Viscosity Math Please?

[Cyprs]

Getting bit cool now, has gone as low as -10C already this fall. Now have my summer blend of 3 litres XD3 0-30 CI-4/SL Group 1V HDEO syn oil with 1 litre 15w40 conventional XD3 CI-4/SL HDEO in my Nissan X-Trail with the QR25DE 4Cyl. According to manual I am allowed to use 10-40 SL dino down to -18C. The 0-30 syn XD3 is a heavy 30. I have about 1500 kms left on this summer blended OCI.

Can anyone tell me what this blend would = in viscosity and what is lowest temp I should push it before my winter OC which is straight 0-30 XD3 syn?

thanks

Cyprs

 

[427Z06]

When you blend a full synthetic with a conventional oil that has VIIs it'll be hard to predict the resulted viscosity. But given the proportions, I'd say your OK to -18°C.

 

[Ron AKA]

I would just use 0w30 year around.

 

[Cyprs]

Thanks 427Z06.

Ron, Thing is, I live in SW Sask where it can hit +40C July and August, blast furnace summers here, unforgiving. I run 0-30 XD3 summer 05, engine seemed bit louder, possible the dual steel chain, dont know. I like a heavy oil to lube that chain in my Nissan and Sons chevy when it gets extremely hot in ambient temps. My father blends oil in his Sentra in summer too, notices benefit too.

Next year will try to do my summer blend in June and get to the winter straight 0-30 in early Sept., matter of timing and playing bit with OCIs.

To note, XD3 prior to about 3 years ago was a dino/syn blend in both 0-30/0-40, when I first started using XD3 full syn, the old blended bottles were still on shelves, they didn't have the red inverted triangle. They still had an ambient cold weather rating of -40C as a blend, just remembered that as I do this post, could have saved you guys trouble had I remembers that last night on my inquiry.

Still would have been nice to know what my summer blend ='s in weight range. Possibly a 7-33 weight,guessing, dont know, I actually wanted the weight of my blend, not viscosity, my mistake.

choices/options...........and that is where bitog comes in.

thanks

Cyprs

 

[Ron AKA]

I'm quite familiar with the weather in that area. We have similar in Lethbridge. Unless you have cooling system problems with the engine, I don't see how that matters much. I don't believe in blocking off the rad in winter, or in using heavier oil in the summer. I just trust my cooling system controls (fan and thermostat) as long as the temperature guage stays the same. I'm now using 0w20 PP year around in my newest vehicle.

 

[SPITMAN]

Alberta can throw some nasty temperature extremes at you but as said before rely on your cooling system to keep the engine temp within a safe operating range. I use GC 0w30 and XD3 0w30 in my newer vehicles and hi-milage GTX 5w30 in the older ones -- never had a problem. Suggest you just run XD3 0w30 all year round or if you must - try XD3 0W-40 for the summer (or all year round) if you feel you need something thicker at operating temperature.

 

[427Z06]

Quote:

---

Still would have been nice to know what my summer blend ='s in weight range. Possibly a 7-33 weight,guessing, dont know, I actually wanted the weight of my blend, not viscosity, my mistake.

---

There is no such thing as an 7w-33 or a 4w-45, etc. Anybody that uses that nomenclature is making it up, because it's undefined. Refer to the J300 viscosity chart to see the range of viscosities for a particular grade.

You can use this calculator to find the upper grade number, but the lower grade number requires testing with a blend such as yours.

http://www.shellglobalsolutions.teshosting.co.uk/calculations/blending_pop.asp

 

[Cyprs]

Thanks again 427Z06, will use this chart, great stuff.

Thanks Ron and SpitMan, have a winter now to decide on next years summer oil strategy, will weigh your advice, appreciate it.

Cyprs