with OPE I have mixed widow and orphan quarts for years with no problems. That doesn't mean it was good, or bad though, only that nothing blew up, so it must be good, right?
 
It'll be fine. The only "concern" may be the different base oil molecule size averaging instead of a more homogeneous base oil -> more volatility (higher noack) or more shearing (some molecule get sheared more than the others).

If you are not running excessively long OCI it is not a problem.
 
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Just put the 5w40 in your OPE and go to work. The equipment will not miss a beat and the oil will perform fine
 
Per Pennzoil when exactly the same was asked...
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/lower-viscosity-grades-round-3/

Quote
16. I'm interested in making a custom blend for my vehicles. Preferentially starting with Rotella T6 5W-40, as it's in the family, but wanting something a bit closer to 5W-30. Rotella as it's in the family, and a strong oil, but if needed, Platinum Euro 5W-40 could be considered as a starting point. I would like to blend it down to a 5W-30 using Platinum 5W-20, so that I will end up with a 5W-30 with a little more anti-wear additive than the typical 5W-30. Are there any problems doing this, and will the results be as I expect them to be?


A. The physical results may be very much as you expect i.e. viscosity is likely to be predictable following well known physical laws however the chemical effects are highly unpredictable. Wear performance is not dictated solely by the amount of wear protecting additives in an oil, the efficacy (effectiveness) of the additives must also be considered. Efficacy can be negatively impacted by changing the balance of a formulation package. The approach you suggest could conceivably result in poorer performance, I would recommend choosing a single tier of product, and Pennzoil Platinum has been designed to offer complete protection including unsurpassed wear performance.
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Shannow with the mic drop


thumbsup2.gif
agreed.
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
I would just run the 40wt straight in whatever OPE you have. The 5W will be fine at any temperature you will use OPE, even a snowblower. I use RT6 in everything, from lawnmowers to tiller to snowblower. Only thing that doesn't get RT6 is the electric weedeater!

Use the EP in your car, or sell it to someone who needs a 20wt. No sense in mixing it.



This. I agree completely, and also run RT6 in all my air-cooled equipment, regardless of age. No ill effects in 15+ years of doing so, and all equipment still running great. TDT is the same idea as RT6, just XOM's base stock and additives instead of SOPUS.
 
Personally I wouldn't hesitate to mix those oils for use in OPE, nor would I hesitate to use the M1 5w-40 straight up in that equipment. As for vehicles, lots of them call for 0w-20 these days, and have for almost a decade. Keep the 0w-20 for your vehicles and use the 5w-40 for your OPE.
 
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