Mobil 1 0W-40 in Durango?

[brianpavlovic]

I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to run Mobil 1 0W-40 in my sister's Dodge Durango? She only puts about 5-6K a year on this car and her drive time to and from work is less than three (3) miles. It literally takes her about two minutes to get to and from work. Would he driving conditions and habits warrant Mobil 1 0W-40 or should I put in Mobil 1 5W-40 T-SUV? Her car has 40,000 miles on it and my fear is that the engine never gets up to operating temp.
-Brian

 

[wavinwayne]

Honestly, either one of those oils will work just fine. Pick your favorite.

Personally, I'd run Mobil 1 5w30 year round in the Durango, but that's just crazy 'ol wavinwayne talking.

 

[Ugly3]

Synthetic oils exell at both temperature extremes and long OCIs. Not the case here. How about a good conventional oil changed twice a year (late fall and early summer)? Maybe some Pennzoil 5w30 or maybe some Wal*Mart SuperTech 5w30.

 

[JHZR2]

Id run Mobil 1 5w30... Its a great oil for short trip, severe service use.

Make sure she gets it out on the highway for a good 50+ miles every few weekends...

JMH

 

[haley10]

I agree. Pick a high quality 5w30 conventional for this extreme and don't extend oci's. Not a lot of benefit to synthetic here to justify the expense.

 

[Volvohead]

Where we live, my pick would be Mobil 1 10w30 year round. It's a better winter grade than folks give it credit for.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I'll draw my 5w30 line right in the middle & suggest a synthetic blend. Schaeffers 7000, Mobil 7500, Quaker State T & SUV, Castrol or Motorcraft Syn-Blend.... take your pick.

 

[Blake Sobiloff]

The kind of service you describe is very hard on the oil; it certainly does not get up to temperature, so it's having to deal with a lot of moisture and combustion byproducts that never burn off. I would not recommend extended intervals for this vehicle, which in turn makes synthetic oil a much more expensive choice.

I would use a conventional oil with a 3,000 mile OCI, and I'd consider adding some Lube Control or doing an Auto-RX cycle every couple of years to prevent/clean up sludge.

Also, because the engine oil is typically not reaching full operating temperature I would use no thicker than 30-weight oil. I might even try a 20-weight semi-synth, as it will help your sister's fuel economy.