JHZR2
Staff member
Ive been a user of 5w-40 HDEO since around 2003. Before Delvac 1 was reasonably available in the US, I took advantage of occasional trips to Canada, where they sold it in Walmart routinely.
Fast forward, much has changed except for the types of diesels I run. Older school designs, Mercedes OM616/617, OM603, and Cummins 5.9L.
Back when I ran my Mercedes diesels all over in all conditions. So having a quality 5w-40 in the winter when I could encounter subzero cranking in locations far from home with no block heater was appealing, especially since the original Delvac 1 was considered quite a superior product.
Fast forward a bit, less use of the old diesels for routine transport, more for the enjoyment of driving these old, well made cars. So in other words, they may sit long times, and they will likely only get used when conditions look good and I’m of the mind to run them. To date, I’ve still used 5w-40 in the Mercedes cars, because they sit, and though I don’t need the cold flow advantage, I do want the fast flow after extended sit times.
In my Cummins trucks, they’ve both had 15w-40 since I’ve owned them. I have run Kirkland 15w-40 in my 2wd, 442k mile truck because I figure it’s an old, high mileage truck, and Kirkland seems cheap and good. My nicer, lower mileage 4x4 truck has Rotella T4 15w-40 in it, and that’s what got me to thinking about it…. Maybe I should just run Rotella T4, or Kirkland 15w-40, or a 5w-40 hdeo for the fleet.
I’m frugal, but the reality is that some of these vehicles will see OCIs of two years or more. The cost delta though I need many gallons across all vehicles, isn’t going to make or break me. But is it really worthwhile, given how good run of the mill 15w-40 HDEOs have gotten, to run 5w-40 in any of these vehicles, since they are all effectively hobby/collector/personal hauling vehicles. I don’t rely on them for work or to earn my pay, they don’t see conditions that are challenging, and the oil will get changed on calendar time over mikes or running hours for the most part.
Just seems like it could be a waste to run 5w-40 in all these when 15w-40 is proven and the chances of very cold starts are nil. 15w-40 conventional seems like the better value, unless the startup flow at reasonable ambient temperatures and long sitting periods is much better, making cold start wear much lower.
What woukd you do? Thanks for reading!
Fast forward, much has changed except for the types of diesels I run. Older school designs, Mercedes OM616/617, OM603, and Cummins 5.9L.
Back when I ran my Mercedes diesels all over in all conditions. So having a quality 5w-40 in the winter when I could encounter subzero cranking in locations far from home with no block heater was appealing, especially since the original Delvac 1 was considered quite a superior product.
Fast forward a bit, less use of the old diesels for routine transport, more for the enjoyment of driving these old, well made cars. So in other words, they may sit long times, and they will likely only get used when conditions look good and I’m of the mind to run them. To date, I’ve still used 5w-40 in the Mercedes cars, because they sit, and though I don’t need the cold flow advantage, I do want the fast flow after extended sit times.
In my Cummins trucks, they’ve both had 15w-40 since I’ve owned them. I have run Kirkland 15w-40 in my 2wd, 442k mile truck because I figure it’s an old, high mileage truck, and Kirkland seems cheap and good. My nicer, lower mileage 4x4 truck has Rotella T4 15w-40 in it, and that’s what got me to thinking about it…. Maybe I should just run Rotella T4, or Kirkland 15w-40, or a 5w-40 hdeo for the fleet.
I’m frugal, but the reality is that some of these vehicles will see OCIs of two years or more. The cost delta though I need many gallons across all vehicles, isn’t going to make or break me. But is it really worthwhile, given how good run of the mill 15w-40 HDEOs have gotten, to run 5w-40 in any of these vehicles, since they are all effectively hobby/collector/personal hauling vehicles. I don’t rely on them for work or to earn my pay, they don’t see conditions that are challenging, and the oil will get changed on calendar time over mikes or running hours for the most part.
Just seems like it could be a waste to run 5w-40 in all these when 15w-40 is proven and the chances of very cold starts are nil. 15w-40 conventional seems like the better value, unless the startup flow at reasonable ambient temperatures and long sitting periods is much better, making cold start wear much lower.
What woukd you do? Thanks for reading!
