Synthetic Takes Longer to Warm Up in Winter?

[KevGuy]

Winter is in full swing where I live. There is snow on the ground everywhere and the past few weeks the temperature has been about -20 C (-4 F for you yanks). This is my first winter running synthetic oil. I have Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 instead of my usual QSGB 5W-20. I find that it takes longer for my engine to get up to temperature this winter. Is this due to the synthetic oil or is it just me you think?

 

[cos]

"or is it just me you think?"
It's you.

 

[steveh]

Maybe it needs a new Fram thermostat or cap!!!!

 

[CATERHAM]

Thicker oil will circulate slightly more slowly with the oil pump not in by-pass mode and significantly more slowly in by-pass. So in theory it will have less of a cooling effect on the engine parts.

In actuality oil doesn't make much of a difference as it's the cooling system that heats up the fastest.
I would make sure your thermostat is functioning properly, as that is what usually impedes the coolant geeting up to temperature quickly.

 

[hemitom]

between the two oils you would never be able to tell the difference there is some other factor in play here . If there is a difference in oils it would be so slight you would need some fancy equipment to pin point it.

 

[troyb43]

all of us south of the border are not yankees, many of us are rebels and proud of it

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: KevGuy
It's your mom.

My 15-year-old daughter says that! You have just given away your age, young man.

On a more adult note, your long-warmup-time has zero (-18C) to do with your use of synthetic.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: KevGuy
I find that it takes longer for my engine to get up to temperature this winter. Is this due to the synthetic oil or is it just me you think?


It's something else going on. Check your T-stat and radiator condition.



Originally Posted By: troyb43
all of us south of the border are not yankees, many of us are rebels and proud of it


Sorry man, you guys lost that one. You're a Yank too.

 

[kender]

Originally Posted By: troyb43
all of us south of the border are not yankees, many of us are rebels and proud of it


proud of what???


The rebels lost and they deserved to!!!

BTW, I was born in North Carolina...not that it matters.

 

[Hollow]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock

Originally Posted By: troyb43
all of us south of the border are not yankees, many of us are rebels and proud of it


Sorry man, you guys lost that one. You're a Yank too.

Speak for yourself, yankee.

Says the displaced Southerner.

 

[cp3]

This is my morning drive today, 55 minutes total. If this is any indication, it isn't the oil.

 

[Lead Shoes]

How long before another one of Kev Guy's troll question threads gets locked?

I'm going to give it till page 4.

 

[RiceCake]

Wow, this graph kicks [censored], need to make logs like this myself someday.

 

[xtell]

I started a thread in 2010 about this same issue and I also came to the same conclusion that you have. Running conventional motor oil 5w30 led to my engine temperature getting warmer -faster versus when I ran synthetic 5w30(Mobil-1, QSUD, PP)during the winter. At the time I was just going off the coolant temperature gauge, not very scientific, maybe not too accurate, but the difference was notable between Conventional vs. Synthetic.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: cp3
This is my morning drive today, 55 minutes total. If this is any indication, it isn't the oil.

This graph is so neat. How did you make this graph ? What tool(s) and software(s) did you use ?

 

[cp3]

I'm using an Android with TorquePro and an ELM327 Bluetooth Scanner. Torque lets you log and then export a CSV file. Graph is just done in Excel.

Fun stuff

 

[martinq]

Originally Posted By: cp3
This is my morning drive today, 55 minutes total.

So it looks like 25-30mins for the engine oil to max/stabilize. Correct?

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
martinq - Correct, however with these caveats - engine family, application, ambient temps and etc

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: cp3
I'm using an Android with TorquePro and an ELM327 Bluetooth Scanner. Torque lets you log and then export a CSV file. Graph is just done in Excel.

Fun stuff

Thanks.

 

[Gokhan]

Thicker oil, because of hydrodynamic reasons, will increase your bearing temperatures and probably also the ring/lining temperatures, after the engine warms up, which is actually a bad thing and one of the disadvantages of using thicker oil.

As far as the warm-up time considered, as others said, oil viscosity should have negligible effect on it.