Thinnest x-30 for long trip?

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I'm coming up on about 7k on my current OCI, and I'm leaving for northern Vermont on Wednesday.

I'm thinking about switching to the thinnest x-30 for economy reasons, there won't be any real stress doing 65mph interstate driving for 2500 miles. Does this sound like it has merit for saving a few bucks in gas?

I have that option or running my current GC fill to 10k. Truck only has a 3.5qt sump so I'm not sure this is a good idea. The oil that's in there is still rather clean (dark amber) looking though.
 
Wow, just 3.5 quarts? I thought my Sentra was bad with just 3.2!
...and for that reason I never go over 5K oil changes with it even though I run syn.
 
Try M1 0W40 it is thin and it get's thiner with use. It protects great. I have no idea if it will be used at a faster rate then anything else in a Saturn engine or not. Also the 0W portion only maters for about the first 3- minutes of driving after that ring sealing and additive package and base stocks will make more difference then the second digit will!
 
In fact Redline often produces better fuel ecconomy even with it's heavier products like 10W40 then many thinner products like M1 0W30 because of the huge amounts of molly and the great ring sealing!

When I went to Florida from Michigan I got insane fuel ecconomy so good I had to recalculate it three times to check my math. At that time I was running VP Racing 5W30 all easter oil with additional SM oil additive added to it. In fact it was the best milage I had ever gotten it was even better then when I ran M1R 0W30 which was some thin stuff!
 
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Originally Posted By: Petrou
what rpm does that truck run at and what is it a 4 banger.


It's a supercharged 3.3l six. At 70mph it'll run 2500-2600 rpm.

If I dump the current fill, I'm probably leaning toward dino since there's no severe service and I'm not looking for extended drain this next OCI.
 
Honestly, I don't think viscosity will make any measurable difference for a 2,500 mile trip. Think about the .5mpg claim for a 0w-20 over a 5w-30 and that's with many warmup cycles. You're going to experience just a couple warmup cycles with the rest being steady state fully hot driving. Maybe additives like moly like John mentioned would be more useful for mpg in this case.
 
Agree with Buick. Whatever oil you buy, it won't save you more than a buck or two in gas. You'd be far better off simply buying whatever's on sale.
 
Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Agree with Buick. Whatever oil you buy, it won't save you more than a buck or two in gas. You'd be far better off simply buying whatever's on sale.


p.s.

IMO, 'over' inflating your tires by a few PSI will have far more effect than buying thiner oil. Most vehicles handle fine running 4~5 PSI over the factory suggested pressure. The tires tend to wear more evenly, run cooler, and last longer.
 
I wouldn't try to run an OCI to 10k in a Frontier due to the small sump. I tried it with M1 5W-30, and after about 5k the oil pressure had dropped significantly(I have a gauge installed). The engine sounded like a bucket of bolts by then, too. I did get 6k out of M1 0W-40. I've gone back to 4k intervals. Gonna try some PP next time around.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Do you have the gut to try dino 5W20 ?


I've contemplated it for winter use, but it's an older engine design, so not sure how such a thin oil would fare. If I drove short trips, I'd probably try it but my commute is 50mi each way.

After making the rounds through the parts stores, I decided on 10w30 Havoline Deposit Shield. O'Reilly's had it on sale, 5qts for $10. I've read good things about it here, though I wish I could find Chevron Supreme in this area.
 
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Do you have the gut to try dino 5W20 ?


though I wish I could find Chevron Supreme in this area.



The only place I can find it around here is in Grocery stores. And its pricey in those places.
My wife has a 3.5 sump in her Hyundai, we go a max of 5k OCI as well.
 
Hi,
92saturns12 - Most parasitic gains in fuel economy related to lubricant viscosity relate to - cold start, short run/idle, stop - type driving

Other factors such as vehicle condition, tyre pressures, angle/velocity of the wind, road surface, speed and etc - and the Driver's right foot have a far greater influence that the lubricant's viscosity
 
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