What's the downside to using 0W-30 vs 5W-30?

[oil pan 4]

I was going to say cost and shearing out on that 0w but since you are using amsoil just cost.
For me I don't have any cheap 0w-30 options locally I have to go to the auto parts store and pay a premium for 0w oil.

 

[mojoe]

In SC, I'd strongly encourage the 10W-30. It has a Noack of 4.1%. Hard to find any lower than that. You will never see temps that will approach the point of unsafety with a 10W oil (0F).

So, there is no other impactful trade-off? I know it's an old car, but it's in great shape @150K miles and is still my daily driver. My goal is for it to remain so for at least another 3-4 years.

 

[ltslimjim]

So, there is no other impactful trade-off? I know it's an old car, but it's in great shape @150K miles and is still my daily driver. My goal is for it to remain so for at least another 3-4 years.

I’d stick to 0w-30 or 5w-30. No need to simply chase the lowest bench race on 1 test. It’s unclear if 10w has any PAO for example, as it’s not shown on the SDS. And, none of the AMSOIL Signature Series oils has a poor Noack score. Anything under 10 is pretty good. Beats almost every OTS PCMO (likely all of them?)

 

[tired]

Also, while I believe the lineup is closer in formulation across the grades, showing some PAO for their 0w and 5w; the 10w doesn’t list it at all.

Interesting…

 

[tired]

So, there is no other impactful trade-off? I know it's an old car, but it's in great shape @150K miles and is still my daily driver. My goal is for it to remain so for at least another 3-4 years.

I don’t think so. I have AMSOIL 10W-30 in the stash, and I guarantee my coldest start will be 10-20 degrees colder than anything you guys will ever see.

 

[ltslimjim]

I don’t think so. I have AMSOIL 10W-30 in the stash, and I guarantee my coldest start will be 10-20 degrees colder than anything you guys will ever see.

I think the coldest it gets in our states is single digit degrees F in the coldest of winters and only for a spell or two at most. The lowest typical per year is in the teens.

And, while 10w can work just fine at that place, as I mentioned the 10w doesn't have PAO for w/e reason despite also being part of the AMSOIL Signature Series lineup. I think the focus is on 0w oils and 5w is the new 10w. This reflects the trend in the PCMO space.

TBD if the re-formulation of AMSOIL Signature Series has an increase or removal of PAO altogether for more or all the grades. I'm curious about that.

Yes, we could run 10w, but if extending the interval, it's preferred to have the better overall ingredients + keep the "w" rating better at the start so it's still acceptable by end of interval. Some intervals may see 2 winters for example.

Regardless, I don't believe a Noack below 10 is a concern enough to just go for 10w only for that reason. Honestly, looking back at the current formula PDS, I almost could go to 5w-20 and be happy there as well. It's a thicker-end of grade 20 and is less volatile than the 5w-30 as well. But, I did settle on going up to the 30 grade for now and there's absolutely no sweat with any of their Noack scores. If the 0w-30 was pushing the 13% or 15% limits of industry tests, I'd agree with your suggestion being more relevant. Under 9% is still very good.

 

[mojoe]

At this point, I'm confident that I could run Super Tech or Kirkland xW-30, change it every 4-5k, and I'd be just fine for another 50k with no oil related problems. However, I'm that guy who is eager to spend an extra 50 bucks a year on oil if there is a possibility it will give me some advantage in protection or performance. That's why I find this place so interesting, and for me, so educational.

 

[PandaBear]

Typically I found 0w30 more expensive than 5w30 (fewer sales), and as mentioned shear down sooner due to more VII.

 

[Titan]

Typically I found 0w30 more expensive than 5w30 (fewer sales), and as mentioned shear down sooner due to more VII.

You are assuming 0w30 uses "more VII"...depending upon the base oil, this would be false. In addition, some oils use pour point depressants to achieve a lower winter value. I have bought Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 at the same or lower prices than the run-of-the-mill 5w30 at the same store.

 

[tired]

You are assuming 0w30 uses "more VII"...depending upon the base oil, this would be false. In addition, some oils use pour point depressants to achieve a lower winter value. I have bought Mobil 1 ESP 0w30 at the same or lower prices than the run-of-the-mill 5w30 at the same store.

Agree. I have noticed higher quality Euro oils are often cheaper than the "nice" OTS API spec oils like Mobil 1 Extended Performance, Castrol EDGE Extended Performance etc.

 

[GMBoy]

What temperatures will the car see?

Often a 0W-XX oil will shear down faster due to more VII used. So a 5W-XX oil can last longer, but that isn't a rule, and different engine designs shear oil faster than others.

Actually the opposite is often true as most 0wt oils start off with a better base stock and are more robust overall than most 5w/30s. Not saying this is true all the time across all oils....and your point still stands in some situations especially with say a 10w/40 oil which would have more VI improvers.

 

[McRightclick]

Is there a general consensus on what temperatures you should be switching to a 0W- instead of a 5W-30? It gets cold here, but not quite Alaska cold...

 

[Lawnman23]

Is there a general consensus on what temperatures you should be switching to a 0W- instead of a 5W-30? It gets cold here, but not quite Alaska cold...

0W is good down to about -30°F, 5W is good down to about -20°F as far as cranking go.

 

[tired]

Is there a general consensus on what temperatures you should be switching to a 0W- instead of a 5W-30? It gets cold here, but not quite Alaska cold...

Switch to 0W-xx at -22F

 

[burbguy82]

I know there are a gazillion similar threads, but after going through a bunch of them this morning, I don't see this specific question addressed directly. I understand (I think) that the basic difference is that 0W is better for cranking at lower temps found in colder locales. My specific question is

Is there any downside for me using Amsoil Signature Series 0W-30 vs. Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30 in my 2003 2.4L Camry? What exactly is the trade-off, if any?

In typical SC weather, no advantage, maybe slight disadvantage with using 0w30 as opposed to 5w30. Amsoil is a superior product in many ways, and either will protect your Camry.

Cold start is where a 0wX really shines.....real cold, not SC cold.

 

[ARB1977]

I’ve been running AMSOIL Signature Series 0w30 for the last two oil changes in the Pilot. Same MPGS.

 

[Patman]

Is there a general consensus on what temperatures you should be switching to a 0W- instead of a 5W-30? It gets cold here, but not quite Alaska cold...

Remember that your oil will often slip by one winter rating after a few thousand miles so if you’re starting out with a 5w-30 it might be a 10w-30 mid way through the winter. For that reason I would suggest that if your car is parked outside overnight you might consider using 0w-30 even if your area only gets down to about 0F during that time. It’s better to have that extra margin of safety in my opinion.

 

[McRightclick]

Remember that your oil will often slip by one winter rating after a few thousand miles so if you’re starting out with a 5w-30 it might be a 10w-30 mid way through the winter. For that reason I would suggest that if your car is parked outside overnight you might consider using 0w-30 even if your area only gets down to about 0F during that time. It’s better to have that extra margin of safety in my opinion.

Right, the winter grade drop is what I was worried about. If I'm nearing the end of my OCI and I have to leave it parked outside at a hotel or something like that it could get a little marginal.

Since Valvoline Restore and Protect is only made in 5W-30, maybe this is my sign to go to HPL for a 0W-30

 

[kschachn]

Right, the winter grade drop is what I was worried about. If I'm nearing the end of my OCI and I have to leave it parked outside at a hotel or something like that it could get a little marginal.

Since Valvoline Restore and Protect is only made in 5W-30, maybe this is my sign to go to HPL for a 0W-30

SAE allows a drop but that doesn't mean it will occur. Lots of things go into that happening if it does happen, and OCI is one of the variables.

Unless I was starting below -20F or so I would not worry about that at all.

 

[facility1]

Considering fuel dilution too.