Should I be using a thicker oil?

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GTX HM 10w 30 or any 10w 40 would serve year round in your climate.
if it were me i would go with the 10/30 because its almost a 40 anyway. but the 10/ 40 is rated by the chart to colder than you will get in California.

my neighbor lady has a kia with the same chart and i do all the up keep to her car. it gets GTX HM 5/30 year round and she has never had an issue. and it gets hot here! 103-106 the past 60 days and counting. i think the chart is dated beyond the limits of todays oil
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Any name brand synthetic 5w30 would be fine year round.


agreed! im sure any SN syn would have far better film strength at high temps than an SL dino
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Those charts won't die.
They are dated , even though they are in new manuals.

A X-30 should be just fine.


Crikey, I just fell off my chair, agreeing with mechtech2.

Those charts are still issued in my 2003 Nissan turbodiesel, even though the car was shipped with 10W-30, and Nissan have a 10W-30 reccomendation in another part of the service manual, with an acceptance of 15W-40 of the 10W-30 is unavailable...I've been 5W-40, but am thinking of a xw-30 in my soon future (diesel is $1.50/litre at the moment, so stretching it 5-6% further is advantageous)

Look at the viscosity chart, and summer should be 20W-50, despite the service recommendations.
 
Based on the chart, any good 10W-40 or 10W-50 is good for the entire year in your area. Temperatures in your area will vary from the single digits to about 115 defrees F.
 
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I have an '03 KIA Sedona (3.5L), with a similar chart.
I've run everything from 0W-20 to 15W-40.

It's not a quiet engine, and likes a 40 weight oil from the "sound", however, oil analysis showed me that it likes 5W30. 5W20 was just too noisy, and I didn't check the analysis on that one as I recall. It's not a picky engine, but I'd run 5W30 and be done with it. At least the 3.5L likes a quality oil, preferably synthetic - the valve train beats up the oil pretty bad and, even though I've used almost exclusively conventional for the last 80,000 miles, when I'm done with my current inventory I will use exclusively synthetic going forward. It does make a difference in this engine.
 
For the 2.0 Beta, any 30 or 40 grade will due. Mine may be a touch "quieter" on a 40 grade, but not by much, if at all.

I would be pretty conservative on oil changes, because that engine has made "sludger" lists. Also from my previous experience, it can be problematic. My (our) car (previously owned by my MIL/FIL) was serviced quite regularly and still showed lots of varnish and the beginnings of sludge when I changed the valve cover gasket.
 
20W-20 seemed to be the best all around oil for my car.

In a 1965 Chevrolet Biscayne.

Per the owner's manual.

And I couldn't even get it then in 1995. I used Chevron Supreme 10w40. or 10w30, whichever was in stock for 77 to 84 cents a quart at the time at the Target I worked at, only because it was a) the second cheapest oil they had and b) I liked the blue bottles. I was 16-17 at the time. I'm just lucky they let me buy it. Nowadays you have to be 18 to buy motor oil and the register won't let the cashier check you out without an ID.

The 10W30 will be fine as long as she's not towing anything or running all out 80mph+ in that 110-115 degree weather. If she's Steve McQueen's long lost daughter, put 10W40 in there.

edit: I also remember being able to easily find 5w40 in Chevron Supreme back in the day. Not sure why you can't find that easily in any brand now. That's good oil.
 
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Originally Posted By: beast3300
Originally Posted By: johnachak
What is FS?

Formula Shell


Do only drug stores (CVS,Walgreens) sell Formula Shell?
 
Originally Posted By: occupant
I was 16-17 at the time. I'm just lucky they let me buy it. Nowadays you have to be 18 to buy motor oil and the register won't let the cashier check you out without id


WHAT????? ID for motor oil???? Dang they practically give everyone born in TX a gun but you get grief for oil???
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Ran across the owners manual for my mom's Kia today. I've always used 5w30 and 10w30 in it. lately it's been Formula Shell.

Since it's summer time and temps are 100* and up to 115* it looks like Kia wants 10w40, 20w40,20w50 or Straight 30 or 40 in it and not 10w30.

Whats up with this?

0730011917.jpg



That viscosity chart just blows my mind. 5w30 is only recommended up to 0C?
Makes me wonder what's wrong with the engine design that they have to crutch it with thick oils.
Seems like 10w- or 15w-40 would be the oils to use. RT5 10w40 would be my choice for a good value in a semi-synthetic oil. I think of 10w40 conventionals as being too prone to shearing and sludging. Or any good 15w40 conventional. M1 HM 10w40 if you want to splurge.
 
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^I am amazed that 5w-30 is only good at temps below freezing according to this chart, but 10w-30 is okay up to 80-85 degrees F?
crazy2.gif


I'd probably be using thicker with the summer we're having, 10w-40 or whatever multi-grade that meets your service requirements in a 40 multi-grade. I wonder if M1 0w-40 would work or M1 HM as Al suggested? I think M1 HM is cheaper though.
 
Those charts are dated. My 1991 BMW K100 had a chart that was essentially similar.

These charts took into consideration the worst case shearing that was seen with early multi-viscosity oils. That's why 5W-30 is significantly different than 10W-30. If things went horribly wrong(and it often did), the base oil used to formulate the 10W-30 offered much more protection than the 5W-30.

Thankfully things are much better today in regard to multi-viscosity oils.

Ed
 
My manuals from the late 70's show 10w-30 as only good up to 90 deg. F. That's definitely a blast from the past.
They also show 5w-30 up to 40 deg F. Keep in mind these manuals are for Ford LTD's and Granada's , etc.
smile.gif
 
I stand corrected, I suppose oil temp and an accurate full temp oil pressure reading would be interesting to see though.

The 5w-30 of TODAY should hold up apparently. Still. ^
 
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