What is the lowest temp you all would use 20w50

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Used a lot at 0C. Just a little stronger engine brake at coasting on the first kilometer after a cold start. I've used 25w60 at zero celsius, too.
 
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Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
People think 20W-50 Turns solid at anything below freezing , it's not THAT thick.... i'd be comfortable down to around -5 or -10c , ( around 15 or 20 degrees Farenheit ) , this is assuming you mean a conventional 20w50 , a Full Synthetic 20w50 could go a bit lower probably.
I was at a friend's house in the mountains last winter and during a cold snap we had a couple of nights where temps went as low as -12c which is very odd here , i had 20w50 conventional in the sump and after pumping the gas a few times it fired up ok.


Depends on many things and the engine in which I am running it.

I wouldn't run it in anything but extreme (100+ air temps) in my Jeep 4.0, for example. Those engines are known for having weak oil pumps as it is - combine heavy oil with something around 0F and I'm not sure it would lubricate properly.


Well your Jeep 4.0 and my Capri are two completely different animals , your jeep 4.0 likely specs 5w30 or 10w30 meanwhile my car specs 20w50 from new, a 15w40 HDEO is probably all it needs lubrication wise but the 20w50 helps with oil consumption and to maintain good oil pressure on hot summer days
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Depends on many things and the engine in which I am running it.

I wouldn't run it in anything but extreme (100+ air temps) in my Jeep 4.0, for example. Those engines are known for having weak oil pumps as it is - combine heavy oil with something around 0F and I'm not sure it would lubricate properly.


Funny, they lasted OK in Australia...or did only the special ones get shipped here ?
 
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Hundreds of thousands of Australians (including myself) have used it with no issues whatsoever down to around -10C.

My Caprice (L67 3.8) specs 20W50, with 15W40 for "prolonged use in cold conditions"...I don't use either, sticking to 10W30 or 5W30 A3/B4.

In my Camira (J Car), not long after joining BITOG, I ran a winter on 25W70, just to prove that sub freezing, things still don't blow up with 20W


That is wild. Same engine here would be running 5w30.
Why is it wild?
 
Originally Posted By: userfriendly
Gallagher; In the "old country" they are still in kilts at -4F. City livin' has thinned your blood laddy.


Haha, I don't mind the cold personally. I have the option to work from home whenever I want. I'd rather have a fire when it's cold than worry about my HDEO pumping slowly
 
I've run 20W-50 during winter in my old Mercury/Mazda 323. The engine called for thicker oil with 10W-40 being "preferred" in most moderate temps. It wasn't a problem unless it go into the single digits. Most 20W-50's today have decent pour-points. But of course I wouldn't run it in anything that didn't call for it...
 
It appears most people are concerned with cold performance rather than the oil being "too thick" at normal operating temps. I ran 10W-50 for many years rather than 20. As another poster mentioned, 20W- 50 is the oil of choice in older BMW bike manuals. The thing one had to watch about 10W- 50 was how fast it slipped out of grade.
 
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As mentioned above, a quality synthetic will pour and pump at very low temperatures.

For example, the pour point of Mobil 1, 20W-50 motorcycle oil is -42 degrees! Pumping viscosity is -20C or about -4F.

There are, or have been higher viscosity PAO oils with pour points around -55C.
 
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Don't you guys know that you MUST run 0W.... at least that's what I've read on BITOG.


10w-30 works great in my Jeep all winter
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Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Don't you guys know that you MUST run 0W.... at least that's what I've read on BITOG.


10w-30 works great in my Jeep all winter
laugh.gif



Blasphemy... burn em!
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
20/50 is slow to flow under freezing conditions, but not a death sentence for an engine.


Pumpable, and it still gets there at the same time...

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/36793/Shell_Helix_Sport_50_-_datashe



Maybe the same oil pressure, but not the same flow to the cam area. Much slower in very cold temps. Heavy oils can also cause the ADBV in the filter to prevent oil flowing through the filter for several seconds.
 
32F is about the cutoff for me which means I never use it (it will be fine lower than that but it just depends on the oil). Back in Georgia, I ran it in all my rotaries, the 911 and the Alfa year round.
 
I wouldn't use 20W50 below 0 Deg C. Regardless of whether it lubricates or not it puts an unnecessary strain on the starter and battery at low temperatures. Actually I wouldn't use it at all. Why would anyone want a 20W oil that was 3000 cSt at O deg C when you could have a a 5W oil at 700 cSt.
 
Well, the OM of my old BMW recommends the grade down to -10C, or about 14F.
Pretty much an all climate grade, but then the Germans always recommended pretty thick grades.
I've never started the car at temperatures that low and I'd feel more comfortable with a nice thin oil like a 10W-40 were I to run the car at such low temperatures.
 
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