Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: 3311
You seriously want to run a 20w in a BB Chevy which you use as a tow vehicle? If you want to go thin doesn't Shell have a 0w10 coming out? That will work even better than a 20w.
What does that have to do with anything? If he is getting the recommended PSI with a 20WT motor oil which I willing to bet my lunch on that his 30WT motor oil has sheared to in about 700 miles his into OCI he can use a 5W-20 with no problems.
Oil pressure has next to nothing to do with the oil film thickness in the bearings. In the vast majority of cases, a 30-weight oil will provide a thicker oil film than a 20-weight oil, and will protect your engine better under conditions of high load and temperature.
Not when it is a 5W-20 due to shearing.
I think the shearing argument is overused on BITOG. The fact of the matter is, to get an API certification, an oil must pass a test to demonstrate stay-in-grade shear stability. I think if you're running a good quality 5w30 syn or syn blend, shear is not a problem.