I was just wondering what the advantages and disadvantages were to 10w-30 over 5w-30. I was thinking about getting some of the Q 4x4 synthetic from advanced auto but they only have the 10w-30. My explorer with the 4.0 v6 calls for 5w-30. I beleive Ford has approved 5w-20 as well. I live in the south south so we do not see too cold of tempertures. Would my vehicle run any differently. I would also like to thank everybody for putting up with all of my stupid questions so far. Like I have heard many say in other post, this site is addictive.
question: 10w-30 vs 5w-30
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If you live where it hardly gets cold and never travel to such a place, then by all means, sap up that Q. 10w-30 is generally accepted to be safe to 0 degrees F; many European vehicle manuals list it safely to -4 F.
Starting your Explorer at 30 degrees with 10w-30 would be the same as another person starting at 20 degrees with 5w-30.
Starting your Explorer at 30 degrees with 10w-30 would be the same as another person starting at 20 degrees with 5w-30.
That's Quaker State 4x4 Synthetic Blend correct? If it is, I hope you're getting it for a great price. Don't they have the Pennz Plat on sale there?
Advanced Auto has the Q full synthetic 4x4 and Q full synthetic advanced on sale. Yes, they also have the PP on sale also. Is the PP better?
So in other words if the temp is above 20 degrees F at all times you should not use the 5w30? Which oil (5w30 or 10w30) will protect better at start up if temp is above 20 degrees F? Which oil is more expensive to make? Thanks.
Patman
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It is still my strong belief that 10w30 is obsolete now. 5w30 can do everything that 10w30 can do, with the added benefit of flowing better on cold mornings. Even if you live in a warm climate, the 5w30 will still be thinner on a 100F "cold start" than the 10w30 would be.
I agree with Patman whole heartedly. 10w30 is obsolete, and 5w30 will perform better even in warm climates.
It's more than just 10-30 vs 5-30 numbers on a chart. It's that the many of the 5-30's are made with better base stocks, so, the 5-30 could actually be a better oil all-around, not just at cold startup, when compared to some of the 10-30's.
Patman
Staff member
That's another great point! Since there aren't too many new cars out there that actually specify 10w30, the oil makers are not really as concerned with making their 10w30 with the "best stuff" compared to their 5w20 and 5w30.
PP is supposed to have a better package than its cousins
QS Syn and Shell Rotella syn. For my 2 cents the PP is so cheap I would blend my own with PP , QS or Shell sm dino or before I paid the same for QS blend. I only paid $1 for qt for my last PP and like you I had to buy the PP10-30 on as the only PP Kragen had stocked on the shelf.
QS Syn and Shell Rotella syn. For my 2 cents the PP is so cheap I would blend my own with PP , QS or Shell sm dino or before I paid the same for QS blend. I only paid $1 for qt for my last PP and like you I had to buy the PP10-30 on as the only PP Kragen had stocked on the shelf.
Are we going to have to worry about the 5w-30 becoming obsolete soon?
My understanding is that PP and Rotella Syn utilize the same Shell XHVI Group III base oil which is isomerized from slack wax, and is recognized as a very high quality base stock that can perform as well as it's Group IV/V competitors. As far as add packs are concerned, PP and RTS are designed and aimed at 2 different markets. PP primarily at the automotive in it's SM formulation and RTS with it's robust add pack and TBN of nearly 12 at the Diesel market. In saying that RTS does indeed crossover well in automtive use for certain applications, and maybe moreso in older flat tappet engines. It is a bit thick at 40 weight for todays fuel efficient engine designs and as mentioned elsewhere, maybe too thick for certain engine designs with smaller oil galleries.
I personally use RTS in our Dodge diesel and have contemplated using it(albeit without the VW approval) in my 2000 Passat 1.8T once my current OCI is reached with Amsoil Euro 5W40. I wouldn't consider it personally in an application that called for 5W20 or 5W30.
Best regards,
Randi
The only time I would see an advantage for a 10w30 Full Synthetic, would be if it was made without any VII. However, I believe you'll find very few who do this anymore, except for some boutique oils, like RedLine, etc.
10w-30 is far from being obsolete and you can safely use it in a vehicle recommending a 5w-30.......
Last night I picked up 6 quarts of the Q 4 x 4 full synthetic 5w-20. The Explorer holds 5 quarts. I actually thought about using 2 quarts of this and 3 quarts of Penzoil or Havoline 5w-30. What is everybody's opinion on mixing different weight oils and oils fom different companies like Shell and Havoline?
At best, you'll get lucky and come out with something that works better than either of the oils by themselves. At worst (and probably not much of a risk), you'll have additive clash and end up with something that performs less well than either oil by themselves. In actuality, you probably don't gain as much as you hope by mixing different brands/weights.
I would not mix.
I have fought 10 years to get people from SAE 40 to 15W-40, While getting Ford owners into 5W-30. Now I'm launching a battle to get people down to 10W-30 and 5W-30. I have seen that engine ruined with SAE 40 (first two changes at the dealer "authorized" shop. Then he came to me and we started with 5w-30. It got quiet, but was using a qt per 2000 miles, so at about 12,000 miles we moved up to 15W-40 and it is fine. Ambient temps from 30F to 100F.
I ran 10W-30 in my 97 Ranger with that engine for 2 years before importing 5W-30. Than ran 5W-30 till I sold it at 300,000 km+, never adding between changes. Ambient temp where I had it ranged between 40F and 120F.
I have fought 10 years to get people from SAE 40 to 15W-40, While getting Ford owners into 5W-30. Now I'm launching a battle to get people down to 10W-30 and 5W-30. I have seen that engine ruined with SAE 40 (first two changes at the dealer "authorized" shop. Then he came to me and we started with 5w-30. It got quiet, but was using a qt per 2000 miles, so at about 12,000 miles we moved up to 15W-40 and it is fine. Ambient temps from 30F to 100F.
I ran 10W-30 in my 97 Ranger with that engine for 2 years before importing 5W-30. Than ran 5W-30 till I sold it at 300,000 km+, never adding between changes. Ambient temp where I had it ranged between 40F and 120F.
I'm new to this site. I've been running Mobil 1 10W-30 in my supercharged GM 3800 Series II (Buick Park Avenue) for as long as I've had the car. It's a '97, and the owner's manual says use 10W-30, but the comment about the newer 5W-30's being made from higher quality base stocks intrigues me. Would there be any downside whatsoever in switching to a 5W30 full synthetic (either Mobil 1 or something else)? The engine has 145,000 miles on it, and I run it fairly hard; driving is a mix of short around-town trips, 60-70 mph medium-length trips, and the occasional 14-hour slog on the Interstate with the cruise set on 80.
I just switched my wife's Taurus from dino over to M1 5W-30, and I noticed that it smells much different (and less petroleum-like) than M1 10W-30.
I ran 5-30 Mobil1 in both our '99 Camry 4-cylinder (115K) and '98 Voyager (85K) with the 3.0 Mitsubishi V6 for a few years as that's what the owner's manual recommended. Last spring I decided to use 10-30 Mobil1 for the summer. Both my wife and I noticed that the cars were quieter, smoother and had more power. Guess the slightly thicker viscosity helped - still run 5-30 in the winter months in New York - although it hit 71 degrees here today.
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