New Hemi 5.7L, what oil would you use?

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Hello fellow BITOG-ers!

Picked up a RAM with the 5.7: Hemi a few weeks ago. Only has 450 miles on it right now but I started Googling around for recommended oils and fell onto the massive Synth Oil thread on ram forum, along with a thread here about "Hemi tick".

My engine is not ticking (at least not yet), and Id like to keep it that way. I plan on draining the factory fill around 1K miles because I didnt want to go through the winter on it (sometimes nasty up here in Connecticut)

Chrysler specs 5W-20 which Ive heard might be a little thin. I tend to agree, but starting a search for 5W-30 opens up an even larger can of confusion.

My daily drive isnt very long at all (3 miles each way, but I can go "the long way" and make it 6 miles each way) and 80-90% of the mileage on the truck would be city.

If it were YOUR Hemi, what oil would YOU use?

Thanks in advance.

-Chris
 
Whatever synthetic in the weights your owner's manual suggests. If it allows 0w20s I'd roll with a 0w20.
 
SAE 5W-30 oil should cause no problem in your engine, but since the engine is under under warranty, I would recommend using what is recommended. A friend of mine recently purchased a new Charger with the 5.7 and he changed the oil using Mobil 1 5W-20. The car has been driven from Durango, Colorado to Los Angeles twice during the summer with 5W-20 in it with no noises or oil consumption.
 
Originally Posted By: pantygnome
Hello fellow BITOG-ers!

Picked up a RAM with the 5.7: Hemi a few weeks ago. Only has 450 miles on it right now but I started Googling around for recommended oils and fell onto the massive Synth Oil thread on ram forum, along with a thread here about "Hemi tick".

My engine is not ticking (at least not yet), and Id like to keep it that way. I plan on draining the factory fill around 1K miles because I didnt want to go through the winter on it (sometimes nasty up here in Connecticut)

Chrysler specs 5W-20 which Ive heard might be a little thin. I tend to agree, but starting a search for 5W-30 opens up an even larger can of confusion.

My daily drive isnt very long at all (3 miles each way, but I can go "the long way" and make it 6 miles each way) and 80-90% of the mileage on the truck would be city.

If it were YOUR Hemi, what oil would YOU use?

Thanks in advance.

-Chris


Chrysler, the manufacturer of the vehicle specs 5W20 but you have "heard" it might be to thin. Whom are you hearing things from that knows more than Chrysler.

Use a quality 5W20 synthetic. Many on the shelves at Walmart.
 
I believe Chrysler has been using Pennzoil as factory fill for a while now, at least on some of the performance motors. I'd use Pennzoil Platinum 5w-20 while under warranty but I'm no expert.
 
Since the Hemi was originally specified for 5w30, that is what I would use. With your short trips/mostly city I agree with an inexpensive off the shelf oil since your intervals will be fairly short. Maybe even ST Synthetic which has shown good UOAs up to 5000 miles. Add a Fram Ultra to be changed every 10k.
 
Thanks guys.

Yes, the "heard" has been from other forums. Ive always thought of -20 as a means for a manufacturer to meet CAFE regulations, not really in the interest of making an engine go 200K miles. Chrysler specs 5W-20, but says 5W-30 can be used if 5W-20 is not available (define "not available" right?
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And yes, most if not all of the Pennzoils meet the Chrysler spec for the engine (and one of them is supposedly factory fill....not full synth, maybe the blend or just PYB). I can find PP in 5W-20 relatively easily, but PUP in 5W-20 seems to be some form of mummified unicorn.

The theory is that moly helps quiet/stop/prevent(?) the tick, so I was looking for any 5W-20 oil that had at least OK moly numbers. Oddly enough Castrol GTX Ultraclean seems to kinda fit the bill, but I was worried about cold weather performance and short-tripping a conventional oil. Pennzoil Gold is another possibility, but I havent seen very up to date analysis results on that yet.
 
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No where in the owners manual does it say 5-30 can be used in the hemi. I am using PUP 5-20. If I develop the hemi tick, I will switch to 5-30 redline oil as per oil thread you found. Keep in mind it does not carry the recommended certification.
 
My buddy has a 2016 with the 5.7 Hemi. He has been using PU 5W30 in his w/o issue. He ran 5W20 for about 10K miles and decided to go with 5W30 after doing his own research and speaking with a few techs he knows that advised him to make the change.
 
My 2014 Ram 5.7 Hemi has 32,500 on it and I've run QSUD since the first oil change at 6,000. I run it 8,000 and it never uses a drop.
 
The 5.7 hemi runs considerably smoother with a more viscous oil than the CAFE spec'd 5W-20. On my 2017 Ram I changed the FF to Amsoil SS 5W-30 with a dose of Lube Guard. Smooth and quiet. Now running Castrol (Euro) 0W-40 with Lube Guard; same. No issues at all with the MDS. In fact I turn the MDS off every time I start the truck (using the paddle shifters) and my highway mileage actually has improved by 1 to 2 mpg than with the MDS left operating. Doesn't make sense, but I'll take it.
Given your short trips, I'd try QSUD 5W-30. It a very good oil and has a decent amount of moly to boot, and I believe it carries the recommended Chrysler specification.
 
If I were worried about warranty/API Cert: QSUD 5W-20 (or -30, if it was allowed).

If I'm not concerned about warranty/API Cert: My first choice would be Redline 5W-30.
 
I would run a high viscosity 5w-20. Castrol Magnatec,PUP,redline. If you choose a 30 weight run a thin 30w like PP. .02
 
Originally Posted By: JasonC
My 2014 Ram 5.7 Hemi has 32,500 on it and I've run QSUD since the first oil change at 6,000. I run it 8,000 and it never uses a drop.


-20 or -30 grade?
 
Id run Pennzoil Ultra in a HEMI 5w20. Redline is also extremely good for the 5.7 but RL just went through an ownership change so I would do more research before hand.
 
Originally Posted By: EricBeau
I believe Chrysler has been using Pennzoil as factory fill for a while now, at least on some of the performance motors. I'd use Pennzoil Platinum 5w-20 while under warranty but I'm no expert.


+1 or use Pennzoil Ultra 5w-20.

I'm using PP in my Caravan and it's a great oil. Motor is very quiet and smooth once it's warmed up.
 
Originally Posted By: hemitruck
No where in the owners manual does it say 5-30 can be used in the hemi. I am using PUP 5-20. If I develop the hemi tick, I will switch to 5-30 redline oil as per oil thread you found. Keep in mind it does not carry the recommended certification.


This is from a 2016 manual, but you'll notice that for the 2500/3500 it indeed DOES state 5w-30 can be used in the 5.7L and in fact is recommended when the GCWR is 14K or higher:

 
Most likely won't matter if you use a 0w20, 5w20, 0w30, 5w30, 0w40, or 5w40. Unless you have warranty claims. I'd use recommended until out of warranty. Then who cares.
 
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I checked the 2017 manual and for the 1500 with 5.7L it no longer shows 5W-30 can be used.

Still shows it can be used for the 3.6L and the 2500/3500, presumably because they dont have MDS.

Anecdotal evidence says 5W-30 works perfectly fine even with MDS. I tend to agree, I know oil pressure/flow activates it, but there are other systems out there that work in a similar manner and have no problem (pre-electronic VTEC for example? and the VVTi in my G37).

As FZ1 mentioned, I think the answer would be a high-vis 5W-20 or a low-vis 5W-30. Id love to be able to easily obtain PUP 5W-20 but I cant. 5W-30 PUP or 5W-20 PP is around here.

I actually have 2 5 qt jugs of the old QSUD (gold bottle), that is probably perfect with the moly and ZDDP content, etc, but I only have 2 jugs and the old stuff is all gone around here. I thought I read on BITOG that the green bottle stuff isnt as good in regards to moly and ZDDP.
 
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