Why 0W20 trend vs. 5W20 ?

[ChrisD46]

Most people do not need 0W20 - yet more and more vehicle manufacturers are now recommending 0W20 - why the move away from 5W20 and / or why not develop BETTER 5W20 synthetic oils instead of the heavy emphasis on 0W20 oils ?

 

[wpod]

CAFE mpg requirements. Most important though is AE Hass says it is the cats meow.

 

[FowVay]

I have it on good authority that the NHRA Top Fuel dragsters are slowly transitioning from the tried-and-true SAE 70 to the much more fuel efficient 0W-70 now offered by Lucas. (this is parody folks)

 

[Boomer]

Probably because it covers all weather conditions. So no matter if the car is sold in Florida or North Dakota, the oil will work. This is what happens when nobody pays attention to their owners manual.

 

[bullwinkle]

0W20 is almost always synthetic, & 5W20 can be either blend or full syn. I'm sure there's a microscopic MPG improvement cold, too.

 

[DriveHard]

I have it on good authority that the NHRA Top Fuel dragsters are slowly transitioning from the tried-and-true SAE 70 to the much more fuel efficient 0W-70 now offered by Lucas. (this is parody folks)

Funny joke

Seriously though...is Top Fuel at a point where the entire challenge is getting all the power to the ground, or are there still points during a run where they are truly getting "maximum effort" from the engine?

 

[The Critic]

0W20 is almost always synthetic, & 5W20 can be either blend or full syn. I'm sure there's a microscopic MPG improvement cold, too.

Yes, the lower operational viscosity during warm-up probably results in a slight improvement in MPG. The differences are most significant under 5C, so I guess it depends how long it takes for your engine oil to reach 40C. In my mild climate, my engine oil goes from 60-70F to 100F in a few minutes of driving. For someone in a cold climate, during winter time, I imagine this to take much longer.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Yes, the lower operational viscosity during warm-up probably results in a slight improvement in MPG. The differences are most significant under 5C, so I guess it depends how long it takes for your engine oil to reach 40C. In my mild climate, my engine oil goes from 60-70F to 100F in a few minutes of driving. For someone in a cold climate, during winter time, I imagine this to take much longer.

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Whats it like at -30C? Seems to be pretty differentiated at 0C which is only just freezing. Half of the country freezes pretty good in the winter. Here in South Carolina looks like it probably wouldn't matter much, but as already said its easier to say the same thing everywhere.

 

[haggler]

Easier to test during emissions testing. One oil, one recommendation in the manual. No discernable difference unless well below freezing. Using 5w20 In 0w16 application for well over a year now. No more whining noise at high rpm.

 

[The Critic]

Whats it like at -30C? Seems to be pretty differentiated at 0C which is only just freezing. Half of the country freezes pretty good in the winter. Here in South Carolina looks like it probably wouldn't matter much, but as already said its easier to say the same thing everywhere.

I would guess that at 0F, both grades (in synthetic) will flow just fine, but the lower viscosity of the 0W20 will result in a measurable improvement in MPG. That is probably why the OEM's recommend 0W-20 over 5W-20 for a one-size-fits-all recommendation.

For someone in San Francisco or Phoenix, it should not make a difference, ever. But during winter time in the Great Lakes region...