Mobil 1 15w50 cold start temp

[UNC200]

Thanks to recommendations from this board, I recently changed over to Mobil 1 15w50 in a 505 CID hydraulic roller Pontiac engine. Have not driven the car yet.

What is a safe cold start temp for this oil? I have a magnetic pan heater, how cold would it have to be to bother with the oil pan heater?

 

[Snagglefoot]

The CCS (cold cranking simulator test) indicates -20 C which is about -4 F. Coincidently that’s when I start plugging in. You’ll hear of people starting theirs at lower temps but I think that would be un-kind.

 

[Chris142]

Mobil says -40.

 

[UNC200]

ok awesome. i want to start driving my 65 gto more and regardless of whether i use -4 or -40 my usage is not restricted at all!

 

[bbhero]

Yeah you live in DC.... So a 15w would work like 99.5 plus percent of the time.

Where I live in Williamsburg I have seen temps around or below 0°F a couple of times in the past 9 years. In the winter of 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 and in January 2017 it did that. That is atypical on average in my area. Usually it get that cold every 3-5 years on average. Sometimes it can be 8-10 years between 0°F low temps.

 

[UNC200]

shoot ... i live in spokane now!

 

[Snagglefoot]

Not to worry. The coldest temp ever in Spokane was -30 F .

 

[UNC200]

i might take her out on a 20 degree night. if it is minus thirty, homie ain’t walking from the house to the shop, much less taking the hot rod out!

 

[wpod]

ok awesome. i want to start driving my 65 gto more and regardless of whether i use -4 or -40 my usage is not restricted at all!

You park the GTO out on the street?

 

[UNC200]

You park the GTO out on the street?

no but my shop is a separate building, not well insulated, and the heater doesn’t do much.

 

[Kuato]

You could always just plug it in if it's below freezing.

Everything I have seen about 15 W is that it is good down to about zero Fahrenheit