Why 0W20 Is Not Listed In Kia OM And 5W20 Is ?

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My wife recently bought a 2022 Kia Seltos with the Kia Nu 2.0L non - GDI / non - turbo MPI 4 cylinder engine . The Kia Owners manual states 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 are suitable (depending on ambient temps expected during the OCI and whether or not you are towing , driving in mountains , etc.) ... *So if 5W20 is listed as a suitable oil grade - then why not 0W20 for this engine ? The ONLY reason I can think of is most 0Wxx oils are synthetic and Kia marketing is trying to keep the cost of ownership down by not recommending 0W20 as being suitable ? If there is a valid reason why a 0W20 can not be used in this engine then I would like to know ? I use 0W20 M1 EP in my daughters 2020 Corolla1.8L MPI , non - turbo 4 cylinder engine (0W20 Toyota recommended oil weight) and would like to buy the 0W20 M1 EP for both Kia and Toyota vehicles .
 
Why would you want to use such a thin oil in a brand new car under warranty if it's not approved by the manufacturer? New car buyers spending $20K+ on a car don't concern themselves with future oil change costs.
 
Why would you want to use such a thin oil in a brand new car under warranty if it's not approved by the manufacturer? New car buyers spending $20K+ on a car don't concern themselves with future oil change costs.

? They are both twenty weight oils. You seem to echo the most common misunderstanding about oil grades.

IIRC Amsoils 0W-20 SS is thicker than their 5W-20 SS

If i have misunderstood, please clarify

Not sure about the OP'r question; I would just use the 0w-20 if desired.
 
? They are both twenty weight oils. You seem to echo the most common misunderstanding about oil grades.

IIRC Amsoils 0W-20 SS is thicker than their 5W-20 SS

If i have misunderstood, please clarify

Not sure about the OP'r question; I would just use the 0w-20 if desired.
I use both and the 0W20 flows out of the bottle quicker than the 5W20. And good luck to the OP getting warranty repairs on the engine when the receipts all show an non-approved oil was used.
 
I use both and the 0W20 flows out of the bottle quicker than the 5W20. And good luck to the OP getting warranty repairs on the engine when the receipts all show an non-approved oil was used.

And that tells you absolutely nothing. They both have similar KV100's because their hot viscosities both fall within the range defined for an xW-20, which is now insanely narrow; FAR narrower than the ranges allowed for xW-30, xW-40, xW-50...etc. This is because of the slotting-in of 0W-16, 0W-12 and 0W-8 below it in space that was previously occupied by it.
 
So if 5W20 is listed as a suitable oil grade - then why not 0W20 for this engine ?
We just purchased a 2021 KIA Niro and it recommends 0w20 and 5w30, but no 5w20. Not a huge difference between 0w20 and 5w20. Maybe they know something we don't.
 
There have to be at least 20 existing threads on this exact subject of manufacturers recommending a 5W rated oil but not a 0W. You’ve been here on Bitog for eleven years, you’ve never seen those threads?
Who reads threads? Maybe that's why you see 20-30 replies in one thread basically saying the same thing.
 

Properties and Specifications

Property0W-205W-205W-3010W-30
GradeSAE 0W-20SAE 5W-20SAE 5W-30SAE 10W-30
Density @ 15.6 C, g/ml, ASTM D40520.839
Flash Point, Cleveland Open Cup, °C, ASTM D92235230230232
Kinematic Viscosity @ 100 C, mm2/s, ASTM D4458.6910.610.2
Kinematic Viscosity @ 40 C, mm2/s, ASTM D445
Pour Point, °C, ASTM D97-54-42-40-39

 
The difference between 5w and 0w is only noticable in very cold temps. What matters is the warm temps. Indeed they were trying to keep costs down, 0w20 is usually full syn and they probably have reused that manual language for years. The newer H/K engines are 0w20 and 0w30, etc.
 
The VW/AUDI/Porsche 0W20 is below SAE Min HTHS for a 20 grade at 2.5 2.5 mPa.s by ASTM D4741
also KV 100 is a low 7.8 mm2/s.

I post this as I have found with similar blending with the Subaru branded Idemitsu 0W20, as it was a very light
20 grade with KV40 at 36 mm2/s. This was 8-10 years ago. I don't know how the current product is blended.

I think in the latest Dexos approved oils you will not find a super low KV or HTHS as seen with certain vehicle specific product, and the 20 grade does NOT have differentiating HTHS min for multigrade vs monograde.

So It should be as good as a 5w20. I would call Hyundai to confirm and get an email you could print and save if they allow it.
 
I use both and the 0W20 flows out of the bottle quicker than the 5W20. And good luck to the OP getting warranty repairs on the engine when the receipts all show an non-approved oil was used.
One engineer has mentioned to me that lighter oils have a different hydrodynamic time at start-up. All other factors being equal, the lighter oil will take longer to floating the bearings. Whether or not the difference matters in practical terms is highly debateable, but in theory, there is still a difference.
 
girlfriends 2018 optima gets typical 10-30 fake synthetic in Pa + IMO a better choice especially in hotter climates
 
I am thinking it is a Nu engine thing. That is the same recommendation as my 2017 Elantra SE. The 2021 Elantra upgraded the engine and only 0w-20 is recommended.
 
All my previous 2.4 and now, 2.0Nu recommended 5W20. I say, flip a coin if going with an Xw20.
 
My wife recently bought a 2022 Kia Seltos with the Kia Nu 2.0L non - GDI / non - turbo MPI 4 cylinder engine . The Kia Owners manual states 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 are suitable (depending on ambient temps expected during the OCI and whether or not you are towing , driving in mountains , etc.) ... *So if 5W20 is listed as a suitable oil grade - then why not 0W20 for this engine ? The ONLY reason I can think of is most 0Wxx oils are synthetic and Kia marketing is trying to keep the cost of ownership down by not recommending 0W20 as being suitable ? If there is a valid reason why a 0W20 can not be used in this engine then I would like to know ? I use 0W20 M1 EP in my daughters 2020 Corolla1.8L MPI , non - turbo 4 cylinder engine (0W20 Toyota recommended oil weight) and would like to buy the 0W20 M1 EP for both Kia and Toyota vehicles .
While it would likely be fine with 5w even at -15f, 0w won't hurt anything at all, and it also will not void the warranty, if they even did a test on the oil in the event the engine failed the only criteria I've even heard being enforced is that there is enough oil (above the L line) and that said oil has not transformed into stiff pudding.

In the unlikely event that they tested the oil in a lab, all they'd see is the KV100, which a 0w meets.

That said, I would not put a 20 grade in any Hyundai/Kia engine, especially if I planned on keeping it forever. I would use a 30 grade and once the warranty is up go straight to a 40.
 
While it would likely be fine with 5w even at -15f, 0w won't hurt anything at all, and it also will not void the warranty, if they even did a test on the oil in the event the engine failed the only criteria I've even heard being enforced is that there is enough oil (above the L line) and that said oil has not transformed into stiff pudding.

In the unlikely event that they tested the oil in a lab, all they'd see is the KV100, which a 0w meets.
They'd more likely ask for your oil purchase receipts. Remember, when speaking with the dealership, you're not exactly dealing with BITOG members that know 5 and 0w20 are virtually the same thing. That headache isn't worth it when picking between these two cSt @ 40c grades.
 
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The difference between 5w and 0w is only noticable in very cold temps. What matters is the warm temps. Indeed they were trying to keep costs down, 0w20 is usually full syn and they probably have reused that manual language for years. The newer H/K engines are 0w20 and 0w30, etc.
The Kia 2.0L Nu MPI series is an older engine technology for Kia . While the M1 0W20 EP is the better base stock oil - I suppose having some 5W20 oil receipts (in event of a warrantee issue with dealership) wouldn't hurt .
 
My wife recently bought a 2022 Kia Seltos with the Kia Nu 2.0L non - GDI / non - turbo MPI 4 cylinder engine . The Kia Owners manual states 5W20 , 5W30 and 10W30 are suitable (depending on ambient temps expected during the OCI and whether or not you are towing , driving in mountains , etc.) ... *So if 5W20 is listed as a suitable oil grade - then why not 0W20 for this engine ? The ONLY reason I can think of is most 0Wxx oils are synthetic and Kia marketing is trying to keep the cost of ownership down by not recommending 0W20 as being suitable ? If there is a valid reason why a 0W20 can not be used in this engine then I would like to know ? I use 0W20 M1 EP in my daughters 2020 Corolla1.8L MPI , non - turbo 4 cylinder engine (0W20 Toyota recommended oil weight) and would like to buy the 0W20 M1 EP for both Kia and Toyota vehicles .
You probably got it right on—Kia wants to save money by using conventional 5W-20 instead of synthetic 0W-20. Anyone who thinks that a conventional 5W-20 is thicker than a synthetic 0W-20 doesn't know much about motor oil. As a matter of fact, a synthetic 0W-20 is typically thicker than a conventional 5W-20. Synthetic 0W-20 oils use the highest-quality base oils, which allows thicker base oils to be used while achieving the 0W cold-start performance.
 
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