Penzoil 5w30 twice the noack volatility of 10w30

[HypervisorX]

Well here goes my first post, hoping someone may be able to enlighten me a bit

Getting ready to do an oil change for my 02 Camaro z28. Used to use the 0w30 GC, but I don't have any more left. I was considering putting in either 5w30 or 10w30 Penzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum, and was wondering what others thoughts were on the use of one oil over the other. More specifically looking at the specs on Penzoil's website for the above mentioned oils, the NOACK volatility of the 5w30 oils are roughly twice as high as the 10w30 oils. Owners manual on car calls for 5w30 preferred, or 10w30 is acceptable in temperatures above 0 F/-18 C. Car is driven solely in socal, so we definitely don't ever get temps below 0 F. I actually just checked and the record low temp over the last 25 years was 30 F for the city I'm located in.

As 5w30 is the recommended oil according to the owners manual I was just going to put that in, but when comparing the specs on Penzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 and Penzoil Ultra Platinum 10w30 I noticed the NOACK volatility of the 5w30 is 11.5% vs only 5.7% in the 10w30, and the Platinum(non ultra) shows a very similar trend with 10.1% NOACK volatility in the 5w30 and only 4.7% in the 10w30.

Given that I never get temperatures below 0 F, would the 10w30 be better in my case due to the huge difference in NOACK volatility (or some other reason)? I'm a total noob as far as oil stuff goes, so I would really appreciate any input from someone more knowledgeable on this topic. Also if any one wants to chime in on which oil they would pick, please state the reason for choosing one over the other.

Thanks so much.

 

[Shannow]

Given SoCal, and that you have been playing GC already, pick a 10W30 synthetic and be happy.

Any one of the majors is fine.

The spacebears test compared Amsoil and M1 in the same grade (5W30) over some extended miles (lots of top-ups with lots of samples), and it all looked extremely good.

You don't need 5W, or 0W, so go the 10W.

 

[Supercalifragili]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Given SoCal, and that you have been playing GC already, pick a 10W30 synthetic and be happy.

Any one of the majors is fine.

The spacebears test compared Amsoil and M1 in the same grade (5W30) over some extended miles (lots of top-ups with lots of samples), and it all looked extremely good.

You don't need 5W, or 0W, so go the 10W.


Great post.. Thank you for it!

 

[flatlandtacoma]

Don't overthink it - I wouldn't be afraid of the NOACK volatility.

But if you were happy with the GC, the 10w30 synthetic is going to be closer to what you are used to.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: flatlandtacoma
Don't overthink it - I wouldn't be afraid of the NOACK volatility.

But if you were happy with the GC, the 10w30 synthetic is going to be closer to what you are used to.

Agree. The importance of NOACK is overstated at times. I would use either, and based on your location, you would have no issues with the 10W30.

 

[ryanm8]

Well, with the 10w30 you'll get a bit better shear stability and lower noack. However, for your application I don't think noack will help much. I would be more concerned with that in a turbo/DI application. And modern 5w30's are already pretty shear stable so you may not get much benefit there either.

With a 5w30 you will get a bit better fuel economy and not have to worry about lower temperatures if you take a road trip. So, I'd be more inclined to look at a 5w30 dexos oil if I were you.

 

[69GTX]

For SoCal the 10w is just fine. For my 1999 SS I am currently running M1 5w-30 but the next oil change will to M1 0w-40. I also have a stash of the Pennz Plat 5w-40 Euro and the Pennz Ultra 0w-40 SRT (the thinnest oil of the 40 group). You're fine with a strong 30 weight. But, there's absolutely no problem with the lighter 40 grade oils as many Camaro/Firebird/Vette owners use them over the 30 grade with no ill effects. The 10w-40 grades might get you too strong a 40 weight for the LS-1 (100 deg C vis. of 14 or higher). Though for occasional track racing I have no doubt some might be using up to a 15w-40 or 15w-50.

If I were in SoCal with my car I'd be using one of the 40 weights listed above. And best of all between manufacturer rebates ($2/qt) and Auto Zone specials ($2/gt) each year, you can buy most of them for no more than the price of a cheap conventional. The LS-1 can be quite happy with any quality 0/5w-30/40 grade oil. The only variations are how often you want to do oil changes and how hard you drive the car.

Don't hang your hat on oil manufacturer's TDS, especially with Noack. Instead look at the VOA's and UOA's to see how the oils actually test out. Pennzoil states a 13.7 vis at 100 deg C for the 0w-40 SRT oil. Yet on nearly every VOA or very fresh UOA they have tested out in the 11.2-12.4 range (30 grade). I'd rather have approval by MB, Volvo, BMW, Audi, Nissan, VW, Chrysler, GM, etc. on my oil bottle than knowing the mfg publishes a low Noack.

Pennzjoil's 0w-20 conventional tested ou...ost synthetics!

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: HypervisorX
Well here goes my first post, hoping someone may be able to enlighten me a bit

Getting ready to do an oil change for my 02 Camaro z28. Used to use the 0w30 GC, but I don't have any more left. I was considering putting in either 5w30 or 10w30 Penzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum, and was wondering what others thoughts were on the use of one oil over the other....


I consider the PP and QSUD synthetics in the 30 grade a bit weak for an LS-1 that is driven spirited at times. The M1 is a bit stronger. And as you know the GC 0w-30 is strong too. My preference for a SoCal car is either Castrol/M1 30 grades, or the Pennzoil 40 grades (Castol/M1 40 grades too). The 10w-30 grades aren't as popular these days as the 5w-30's. So manufacturers are putting more emphasis on what goes into their 5w-30's. You can find 5w-30's that are better all-around oils than the same company's 10w-30. If I choose Pennzoil it would be no less than SRT 0w-40 which thins down to around 11.4-12.0 vis 100c within 500-1,000 miles. To me, it comes down to whichever of these are on sale. And this year, I picked up 4 future oil changes at $2/qt.

 

[Lex94]

Don't underthink it - I would be afraid of the NOACK volatility.

http://www.pqiadata.org/Pennzoil10W30.html

 

[koffy]

Originally Posted By: Lex94
Don't underthink it - I would be afraid of the NOACK volatility.

http://www.pqiadata.org/Pennzoil10W30.html

I saw that pqia had to retest,,, pp is the same,,, somthing is going on there since i've never seen drastic changes when moving fom a grade to another within the same brand and level

 

[HypervisorX]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has provided their input on this already! I really appreciate it. Whatever oil I do end up going with, I will post a UOA on it up on the forums once it has been used up. Thanks again

 

[The_Nuke]

Given your particular motor, operating in your specific location, I would say running the PYB 10W-30 instead of the 5W-30 like the mfg recommends is not going to gain you anything, at least not anything noticeable. The lower NOACK of the 10W-30 is useful in some applications, but it doesn't sound like yours would know or care much about it to even make use of it.

Now if you had a 3.5L Dodge/Chrysler from early 2000's-2010 in that car, I would be saying the opposite. Those motors use oil at an alarming rate, and running a lower NOACK oil is about all I've seen that can mitigate it any. I don't know what their deal is, they're an enigma wrapped inside a mystery wrapped inside a crunchy tortilla.

Run whatever 5w-30 you can afford or find on sale, keep it topped off, and change it on a regular schedule (which prob isn't 3/3K BTW, more like 6/5K, but I digest...), and you won't have any problems from the oil. The quality nowadays is outstanding compared to what it was when I was younger, it's much easier to do good when deciding on an oil now than it is to pick a bad one.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Too bad you aren't coming to Las Vegas for the New Year celebration. I've got a garage shelf of GC remaining for my 02 Z28 that I don't hardly drive anymore.

In my LS1, I've run M1 5W-30 and GC with good results. My uncalibrated and unscientific ear seems to hear more valve train noise with the M1, but there is no evidence the oil doesn't work very well with the engine.

Patman and others on this site, back in the day, did a lot of sampling with the original formula PP 5W-30 in LS1s, and had great results. At $22.64 for 5 quarts of the new formula stuff at Walmart it's what all my other vehicles get, and if I ever run out of GC (unlikely), it will go into the Z.

 

[HypervisorX]

Haha. I used to work in Vegas for a bit. The thing I miss the most is the pinball "museum". Its the only museum I know of that lets you play with all their displays, and boy do they have a ton of pinball machines there. It's almost worth the drive just for an excuse to come out to Vegas.

Is there some kind of meet/celebration related to the forums or cars, or are you just talking about the typical insanity and fireworks that goes on along the strip?

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

I was referring to the annual insanity that happens on the Strip. It's too cold for car events (that I'm aware of).

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I consider the PP and QSUD synthetics in the 30 grade a bit weak for an LS-1 that is driven spirited at times.


Yes, I am finding this out the hard way on my current fill/OCI.

I don't know if it is the low SAPS, the GTL base stock, lower grade VIIs (to get it's 0W rating and 204 VI??) or something else, but this oil does NOT 'like' even brief excursions into the upper RPM range.

It is supposedly a 3.5 or greater HTHSV Euro formula, but the oil pressure is acting like a thinned out 0W-20 right now, after a ~10 minute "Italian Tune-Up" on the highway @5000-5200 RPM.

Could it have sheared down that radically, and aerated that badly (the oil pressure gauge was bouncing down lower than it has EVER been since owning this car new at stop light idles after this highway run) just from this short high(er) rev use???

I am ready to dump this stuff and put in Red Line 0W-40, or 300V 0W-40, winter ambients (IF we ever actually get them) be D***ED!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I consider the PP and QSUD synthetics in the 30 grade a bit weak for an LS-1 that is driven spirited at times.


Yes, I am finding this out the hard way on my current fill/OCI.

I don't know if it is the low SAPS, the GTL base stock, lower grade VIIs (to get it's 0W rating and 204 VI??) or something else, but this oil does NOT 'like' even brief excursions into the upper RPM range.

It is supposedly a 3.5 or greater HTHSV Euro formula, but the oil pressure is acting like a thinned out 0W-20 right now, after a ~10 minute "Italian Tune-Up" on the highway @5000-5200 RPM.

Could it have sheared down that radically, and aerated that badly (the oil pressure gauge was bouncing down lower than it has EVER been since owning this car new at stop light idles after this highway run) just from this short high(er) rev use???

This leaves me to wonder,are thicker oils best for high rpm apps?

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I consider the PP and QSUD synthetics in the 30 grade a bit weak for an LS-1 that is driven spirited at times.


Yes, I am finding this out the hard way on my current fill/OCI.

I don't know if it is the low SAPS, the GTL base stock, lower grade VIIs (to get it's 0W rating and 204 VI??) or something else, but this oil does NOT 'like' even brief excursions into the upper RPM range.

It is supposedly a 3.5 or greater HTHSV Euro formula, but the oil pressure is acting like a thinned out 0W-20 right now, after a ~10 minute "Italian Tune-Up" on the highway @5000-5200 RPM.

Could it have sheared down that radically, and aerated that badly (the oil pressure gauge was bouncing down lower than it has EVER been since owning this car new at stop light idles after this highway run) just from this short high(er) rev use???

This leaves me to wonder,are thicker oils best for high rpm apps?


I am starting to think the answer is a definitive YES, at least for engines NOT built with stupid tight clearances.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: HypervisorX
Well here goes my first post, hoping someone may be able to enlighten me a bit

Getting ready to do an oil change for my 02 Camaro z28. Used to use the 0w30 GC, but I don't have any more left. I was considering putting in either 5w30 or 10w30 Penzoil Platinum or Ultra Platinum, and was wondering what others thoughts were on the use of one oil over the other. More specifically looking at the specs on Penzoil's website for the above mentioned oils, the NOACK volatility of the 5w30 oils are roughly twice as high as the 10w30 oils. Owners manual on car calls for 5w30 preferred, or 10w30 is acceptable in temperatures above 0 F/-18 C. Car is driven solely in socal, so we definitely don't ever get temps below 0 F. I actually just checked and the record low temp over the last 25 years was 30 F for the city I'm located in.

As 5w30 is the recommended oil according to the owners manual I was just going to put that in, but when comparing the specs on Penzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 and Penzoil Ultra Platinum 10w30 I noticed the NOACK volatility of the 5w30 is 11.5% vs only 5.7% in the 10w30, and the Platinum(non ultra) shows a very similar trend with 10.1% NOACK volatility in the 5w30 and only 4.7% in the 10w30.

Given that I never get temperatures below 0 F, would the 10w30 be better in my case due to the huge difference in NOACK volatility (or some other reason)? I'm a total noob as far as oil stuff goes, so I would really appreciate any input from someone more knowledgeable on this topic. Also if any one wants to chime in on which oil they would pick, please state the reason for choosing one over the other.

Thanks so much.


In SoCal, I'd go for the 10w30 PUP for the lower volatility, and the slightly higher (presumed) HTHS. But the 5w30 and 10w30 PUP's are both much thinner oils than the GC you have been using.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I consider the PP and QSUD synthetics in the 30 grade a bit weak for an LS-1 that is driven spirited at times.


Yes, I am finding this out the hard way on my current fill/OCI.

I don't know if it is the low SAPS, the GTL base stock, lower grade VIIs (to get it's 0W rating and 204 VI??) or something else, but this oil does NOT 'like' even brief excursions into the upper RPM range.

It is supposedly a 3.5 or greater HTHSV Euro formula, but the oil pressure is acting like a thinned out 0W-20 right now, after a ~10 minute "Italian Tune-Up" on the highway @5000-5200 RPM.

Could it have sheared down that radically, and aerated that badly (the oil pressure gauge was bouncing down lower than it has EVER been since owning this car new at stop light idles after this highway run) just from this short high(er) rev use???

I am ready to dump this stuff and put in Red Line 0W-40, or 300V 0W-40, winter ambients (IF we ever actually get them) be D***ED!


Try changing out the Fram Ultra filter to a Bosch Premium. I changed from a Fram Ultra to the Bosch Premium a couple of oil changes ago, and the oil pressure went up.