Thirty IS thirty, right....??

Expedient · Sep 26, 2006

Firstly, thanks very much to BITOG forums for all the great info and insight...

I had been using (US) Syntec 5W-30 for winter-time, after deciding that the 5W would be better than the 10W for the 0-10 degree starts.... Please humor me for this question: I just wish to be sure that the 30/upper-end visco is just as thick with the 0W-30 (Euro) as with any 5W- or 10W-30 version...?

Thanks, again, for the informed insights here..!

XS650 · Sep 26, 2006

You need to find the specs for the exact oils you are considering. A 10W-30 could easily be thinner at 100C than another 0W-30.

Thatwouldbegreat · Sep 26, 2006

More or less. There are 'thin' xW-30 oils and there are 'thick' 0W-30 oils and in between. There are oils that shear down with use and get thinner and oils that thicken up over time.

Castrol 0W-30 is shear stable and doesn't change thin or thicken much over time.... it does start out as a 30 that is at the upper range and is close to a 40.

gtx510 · Sep 26, 2006

Castrol Syntec Product Data
GC is thicker than Syntec 5W30 or 10W30 when warm.

FD777 · Sep 26, 2006

Any xW-30 weight oil must fall in the range of 9.30-12.49 cST @ 100 deg celsius.

BITOG provides a table here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/visc.html

Rest assured that GC is a "thick" 30 weight oil! (~12.1 cST) It's thicker than most of the other xW-30s out there.

Nebraskan · Sep 27, 2006

EXCELLENT

I just got in the 7 quart of 0W-30 GC that my cousin in Ft Collins UPS'ed to me. It is ALL green!

Found it at a Auto Zone by calling around. Since I have relatives in short driving distance I figured.. what the hey.

Nice to know the GC gold and green are good summer time oils as well. I knew they must be good..

GERMAN Castrol

Expedient · Sep 27, 2006

Thanks, gents...

So, for winter weather that may well include several days at 10-degrees or so, would the GC 0W-30 be a good choice? I assume the '0' rating means better 'cold'/start-up flow, vs. a 5W or 10W...? Being a thicker '30' I assume the )w-30 would be fine at temps in the twenties, but may not be quite as ideal down into the single digits?

Just, as is everyone, looking best overall protection across the range of espected conditions...but I don't want to create a circumstance that would be really problematic under any anticipated conditions...

JHZR2 · Sep 27, 2006

The reality is that UOA is the only decent determinant for whether the oil you choose is optimal for your engine, ambient conditions, your driving profile, your driving style, etc.

JMH

benjamming · Sep 27, 2006

Expedient,

The general idea is that 0W oils flow better at colder temperatures. The xx30 is the viscosity rating at 'engine operating' temperature & your choice doesn't normally depend upon the outside ambient temperature assuming the cooling system is adequate. You can't really get much better than Castrol Syntec (GC) 0W30 for your weather IMHO.

Nebraskan · Sep 28, 2006

Nearly all synthetics beat the pour point of conventional oils by a long site for flow ability at low temps, including -20 and so on. I used Amsoil back in Nebraska when winter temps were at -30 to -40 F for some mornings. Regular oil has wax in it and causes problems with congealling. Synthetic is generally wax-free.

As far as GC 0w-30 I would choose it if I lived in Alaska with their nasty temps. I can't speak for GC but I do know that Amsoil 5W-30 (regular FULL) has a pour point of -58 deg F. That should rest your mind about synthetics in the winter.

Master ACiD · Sep 28, 2006

will engines even start at 58 below? i figured batteries would be frozen solid!

Nebraskan · Sep 29, 2006

Back in the late 1980's I was living in Lewellen Nebraska and working as a Sheriff. It was winter and we were told it was going to be VERY cold in the mid -40F or so. I set out 3 bottles of oil. Havoline 10W-30, Pennzoil 10W-30 and Amsoil 10W-30 on the back steps. I got up and it was -50 F on the thermometer. Up the road in Oshkosh it had the recorded low of -49.8 F., so we were not that far off. Cars did run. There were some breakers on transformes that had popped, and in our alley the crew was there with a truck trying to get up to the transformer to reset it. They were using a hydralulic lift. BOY was that slow!! There were plenty of cars and trucks driving around. NOT an abundance, but enough to say that cars started and were drivable.

....oh and the oil? Pennzoil and Havoline just sort of stayed in there when I opened the plastic bottle and put them upside down. Amsoil began pouring out. Hence I have rarely ever put regular oil in any engine if I could find a synthetic.

simple_gifts · Sep 29, 2006

Quote:

will engines even start at 58 below? i figured batteries would be frozen solid!

Battery blankets...

http://arcticcam.com/cam/

I check this once in a while to see what it is like where my brother lives. I have seen -59F. He indicated that one of the bigger problems for cars is wiring bundles in movable parts of the car (like for electric windows, locks, stereo speakers) They usually just break after a while.

Nebraskan · Sep 30, 2006

Yea... things like wire harneses (and others) are a little crisp at that temp.

You also don't want to stand there making little yellow designs in the snow either or you can get frostbite where you really don't want frostbite!!

Thirty IS thirty, right....??

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