Oil for NY Winter

S

smh410

Joined
Aug 6, 2025
Messages
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Thinking of getting a project car to teach myself and my son how to do simple maintenance items.

Chances are it will be a Honda with a K engine (likely a K24z3) or a Toyota with a 2GR. Will be high mileage.

I've read 5W-30 is a good way to go, but also 0W-20 is great for NY winters. I'm not upstate where it gets bitter cold, but it can get pretty cold in in the boroughs.

would it make sense to run 5W-30 for 3/4 of the year and the 0W-20 for the cold months? Totally new to this, any recommendations and feedback are greatly appreciated.

thanks.
 
The winter rating (the number before the W) is what is important. Use any grade you want that has an appropriate winter rating, above -30 or so an oil with a 5W rating is appropriate, below that use one with a 0W rating. Or just use a 0W rated oil year-round. That's pretty much what I do.

Here are a few previous threads which may be of assistance:

H

Thread 'Upstate NY Winter (Ithaca area), Synth 10W-40?'

I may get a second vehicle.
thumbsup2.gif


Probe is in Ohio. For now, its not my vehicle. (For now, i have NO Vehicle.)

Now, having lived up here in NY State before, North of Binghamton, I was realizing that it will be colder up here than in the Mid-west. (Ever been Snowed in by Snow Drifts? Oh yeah, Serious Winter is Back!)

So, if i were to get a vehicle, i do wonder if Fully Synthetic 10W-40 M1 HM is about the "Thickest" i could go. Im sure Full Synthetic would be a Must, and HM Formula would keep Leaks out of whatever i had it in (I...
P

Thread '5w20 instead of 0w20 in downstate NY winter'

Both of my Ford Duratecs call for 5w20 and our Mazda Skyactiv 2.5 calls for 0w20.

I have used 5w20 synthetic in the Mazda in warmer weather and would like to use it this winter because it's older (SN) than
the 0w20 I have on hand (SP). I'm talking about 5w20s such as QSUD, PP, Castrol Edge etc...

My question is at what temperature Fahrenheit does 0w20 make a difference over 5w20 full synthetic as far a flow to a cold OHC engine?

We see a handful of single digit F* temps a year max. with 0*F being a very rare exception.
G

Thread 'Best oil for cold winters'

Just curious on people’s thoughts on best winter oil for very cold temperatures. For a vehicle being parked outside and not plugged in. Thanks

Which brand and weight?
J

Thread 'Best for winter: 5w20 or 5W40??'

Not going to matter 5W is 5W. It would not matter if iti was a 5W20 or a 5W50 they are going to behave like a 5W at test temp.'s! I run 0W40 and 5W40 dureing winter and summer and have no problems. FOr what it is worth I had Redline 5W40 in my engine one winter and it got down to something like -22°F or -25°F and the temp. when I got up to go to church was -18°F. My car turned over like it 70°F and fired right up. Their were only about 10 car's in the church parking lot that day. I would ignore any advice you get from someone saying that 5W40 is going to kill your engine but 5W20 is fine!
M

Thread 'Thicker oil, summer-thinner oil, winter'

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but driving around Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, etc., with 5W-30 and 10W-30 oils in the summertime makes me nervous. Maybe I am just old fashioned, but when you drive in Arizona and the temperature is 115 degrees you feel like you need 15W-40 in the engine. But the owner's manual says 0W-30, 5W-30. 10W-30, or else. With my current Saturn, you can't even use a straight 30 wt. I don't think much of Western Europe experiences Arizona temperatures, but they seem to be able to use thicker oil when the need arises.

Now don't get me wrong-5W-30 is...
C

Thread '0w vs 5w cold weather.'

At what temperature would the 0w have better flow vs the 5w, I am a Mobil oil guy and I loved the 0w 40 FS in my vortec series gm motors. but it's a little thicker than I'd like for my new 6.2 silverado possibly, and it's had a very high count of additives which may not be good for a DI and low speed pre ingtion. I've been monitoring the water temp and oil temp and gm is running these motors hotter than id perfer, water temps of 215 normal driving and 230 at times of hard acceleration. Pulling a trailer id imagine is even higher. That puts oil temps in the 230s. Factory fill is 0w 20. I...
  • Haha
F

Thread 'Winter Oil Suggestion'

My daughter drives a 94 Toyota 4x4 pickup. I will be finishing up an Auto-RX clean and rinse application for her truck in less than 200 miles. The truck had 104K miles on it. I am trying to prepare her truck for the winter which will has temperature between 35 to -20 degree F in upstate New York. She will be driving the truck mainly from her apartment to the swimming pool in college daily which only about a mile each way, plus she will be going goecery shopping once a week (about 5 miles round trip), In addition to all these short trips, she will be driving home may be once a month (about...
 
iCurious said:
30 grade oil can handle all the way down to -30 F. I've been using it year round in NJ.
Click to expand...
Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded in New Jersey

The coldest temperature ever documented in New Jersey was a bone-chilling −34°F (−36.7°C). This record was set on January 5, 1904, in River Vale, located in Bergen County2.

Here’s what made that day so exceptionally frigid:

  • ❄️ A deep fresh snow cover blanketed the area
  • 🌫️ The climate station was situated in a valley near the Hackensack River
  • 🧊 Proximity to a pond used for ice harvesting contributed to localized cooling
  • 🌬️ Sparse tree cover allowed cold air to settle more intensely
This temperature was recorded without factoring in wind chill—so the actual “feels like” temperature may have been even lower. It's still considered the official coldest air temperature in the Garden State's history.

In your lifetime have you ever seen -30F, in my area I have seen 0, back in the late 1970's around Christmas time in New York City I think it might have been -5F when I was up in that area.
 
By the fact that you said NY I am going to assume you mean NYC. NY is a BIG state and we get VERY different weather here in Buffalo NY vs what you get in diet NJ I mean NYC.

Also for every one saying 5W will work, yeah it will and I can do anything once. If its -17 degrees out and your battery is not brand spanking new but marginal starting with 0W weight oil maybe the difference to get it to crank over.

But wait this is BITOG we all have 400 dollars to drop on our car battery every other year.
 
Last edited:
kschachn said:
You've used a 10W-30 at -30?
Click to expand...
I had Mobil 1 10W30 in a 3rd gen 4Runner with the 5VZ-FE engine that spent a week in -30 to -40° F (yes, I know Celsius and Fahrenheit reach parity in that range) temperatures. Actual temperature, not windchill which is often stated to sound more sensational. It had an Optima battery (one of the good ones before Johnson Controls bought them). It cranked a little slow, but started right up every day. I sold it over 20 years later, still running like new.
 
Brian123 said:
In your lifetime have you ever seen -30F, in my area I have seen 0, back in the late 1970's around Christmas time in New York City I think it might have been -5F when I was up in that area.
Click to expand...
When I was in college, 2nd semester freshman year it was about that in Potsdam, NY. For 2 weeks the daytime high was -10F on outdoor thermometer, not windchill, real feel BS. My little Honda Civic had 10W-30 conventional instead of 10w-40. Dad said better for winter :unsure:. We didn't know better. It started but cranked at like 1 revolution /second. The battery was a "bit" larger than stock.... sized for moms 318 Chrysler!

Memories :oops: :cry:😁
 
0W20 is good in the arctic circle area. 5w30 is fine anywhere in continental US. i use 5W30 year round in Canada. but i have started to use 10W30 in Summer and i will start to use 0W30 in winter. my owner manual allows it.
 
Sequoiasoon said:
When I was in college, 2nd semester freshman year it was about that in Potsdam, NY. For 2 weeks the daytime high was -10F on outdoor thermometer, not windchill, real feel BS. My little Honda Civic had 10W-30 conventional instead of 10w-40. Dad said better for winter :unsure:. We didn't know better. It started but cranked at like 1 revolution /second. The battery was a "bit" larger than stock.... sized for moms 318 Chrysler!

Memories :oops: :cry:😁
Click to expand...
Potsdam N.Y. to where I live in Maryland is 399 Miles away, you are right, in that we did not know better, 10W-30 or 10W-40 to a certain extent is similar down to a certain temp with dino, synthetic may be different. I know a few members will disagree, and I know this is not realistic to a certain extent, for 2 weeks of the year when temps are below 0 that is the time when a 0 Weight oil would be nice. I have also heard when it gets really cold, now this is back in the day, people would take out their battery and keep it inside overnight.

The only place in Maryland that gets really cold like Potsdam N.Y. is either Frostburg, Maryland or Oakland, Maryland.

Here is where I saw the difference between 5W-30 and 10W-30 when it was cold, now this is on a push mower, we have a Gulley that I use the push mower on, and it would keep growing into December, the mower did not want to start at 30F, it was like trying to pull Orca or Jaws, so I had to leave the mower inside the laundry room OverNite. It started great the next day, so 1 year I changed the oil since I had some 5W-30 oil leftover, Mobil 1 5W-30 is awesome, and I did an experiment, and I put the mower in the garage and then started it up, pull start in 30-degree weather and all was ok.
 
Brian123 said:
Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded in New Jersey

The coldest temperature ever documented in New Jersey was a bone-chilling −34°F (−36.7°C). This record was set on January 5, 1904, in River Vale, located in Bergen County2.

Here’s what made that day so exceptionally frigid:

  • ❄️ A deep fresh snow cover blanketed the area
  • 🌫️ The climate station was situated in a valley near the Hackensack River
  • 🧊 Proximity to a pond used for ice harvesting contributed to localized cooling
  • 🌬️ Sparse tree cover allowed cold air to settle more intensely
This temperature was recorded without factoring in wind chill—so the actual “feels like” temperature may have been even lower. It's still considered the official coldest air temperature in the Garden State's history.

In your lifetime have you ever seen -30F, in my area I have seen 0, back in the late 1970's around Christmas time in New York City I think it might have been -5F when I was up in that area.
Click to expand...
I am merely stating 30 grade oil can handle temperature down to -30 F. So use with confidence.

But no.. I have not seen anything below 0 F.
 
iCurious said:
I am merely stating 30 grade oil can handle temperature down to -30 F. So use with confidence.

But no.. I have not seen anything below 0 F.
Click to expand...
What 30 grade?
0W or 5W or 10W
any 0W will no matter if it’s a 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 grade the W or winter rating dictates that.
 
iCurious said:
I am merely stating 30 grade oil can handle temperature down to -30 F. So use with confidence.

But no.. I have not seen anything below 0 F.
Click to expand...
Sure, but the fact that it’s a -30 grade isn’t important, it’s the winter rating. A -40 grade is good down to -30 as well, but one with a 0W rating. That’s what I used in my BMW when my daughter went to school in northern Wisconsin and she did start at that temperate a few times over the years. Actually at -30 you could have a -50 grade as long as it was a 5W-50. Operating viscosity isn’t important for cold weather like the winter rating.
 
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