Upstate NY Winter (Ithaca area), Synth 10W-40?

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: HangerHarley
Originally Posted By: lipadj46
The difference between say M1 10w40 HM and 5w40 TDT at the lows you will see in Ithaca is negligible. Still people will always say go with 5w40, it can be confusing. Any synthetic 10w40 should be fine but if you are worried M1 0w40 is a great winter oil.


lipad: Seeking clarification.. "5W-40 TDT?" What on earth is TDT?

And yeah, covering my bases IF i get a Vehicle for up here. SUV is tempting, or id just get a Honda/Acura. I cant call it!


http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/motoroil/oils/mobil_1_turbo_diesel_truck_5w-40.aspx

 

[Jim_Beverlin]

Seriously, snow tires are your new best friends. Get 4 good ones, like Winterforce or Blizzak snows. Then you'll be able to claw through stuff that leaves most SUV's with all-seasons digging 4 holes.

I have one better and that is an SUV with winter tires. Last 2 winters I have run Nokian Hakkapeliitta 1 Winter Tires on my Sport Trac and Jeep Liberty the last 2 winters. Would not drive in the winter without winter tires.

 

[fdcg27]

Back in the day, when it was used by everyone, we used 10W-40 in everything, and had no trouble with below zero starts.
Today, there are better choices for really cold conditions.

 

[pidster]

I can vouch for Rotella syn 5w40. Ran it for the first time last winter in my old Tercel, sounded no more laboured than dino 5w30 or 10w30 starting without the block heater a couple nights I forgot to plug it in. Temps were somewhere between -15 and -20 degrees C those nights.

I can't say how a 10w40 would behave, I havent tried a 10w40 yet, nor have I tried a 0w40.

This also was an engine calling for 10w30 by the manufacturer, I'd used many different brands of 5w30 and 10w30, both conventional and synthetic, GC 0w30 and the last fill it went to the junkyard with (not an engine failure, the engine was probably the best running part of that car) was the 5w40 and not a single one of the oils felt/sounded unsuitable for cold temp use. I could tell a small difference in cranking speed between synthetic 5w30 and conventional 10w30 but nothing major. The only thing that made a drastic change was the almighty block heater.

 

[rslifkin]

I'd agree with the 5W-40 Rotella in that kind of weather. I plan to continue running it in the Jeep when I'm up in Rochester this winter.

Still annoyed that I'm going to have to fire it up stone cold in below 0* weather, as I could add coolant, oil and tranny heaters, but they don't help in a college parking lot with nowhere to plug in. And those Espar fuel fired heaters are a little on the expensive side...

 

[cronk]

I live farther up north, Watertown NY.
It is not uncommon to see 15-20 below.
I ran Mobil 1 10w40 High mileage in my 93 chevy truck all winter, started fine. I have always ran 10w30 or 10w40 synthetics and never had an oil related starting issue. I think its more important to have a strong battery. I always buy the battery with the highest cold cranking amps that will fit the vehicle. You will be glad you spent the extra 15 or 20 bucks when your engine roars to life on the coldest day of the year.

 

[Striker]

I live in Canada, about half an hour from Buffalo NY and I don't need to go into great detail regarding the harsh winters here. What I wanted to ask is if it's a good idea to run German Castrol in my 3800 series II and than switch back to the OE recommended 10W30 once the weather becomes nicer?

 

[pidster]

Originally Posted By: Striker
I live in Canada, about half an hour from Buffalo NY and I don't need to go into great detail regarding the harsh winters here. What I wanted to ask is if it's a good idea to run German Castrol in my 3800 series II and than switch back to the OE recommended 10W30 once the weather becomes nicer?


If you aren't bothered paying the extra cost of the GC over dino 10w30 I'd run the GC year round. Still one of the best oils out there at high temps, no just low ones. Goes the distance for long OCIs. And it's always nice to simplify and run just one oil. GC 0w30 you just cant go wrong with, does everything a 10w30 can do and then some.

 

[Spyder7]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Honda with snow tires. It'll get you where you need to go, even up ice-covered hills. SUV's offer a false sense of security, especially in the snow.

Seriously, snow tires are your new best friends. Get 4 good ones, like Winterforce or Blizzak snows. Then you'll be able to claw through stuff that leaves most SUV's with all-seasons digging 4 holes.

Plus, the Honda will gladly run 5w-20 syn from anywhere.


+1 on the recommendation for good winter tires. We got hit with a mild blizzard in late April, after several weeks of mild weather that had taken away the last traces of snow. A lot of people swapped on their all seasons in the interim - then when that late snow fall came they drove just as if they still had their winters on. By the time it was cleared off there were a lot of newly damaged cars on the road that had been rear-ended or T-boned as a result.

-Spyder

 

[rslifkin]

Spyder - At least people use snow tires near you. Around here, 90% of people run all seasons or worse in the snow. A few (mostly those with RWD) put on snow tires, but most people think "FWD doesn't need snow tires", or that street slicks will be fine on an SUV.

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: cronk
I live farther up north, Watertown NY.
It is not uncommon to see 15-20 below.
I ran Mobil 1 10w40 High mileage in my 93 chevy truck all winter, started fine. I have always ran 10w30 or 10w40 synthetics and never had an oil related starting issue. I think its more important to have a strong battery. I always buy the battery with the highest cold cranking amps that will fit the vehicle. You will be glad you spent the extra 15 or 20 bucks when your engine roars to life on the coldest day of the year.


+1

Ithaca is up there,and i can relate to the Canada and Maine folks.

btw, if i DID put 10W-40 Synthetic Blend in an SUV, id let it warm up for 5 minutes. [Particularly in the -10 or colder nights.]

Also, ive always handled Snow with All-Season Tires WITH TREAD and 4wd, though an AWD Subaru seems to be mighty tempting! I wonder if 10W-30 is fine for the JE22. (as opposed to 5W-30)

 

[vtb]

Harley,
Previous posters are right, use good snow tires over an SUV. I'm in VT, and we have seen -30's a few times. Cars are not happy at those temps, obviously. Use a 0w or 5w oil from October to April, and resist the urge to add all sorts of bottled miracles to your vehicle this time.

 

[lipadj46]

The record low in Ithaca is -25F but the average low is 16F so really no worries even if you get a few cold nights here and there. Just use a sensible oil. You will know by the sound of your engine pretty quickly if your oil is too thick.