RGT frankenbrew

[dan_erickson]

I suppose this would be a mild Frankenbrew and I never really mix oils. I don't see any harm mixing a few different quarts of RGT together to make an oil change.
2011 Ford Fusion 3.5L
5W30 x2
5W20
The remainder is 0W20
I would think this is an extremely safe brew being that it is all RGT oil, just different weights.

Thoughts?

 

[Revving2Redline]

As long as it specs 0w20 I am sure a slightly thicker cant hurt.

 

[kstanf150]

This thread will be DOA soon

 

[jqgz]

Ran a 50/50 frankenbrew in both cars last summer 5w30 and 0w20. Ran great.

 

[blupupher]

Just don't expect the oil to meet any winter or SAE weight.

It will probably be safe for temps needing a 5w-xx oil, and will most likely end up a very thick xw-20 or maybe a thin xw-30, but no harm will come from it.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Dan, why bother? Unless you're cleaning out lonely quarts, there's no reason to mix. Your engine specs a 20W oil, so there's no benefit either way to mixing... a little 30 weight isn't going to "improve" protection, and 50% of 0W isn't going to offer any winter benefits for cold starts. Multigrade oils just don't work like that. IMO, buy 2 5qt jugs and 1 qt all in a 20W and call it good for 2 OCIs.

Unless you're auto-xing the car on a regular basis, a Shell-branded GTL 20W will provide way more protection than Ford engineers saw the engine needing, so why tempt fate? Either go all in on a 30W if you think your driving requires it, or stick with what the manufacturer recommends. Nothing beneficial comes from blending winter ratings and oil grades... buy the oil grade that your engine needs and call it a day.

 

[dave1251]

Use the 30 grade in Summer and the 20 grade the rest of the year.

 

[sparky123]

IMO, no harm will be done as long as you don't go too far out of specs and use the same brand. In other words, don't do a mix of 0w-16/20/25 in an engine which specs VW 502 oil which will fall in a heavy 30 to 40 weight summer viscosity. I blend all the time. Most times I'll add a left over oil to complete an oil change which calls for a little more than a rounded number. In our new Nissan which specs a 0w-20 oil, I'll do a 1:1 mix of 0w-20/5w-30 oil. 4 qt. total using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. Engines runs much smoother than a straight 0w-20 oil. I can see no harm being done as long as you don't do extended oil change. Most times I'll do a 6 month OC as I short trip a lot. (Especially in my Golf.) In fact, the Nissan 2L MR20 DD engine around the world specs a 5w-30 or higher oil. So why is Nissan only calling for a 0w-20 oil? I think we know the answer to this question.

 

[CharBaby]

I've been on this site long enough and I should know but, what is RGT?

 

[dave1251]

Rotella Gas Truck.

 

[CharBaby]

Thanks Dave.

 

[demarpaint]

I see no harm coming from the mix, although it is something I would only do if I had some same brand widow and orphan quarts of oil I was trying to use up. They would only be used in my van.

 

[dave1251]

Baby anytime and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

 

[Railrust]

I've certainly "experimented" with various weights, not sure if it helped or hurt anything, so in my opinion it should be fine. I will say this though...I take my engines to the "distance"...300k if I can. That's lonely territory. My 1999 Honda Accord with the (I can't even remember what engine it was...2.4?Vtec?). That engine was starting to consume quite a bit of oil before I sold it at 289,000 miles. Steady diet of 5w30 Super Tech conventional, 3,000 mile intervals. With a lot of "special brews" in between...different weights, different brands, sometimes all at once, but always 3k mile intervals. The thing was consuming a quart every 500 miles it's last year with me.

My other strange brew car was a 2007 Lexus LS460. Only a synthetic diet, 5w20 Mobil1, then TGMO, then Carquest synthetic, Napa Synthetic, Castrol Manetic. I started blending 5w20 with 5w30 because it started consuming oil at around 130,000 miles...by 178,000 miles it was consuming a quart every 1,000. I for the most part only ran 5,000 mile intervals, but I did try 7,500 mile intervals for a year (because everyone on the forums were saying Toyota went to 10k intervals and the LS460 was included).

 

[JC1]

That Blend will be fine.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by dan_erickson
I suppose this would be a mild Frankenbrew and I never really mix oils. I don't see any harm mixing a few different quarts of RGT together to make an oil change.
2011 Ford Fusion 3.5L
5W30 x2
5W20
The remainder is 0W20
I would think this is an extremely safe brew being that it is all RGT oil, just different weights.

Thoughts?

All your mentioned oils and different viscosities are compatible. Blend away to your heart's content.
I am about to do an oil change on my Colorado, which holds six quarts. My winter brew will be four quarts Castrol 0W40 and two quarts of Mobil-1 AFE 0W20.
OCI won't exceed 6K / 1Y.

It's all good! Been blending for over 30 years and I'm first and last owner of my vehicles. Doing such does not reduce the lifetime of the engine. If it does hurt ot shorten engine life,

If I'm wrong, then why is my engine clean - doesn't blow smoke - doesn't soot - doesn't use more than a quart in 6K - still shows a clear dipstick after 1.5K, for 18 years? My almost 16 year-old Colorado is following the same course as my previous purchased-new vehicles. this one may go 20 years, before seeing a junkyard due to bad rust. It has seen a lifetime of blending oils - brands - viscosities

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by dan_erickson
I suppose this would be a mild Frankenbrew and I never really mix oils. I don't see any harm mixing a few different quarts of RGT together to make an oil change.
2011 Ford Fusion 3.5L
5W30 x2
5W20
The remainder is 0W20
I would think this is an extremely safe brew being that it is all RGT oil, just different weights.

Thoughts?

All your mentioned oils and different viscosities are compatible. Blend away to your heart's content.
I am about to do an oil change on my Colorado, which holds six quarts. My winter brew will be four quarts Castrol 0W40 and two quarts of Mobil-1 AFE 0W20.
OCI won't exceed 6K / 1Y.

It's all good! Been blending for over 30 years and I'm first and last owner of my vehicles. Doing such does not reduce the lifetime of the engine. If it does hurt ot shorten engine life,

If I'm wrong, then why is my engine clean - doesn't blow smoke - doesn't soot - doesn't use more than a quart in 6K - still shows a clear dipstick after 1.5K, for 18 years? My almost 16 year-old Colorado is following the same course as my previous purchased-new vehicles. this one may go 20 years, before seeing a junkyard due to bad rust. It has seen a lifetime of blending oils - brands - viscosities


It has seen a lifetime of you mixing oils. You aren't a tribologist, and you jacking together different quarts of God knows what isn't blending, no matter how many times you say it is. Absence of failure isn't proof of performance and pretending you are playing home chemist is at best harmless, at worst, you'll mislead somebody into mixing up something inappropriate that will cause engine damage.

 

[dan_erickson]

I went ahead and did it. If they were all different brands I would be more concerned.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by dan_erickson
I went ahead and did it. If they were all different brands I would be more concerned.


Yes, you'd be far more likely to create an interaction mixing different brands, typically mixing between a family of products, there is little different from the formulation side of things; base oils would be similar, VII type, as well as additive package.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by dave1251
Baby anytime and Merry Christmas to you and yours.


Indeed, Merry Christmas to you & yours as well.