Originally Posted By: iflynething
So try a 10W oil?
?
bit of strawman if you ask me. No one suggested running an oil thinner than the manufacturer's recommendations.
Originally Posted By: iflynething
How would this help if I am having good results?
You're having "good results" with respect to the oil being suitable for use over an extended drain, and your wear metals seem low; but that said, an engine oil UOA is pretty limited in terms of diagnosing the overall health of your engine. It's going to indicate if you're having major issues with some (not all) components, and it'll let you know if you have fuel or antifreeze in the oil. That's great, but don't overestimate its ability to diagnose the engine's overall health.
Originally Posted By: iflynething
Also, any way to check with the seals if this thick an oil is a problem?
~Michael~
Well, the most obvious would be weeping at of the engine oil seals or an increase in consumption over time. Of course, if it starts consuming past the valve stem seals, your short-term solution is often thicker oil (which is another reason to use as thin an oil as possible--so you have room to go thicker as needed). Another way would be to do what Jim has done, which is to measure actual oil temps and pressure, and compare it to the manufacturer's specs. I've played around with this as well, but only in comparing 0W20 and 5W20 oils. There's not much difference between those. I don't doubt that with a thicker oil, my oil pressure would be higher than spec for a longer period of time, and more often. And I really don't see any upsides to that.
It's great for people to say 'just listen to the data', and 'what you're doing is perfect', but my suggestion would be to realize the data are somewhat limited in scope, and look a little more at the entire engine system--and then make a determination. And I can certainly see how higher oil pressure is going to contribute to all engine oil seal wear.
The last think I'll say is that there's a seeming obsession with wear metals, as if this has something to do with engine life and performance. In my experience, it doesn't, except in cases of catastrophic failure, which is rare. The more likely problems are oil leaks, consumption, and loss of compression. For the most part, those are the real world issues people deal with on a regular basis, not hard part failure(yes, I know there are exceptions, but they're just that: exceptions).
