Why on Earth do you need a 0W anything ?

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It's easier to warm up than cool down.

The bugs are smaller.

Donuts in the snow doesn't wear out tires.

Dogs love it.

A big snowblower makes you a hero to your neighbors.
 
Well, even though I live in Minnesota, I don't consider 0w anything as a requirement... Nice yes, but not a requirement. The way some folks carry on on this board, I think they have no idea how the average person here puts very little thought into oil selection and usage, and quite frankly, make out fine for the most part.

That being said, lots of great reasons to live here. As others have pointed out, embrace the cold. I downhill and cross county ski. Ice skate and play hockey. Skating / Hockey is free on outdoor rinks once you have skates. Same if you have a pond or lake to shovel a rink off... Others snowmobile and ice fish. The snow brings a whole different look to the world. There is a satisfaction in snowblowing/shoveling/plowing too
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I prefer being cool and cold to being hot. The humid summer days here are miserable, but there are a lot less of them here than other parts of the country.
 
Ever drive through the mountains of Vermont/NH early in the morning during the fall while sipping a nice warm coffee? That's why.
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
What drives a person, and their family to live and work in an environment that requires a "0W" anything ?

This is intended as light hearted, and arising from another thread, but seriously...


I agree, which is why in 2022 my wife and I will escape the cold weather of Ontario and spend our winters in sunny Florida. So our need for 0w oils will definitely go away. That being said, I will still continue to use Castrol 0w40 in her BMW, not because I think it needs the 0w part (especially since it's parked in our warm garage overnight) but simply because GC 0w40 is a great oil (and I just got a bunch of it at an awesome price) and Castrol 5w40 really isn't in the same league.
 
Originally Posted by supton
I'm not a fan of the bitter cold but TBH the thing that gets me over the winter is the short days. That bothers me more than the cold.


+1 on the lack of sunlight. I can't image living in Alaska where they don't see the sun for a couple months.
 
Less crowded areas.

The places where you don't need 0w seem to attracts all sorts of people. Then they all leave those areas to get away from it all.

PS, I just got back from a 4 day weekend in LA and while fun, I'm glad I don't live there....
 
I read on BITOG that no oil is too thin at start up. We all need 0w because Dr Hass said so.
 
Because it makes for great stories to tell, like when you get the snowblower stuck on the roof of your house!
 
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While southern Ontario does not have really cold winters, they are still quite cold. I have never used anything 0WXX in my vehicles and I highly doubt that the average owner that goes to a jiffy lube type place gets 0wXX oil from them either, even if their car requires it. There are many stories, even on here, of people reporting their dealers filling up with 5w instead of 0w.

It is only on here that 0w oils have became the holly grail of oil with many claiming that they have all the advantages with no disadvantages AT ALL. One thing I notice is that a lot of people claiming all this nonsense have absolutely no clue what the number in front of W stands for and how it was graded. People simply like to invent their own theories and feel good assumptions. Simple minded thinking, if 10w is better than 15w and 5w is better than 10w, then 0w must be best of them all as you cannot go lower than 0.

And if all else fails, start referring to the engineers, formula 1 racing or lack of cars on the side of the road with blown engines.
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The only time I use a zerodubbya in anything is when I store my Chevy S-10 for the winter and then it gets a zerodubbya30 so I can easily start it once a week when the temp goes down to -30F.
 
Winter where you get lots of -40 and actually need a 0W whatever is a bit extreme IMO, but free heat grows on trees, and -40 is a good motivator to keep the fire going! I don't think skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiles get enough credit either, and I think they are worth a bit of extra work in the winter.
No termites, scorpions, deadly spiders or snakes is worth something too I guess!
 
Having grown up in Calgary, and living here now, there is something to be said about a sunny, white, winter day. The same season year-round would bore me. When you get into a bit of a summer rut and you're looking for new camping, hiking or biking challenges, winter rolls in and you can break out the fat bike, skis, skates and shake it up. That being said, dropping into Kona in mid March, after months of cold is also enjoyable. 0w40 year round works fine here. Batteries, belts and hoses last a lot longer here than hot places. 8-10 years on a car battery is normal. Timing belts are almost indefinite based on time (not wear due to mileage)
 
I know this has been said a gazillion times before but...

You may not 'need' a 0W oil where you live but your friendly neighbourhood US OEM needs you to need it.

Take three engine oils; a 10W30, a 5W30 & a 0W30. All are blended from the same base oil slate, the same DI (at a fixed treat rate) & the same non-shearable VII. Importantly, all three oils are blended to exactly the same KV100 (say 10.5 cst).

At steady state driving down the motorway at 70 mph, with the engine fully warmed up, your oil temperature should roughly equate to your coolant temperature, which for the sake of argument is 100C. Under such circumstances, all three oils will give you exactly the same fuel economy.

However if we look at the KV40's of the three oils, the 10W30 will have the highest KV40 & the 0W30 the lowest. There's about a 10 cst difference between each grade. So if you short-trip, and your engine oil only ever warms up to 40C, the 0W30 will give you the best fuel economy & 10W30 the worst.

This is simple physics & will apply if you live in Canada or California. This is why the OEMs need you to need 0W oils.
 
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