So then why not just one oil???

[CanAmAndMore]

The more I read about oil on here, honestly the more questions I have.
Instead of so many types, weights, etc.
Why not just sell full synthetic 0W40 for all cars?
Synthetic seems superior to dino, or semi synthetic.
But especially the weight aka thickness of the oils.
Just having 0W40 should cover everything correct?
Easy cold weather starts, good protection when hot i assume?

Am I over simplifying this?
Or should I just buy 0w40 for everything, and simplify my life.

 

[ctechbob]

I think there's valid reasons for both.

I use 5W30 on everything I have currently because it is the minimum for the Ranger and I've come to the conclusion over the years that my Non-VCM Honda motors don't much care. I keep one weight and one 'type' of oil on hand and don't worry about it. (Although, yes I have HM in the Honda's currently as I'm burning through old stock)

But I'm sure there are people with engines that do care that would be better served from more careful choosing.

 

[doublebase]

I think there's valid reasons for both.

I use 5W30 on everything I have currently because it is the minimum for the Ranger and I've come to the conclusion over the years that my Non-VCM Honda motors don't much care. I keep one weight and one 'type' of oil on hand and don't worry about it. (Although, yes I have HM in the Honda's currently as I'm burning through old stock)

But I'm sure there are people with engines that do care that would be better served from more careful choosing.

I know people that do exactly what you’re doing...have a friend that bought a 55 gallon drum of Amsoil 5W30, and he just puts it in everything he has...Mercedes E350, Chevy Silverado, his entire fleet of plow trucks, some of his collectibles. Everything.

 

[OilUzer]

Don't some cars specify or recommend 0W-8 or 0W-16 now?
Besides, 0W's leak or burn or can have too much plastic (vm). lol or can be expensive and/or overkill.

I vote for M1 EP 10W-30 in every car. but don't own any fussy European or turbo cars.

I used 10W-40 dino when I lived in Idaho for many years and very cold winters ... It will pump, don't worry! Everybody used 10W-40 as far as I remember.
Sold one of my cars from that era with over 400+K miles (iirc 450K miles) with the original engine but used to do a max 3K oci. Sometimes 1500 miles oci because it was a small college town and we get bored and do a weekend oil change with friends.

It's all about OCI baby.

 

[AuthorEditor]

I could do it with Rotella T6 5w-40, which would work in the motorcycle too. Need the JASO rating for wet clutches. No matter what others say I like a 5w or 0w for winter starts. The motor spins over much easier.

 

[RooflessVW]

Why not indeed.

 

[buster]

Hypothetical...if I could only choose one oil this would be high up on my list. Sits right on the 30/40 grade line.

 

[javacontour]

One reason today is MDS and VVT systems that use oil as a hydraulic fluid to function.


Just because something works doesn't mean it's optimal.

Of course, I have TWO cars and both spec 0W20, so that odd quart of 10W30 for the lawn mower and power washer don't play a big role in things.

To the guy who bought a drum, how much oil does he use in a year? I'd be concerned about it aging if it cannot be consumed in a year.

I'm just as willing to overthink things as the next BITOG member, so I'm not throwing a stone here.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

The more I read about oil on here, honestly the more questions I have.
Instead of so many types, weights, etc.
Why not just sell full synthetic 0W40 for all cars?
Synthetic seems superior to dino, or semi synthetic.
But especially the weight aka thickness of the oils.
Just having 0W40 should cover everything correct?
Easy cold weather starts, good protection when hot i assume?

Am I over simplifying this?
Or should I just buy 0w40 for everything, and simplify my life.

Fuel efficiency and most cars won't benefit from the added protection a 40 weight can provide.

 

[wpod]

I run M 1 0W-40 in the 2006 4 cyl Toyota Tacoma, the 2010 Focus and the 2018 Ford F350 gas engine and used to run Quaker state 5W-40 in the 2015 Ford F150 with the 2.7 engine but now run M1 0W-40 since the formulation change.

 

[dnewton3]

So then why not just one oil???

Because there is a difference between "will work OK" and "optimized for specific goals".

Isn't this just another veiled thick v. thin topic, which has been hashed and thrashed to the end of the Earth and back already?
So should we delete all other lube threads and make your thread the single one only available to all people?

Why not just one filter for all engines?
Why not just one cartridge for all firearms?
Why not just one tire size for all vehicles?
Why not just one size of shirt for all grown males?
Why not just one size TV for all rooms?
Why not just one container for all foods at the market?
Etc ...

Are you serious or just yanking our collective chain?

 

[SC Maintenance]

How many people really need the 0w rating - do you all live in Siberia? The OEM’s have cursed us all by having one spec for every climate so we’re all stuck with too much VII or running an older formulation.

 

[PimTac]

Seems like this is the popular thread topic lately.

 

[wpod]

Because there is a difference between "will work OK" and "optimized for specific goals".

Isn't this just another veiled thick v. thin topic, which has been hashed and thrashed to the end of the Earth and back already?
So should we delete all other lube threads and make your thread the single one only available to all people?

Why not just one filter for all engines?
Why not just one cartridge for all firearms?
Why not just one tire size for all vehicles?
Why not just one size of shirt for all grown males?
Why not just one size TV for all rooms?
Why not just one container for all foods at the market?
Etc ...

Are you serious or just yanking our collective chain?

One or two different size oil and air filters would be the cats meow.

 

[kschachn]

Not all oil grades with a 0W winter rating are "stuck with too much VII", nor are all VII of the same quality. Neither are all engines prone to mechanical shear, in fact most are not. So having an oil with a 0W rating is not sub-optimal in climates that do not require the rating.

And yes this is another thin-vs-thick thread.

 

[Bailes1992]

I run Fuchs Titan GT1 Flex 3 in my daily. It's a 5w40 ACEA C3 lube that carried the following APPROVALS...

BMW LONGLIFE-04
MB-APPROVAL 226.5
MB-APPROVAL 229.31
MB-APPROVAL 229.51
MB-APPROVAL 229.52
PORSCHE C40
RENAULT RN0700/RN0710
VW 511 00

I was staring at it on the shelf the other day thinking... what couldn't I use it in? I really think you'd struggle to go wrong with putting this in anything.

 

[kschachn]

I run Fuchs Titan GT1 Flex 3 in my daily. It's a 5w40 ACEA C3 lube that carried the following APPROVALS...

I was staring at it on the shelf the other day thinking... what couldn't I use it in? I really think you'd struggle to go wrong with putting this in anything.

Agreed, I think a C3 oil is just about as universal as it gets.

 

[racer12306]

How many people really need the 0w rating - do you all live in Siberia? The OEM’s have cursed us all by having one spec for every climate so we’re all stuck with too much VII or running an older formulation.

A thread yesterday reminded me that I should change the oil on my snow blower (wasn't fired last year except for pre-season startup and was barely fired the year before, if there's 5 hours on the oil, I'd be surprised) so I looked up to remind myself what it's supposed to take.

The words state "5w30 is the preferred grade" but, they give you a chart of viscosity range. Looked at the chart and came to the conclusion that the same Amsoil Small Engine 10w30 that I put in my mower is perfectly appropriate for the temp range that I'll be dealing with, especially with a couple of points. 1. I always spin it over by hand a couple times before I try to fire with either the pull cord or the electric start. 2. If it's -10*F, I'm not going to be outside with a snow blower.

Meanwhile my Ram (and probably many other cars) just says 5w20. No climate ranges, just 5w20. Sure would be nice to have a chart like this small engine and automobiles used to have.

Not fully apples and oranges, maybe more like honeycrisp and red delicious.


We all know why...

CAFE. They can't have these vehicles out there with the owners manual stating that 5w40 is perfectly acceptable when they have to meet the CAFE rules.

You're probably right about the 0w oils, however, consider all these vehicles with the auto start/stop function. These engines are going through a startup cycle (warm start obviously) 100 times more often than those that don't, I'd want a 0w in these engines to get that oil moving as fast as physic's-ly possible.

/rambling

 

[DriveHard]

I run 0w-40 in everything I own not under warranty.

 

[kschachn]

You're probably right about the 0w oils, however, consider all these vehicles with the auto start/stop function. These engines are going through a startup cycle (warm start obviously) 100 times more often than those that don't, I'd want a 0w in these engines to get that oil moving as fast as physic's-ly possible.

Especially on a warm start there is no guarantee that an oil with a 0W winter rating will be thinner. Unless you are starting below about -30 or so the 0W rated oil is likely to be the same viscosity or could be higher.