What viscosity do get when you mix 0w-20 & 5w-30?

[Insight]

Or how do you calculate it?

I loaded up with 5w-30 with all the recent rebates for my Integra but it was stolen

and I just replaced it with an Insight that uses 0w-20. I thought I could blend some 5w-30 with each oil change (like 50/50) to use it up.

 

[skyactiv]

Mathematically it's 2.5W25

 

[Merkava_4]

Use a Viscosity Calculator

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Mathematically it's 2.5W25


No such thing.

It can only be a 0W or 5W...most likely a 5W.
It can only be a 20 or a 30, most likely a light 30.

 

[philipp10]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Mathematically it's 2.5W25


No such thing.

It can only be a 0W or 5W...most likely a 5W.
It can only be a 20 or a 30, most likely a light 30.


Your kidding, right?

 

[901Memphis]

Yes the viscosity calculator will help but you need data on each one. Most likely resulting blend from a 50/50 of 0w20 and 5w30 will end up in the low 5w30 range.

Is this under warranty? What model year is it?

You can run the 5w30 straight if you want, in other countries where they have Honda insights they probably run 40 grades without issue.

Alternatively you could always try to sell the 5w30 on Craigslist

 

[fdcg27]

Where you live, you don't see real cold, do you?
Also, how will you use the car?
If you never see lower temperatures than 10F or so and mainly drive the car a long enough distance that it will reach full operating temperature on most drives, then the 5W-30 would be fine to use.
WRT the viscosity range of a blend, that would be anybody's guess, since you may see an interaction of the VIIs that results in a much thicker oil than what you might think you're getting using a visc calculator.
Also, these calculators aren't reliable at the lower temperature range of the scale, where it arguably matters more.
I'd prefer to use either A or B rather than a mix of the two.
If you want to use a 0W-20, put the 5W-30 on CL.
Since you got the oil cheaply, you should at least get your money back and might even gain some spare change.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Mathematically it's 2.5W25


No such thing.

It can only be a 0W or 5W...most likely a 5W.
It can only be a 20 or a 30, most likely a light 30.


Your kidding, right?


Probably not. Viscosity Indexes are mandatory ... you can't choose one. If it meets 5W it must be graded 5W, you can't over or under-grade it (eg call it 10W~xx). Since there is only 5W and 0W, it must be one or the other, it cant be 2.5W because that grade doesn't exist.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Mathematically it's 2.5W25


No such thing.

It can only be a 0W or 5W...most likely a 5W.
It can only be a 20 or a 30, most likely a light 30.


Your kidding, right?



No he's not kidding, each grade has a numerical viscosity at KV100 to determine its grade and your either one or the other depending on what it is.


Link here called sae j300

http://www.widman.biz/English/Tables/J300.html

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Mathematically it's 2.5W25

No such thing.

You Ozzies have no sense of humor. I guess it got kicked out by all those kangaroos.

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: Tegger

You Ozzies have no sense of humor. I guess it got kicked out by all those kangaroos.


Originally Posted By: SR5
Once a local auto store had a sale on Valvoline SynPower 5W-30. It was a little light for me at the time, so I considered buying it with some Valvoline VR-1 10W-40 racing oil and mixing them both together.

The VR-1 10W-40 had 1400 ppm Zn, while the SynPower 5W-30 had 800 ppm Zn. I was going to mix them together (50:50) to produce something like a 7.5W-35 with 1100ppm Zn.

In the end I got a grip on myself ………………. My car is gentle on oil and doesn't need anything special, so I would just be doing it for the fun of the mix, and also when asked I could say I was using a 7.5W-35 (yes dear reader, I know there isn't a seven and a half winter grade, it's part of the joke).

 

[SR5]

Meet Roger, 89kg (14st), 6ft 5in, and no sense of humour, but likes to crush steel buckets

 

[Insight]

Thanks for the link to the viscosity calculator. It doesn't accept 0 for a value but inputting the following gives:

50/50 mix at 40C for the low viscosity and 100C for the top viscosity of
0.1w-20
5w-30

yields
1.8w-24

Which seems close enough to 0w-20

 

[Insight]

It's a 2010 Insight so it's out of warranty.

My inclination is just to use the 5w-30 and if it's anything like the Integra it'll still be going strong at 340K miles. However, I'm not sure if the Insight engine was designed so tight that 5w-30 would cause more wear than the recommended 0w-20.

 

[Insight]

I live in Washington and generally as cold it might get is the 20's (and maybe a week in the teens).

I would like to drive the Insight for as long as possible. If not for the theft of the Integra at 344K miles I think it could have easily hit half a million miles because it was well maintained and I only used synthetic.

 

[Shannow]

Good call, just run what you've got.

If uncomfortable, trade the oil in on the one that you DO want.

 

[NMBurb02]

Originally Posted By: Insight
Thanks for the link to the viscosity calculator. It doesn't accept 0 for a value but inputting the following gives:

50/50 mix at 40C for the low viscosity and 100C for the top viscosity of
0.1w-20
5w-30

yields
1.8w-24

Which seems close enough to 0w-20

You did not use the calculator correctly. You have to look at the oils' PDS to find the various cSt values and input those (not the 0, 5, 20 or 30 in the SAE viscosity grades). If you tell us which oils you are planning on mixing, someone could probably dig up the figures and plug them into the calculator for you.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Insight
Thanks for the link to the viscosity calculator. It doesn't accept 0 for a value but inputting the following gives:

50/50 mix at 40C for the low viscosity and 100C for the top viscosity of
0.1w-20
5w-30

yields
1.8w-24

Which seems close enough to 0w-20


You are doing it wrong.

For example, let's use two Mobil 1 products:

M1 AFE 0w-20:
@40C: 44.8cSt
@100C: 8.7cSt

M1 5w-30:
@40C: 61.7cSt
@100C: 11.0cSt

Mixed using the calc:
@40C: 52.47cSt
@100C: 9.78cSt

Which gives us a 30-weight oil (probably a 5w-30) with a supposed VI of 175. It is doubtful it would meet the cold temp requirements for the 0w-xx designation so it would be at the most a 5w-30.

based on the J300 graph:

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: Insight
It's a 2010 Insight so it's out of warranty.

My inclination is just to use the 5w-30 and if it's anything like the Integra it'll still be going strong at 340K miles. However, I'm not sure if the Insight engine was designed so tight that 5w-30 would cause more wear than the recommended 0w-20.


I Honda Insight takes 5W-30 in Australia, according to Castrol.

I agree, just use the 5W-30 oil you already have. That is what I would do.

 

[Insight]

Thank you all. I'll just use the 5w-30 during warmer weather and get new 0w-20 for colder weather.