Notice any diff in 10w30 and 5w30.

[phenomic]

I got 5 quarts of 10w30 amsoil from a friend. MY car, 97 z28, asks for 5w30. and i usually put 5w30 or 0w30 synthetic. Is the 10w30 fine for my car and will i notice any difference between the two weights. Ive been told that i can return them at autozone without a receipt.

 

[Raven18940]

Depends on how cold it gets where you are. In Michigan you might notice some hard starting in the dead of winter.

 

[phenomic]

This will be an oil change to last me through the winter. Will i be ok running it, considering it is a high quality synthetic?

 

[JHZR2]

how cold does it get on as cold day where you live? Actual temp, not wind chill...

If its above 3F, id say youre OK.

JMH

 

[Ugly3]

You "could" run 10w30 through the winter in MI, however, a 5w30 or a 0w30 would be better. If you can trade the 10w30 for a 5w30 do it. Maybe save the 10w30 for the summer run.

 

[TallPaul]

If you live in or very near Detroit, 10w30 will be fine in winter, but go 20 or so miles out and it gets a lot colder (heat island effect?). Also, if the vehicle is garaged it will not get as cold.

 

[goodvibes]

It's good oil but I'd just save it for spring/summer and use a 5w for winter in Mi.

 

[haley10]

I don't believe you can return Amsoil to an Autozone. They do not sell it. If you have the ATM product, it actually has better cold crank performance than the 10w implies. If generally above 0°F starting, it should be ok.

 

[TooSlick]

Compare the Cold Crank Simulator (CCS) viscosities:

ATM/10w-30 is approx 3000 Cp @ -25C/-13F

ASL/5w-30 is approx 5000 Cp @ -30C/-22F

The general rule of thumb for a PAO based lube is that it thickens by a factor of 1.7 for every 5C drop in temp. So, these two formulation are basically the same in terms of cold temp behavior.

The Borderline Pumping Temp (BPT) for both ATM and ASL is < -40F.


This is actually what Haley - a man of few words - meant...