Texas heat question...

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I'm new to the forum, so I apologize if I don't know all the lingo. I have a 2007 Ford F150 V8 4.6L. I have always had the oil changed with 5W20 at Wally World. I am now going to start changing my own oil and am wondering if 5W30 would be better since I live in the Texas heat. Also, is regular yellow bottle Penzoil the way to go?

I have 32,000 miles on it and drive about 60% highway and 40% city.

Thanks!
 
Oil analysis from other members indicate the 5w20 is fine in the summer heat. There was even a UOA from F150 owner in Yuma, AZ that ran the 5w20 while trailering in the 115 degree summer heat and his oil was fine. $0.02.
 
Agree with above. I have run both 5w-20 and 5w-30 here in Phoenix without issue and great UOA's. We have many automotive proving grounds here in AZ and I would anticipate that any of the major auto companies that use and recommend 5w-20 have put it through the paces here in the hot arizona desert. Use it with confidence!
 
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First off...

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Im in the North Dallas area.
I would stick to the 5w20. Although I used to have my Taurus changed at quick lube places also, I am pretty sure they kept one type of oil in bulk (10w30).
Right now it runs 10w30 because I have found lots of it for really cheap, and all the other cars in the Family run well on it also.
I am giving serious thought to switching back to a full synthetic 5w20 after another Clean and Rinse cycle of Auto RX. Then I will only have to do oil changes about once a year.
 
Either 5W20 or 5W30 should work fine. As to whether YB is a good choice, it depends on how long of an OCI you want.
 
Fellow Texan here. I run 5-20 because Honda specs it, and my warrenty is in effect. For MY piece of mind, I will only use a synthetic 5-20, as I imagine it will withstand the TX heat /thermal breakdown a bit better than dino...
 
Run the cheapest 5w20 that meets Ford Spec and don't worry about the heat.(I ran 5w20 in 4wd down padre island in the middle of summer, I have run it all over Texas and now run it in the mountains and desert. Relax and enjoy the vehicle, Ford has a simple solution, Motorcraft 5w20 and Motorvraft FL1A filter and nothing to worry about.
 
Texas heat? Are you guys serious?

It is a liquid cooled engine. It doesn't know if it is in Texas or Kansas.
 
Originally Posted By: milwaukee
Texas heat? Are you guys serious?

It is a liquid cooled engine. It doesn't know if it is in Texas or Kansas.


If you have ever been in stop and go traffic on a hot day, it is easy to see the water temp run higher, vs on a cool day.....

(agreed it doesn't matter if its "Texas Heat", but there are more hot days in TX than KS)
 
Originally Posted By: milwaukee
Texas heat? Are you guys serious?

It is a liquid cooled engine. It doesn't know if it is in Texas or Kansas.


Exactly???
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Texas heat,especially south Texas is unlike anywhere else. It gets steadily 108-110f here and when you mix that with our famous humidity,it`s unbelievably hot!
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe that mechanical devices care about the humidity. I don't believe that an 8 or 10 degree higher temperature will much affect oil, compared to 100 degrees we see here in Tennessee.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Texas heat,especially south Texas is unlike anywhere else. It gets steadily 108-110f here and when you mix that with our famous humidity,it`s unbelievably hot!


How is Texas heat worse than the heat in any other part of the nation - say Phoenix, Death Valley, Indio/Palm Springs?
Ever been to any of the above mentioned deserts in the summer time? Highs often hit 115 - 120, and if your lucky "cools" off to 100 at night.

I would concede that you guys have high humidity but does your car know that the humidity is high?

As someone mentioned previously, automakers test their vehicles in Death Valley and the Arizona desert ALL the time.

Short version - if your owner's manual calls for 5W-20 for all climates, it will work fine regardless of whether you are in New York, Washington, California, Texas or Florida.
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Water absorbs heat much slower than air. So it would seem to me that air that is partially saturated with water would be less able to absorb heat than dry air. There is definitly a difference between hot/humid and hot/dry. We dont get near the humidity here that south Texas does, but I have sat in traffic and seen my heat gauge start to climb on a humid 110 degree day. Maybe it happens in dry heat too.
 
Originally Posted By: jshaw
Water absorbs heat much slower than air. So it would seem to me that air that is partially saturated with water would be less able to absorb heat than dry air. There is definitly a difference between hot/humid and hot/dry. We dont get near the humidity here that south Texas does, but I have sat in traffic and seen my heat gauge start to climb on a humid 110 degree day. Maybe it happens in dry heat too.

I've driven my vehicles all over the U.S. and I've rarely ever seen my temp. gauge rise and even when it did it was a small amount about normal. Of course a lot could depend on the vehicle and the cooling system design.

But the original topic was if the oil would hold up to the heat.
 
Originally Posted By: jshaw
Water absorbs heat much slower than air. So it would seem to me that air that is partially saturated with water would be less able to absorb heat than dry air. There is definitly a difference between hot/humid and hot/dry...


Not that you will see on a car temperature gauge, all else being equal. Everything isn't equal though if you have AC.

An AC works harder and rejects more heat in humid conditions because it is condensing water out of the passenger compartment air. That heat gets dumped out right in front of your engines radiator in addition to the AC putting more load on the engine.

That said, it's still mostly just a case of everything being bigger in Texas.
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Run the 5-20 but run a synthetic to minimize the heat aspect. PP is $19 for 5 quarts at WM. I pull my little bass rig (700 lbs.)with my Accord with no problems. I change mine Fall and Spring and run about 4500 miles per oci.
 
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