Why only 40 or 50 Grade?

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dxbMercury

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Mar 27, 2012
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Dubai, UAE
Hello to everyone.

My first post and it's a question.

I have been lurking for a while and one of the points I have picked up is that 40 or 50 grade oil doesn't suit all cars or styles of driving.

I decided to change my oil to something more suitable as the dealer(Ford) wasn't even using Motorcraft oil but when I started to shop around, all I could find was 40 or 50 grade on the shelf.

I live in the Middle East and there are lube stops at most servos but the predominate grade is 40 or 50 only.

What are your thoughts on why that might be?

Cheers,

Paul
 
Not entirely certain. Cars are no longer air-cooled so it is not usually necessary to run something heavier in hot climates.
 
I generally 'hot' climates, like the UAE, there is a belief that thicker oils protect better.

Since there is no cold-starting to worry about, and 40 and 50 weight oils continue to work well, they stay popular.

Also, as you know, gas is extremely cheap in the middle east, so there is no incentive to use thinner oils to imporve mileage.

These two are what keep 40 and 50 weight oils common over there.
 
I was thinking that it might be a hang up from when oils wern't as good as they are now and the heavier grade was needed.

The new oils seem to able to do what's needed at a lighter grade or am I wrong on that point?

Or maybe it's something to do with the dust. Viz drops to half a mile in sand at times.

As far as temps go, the cars are speced for the gulf and the temp gauge never goes past half, even at 120F in traffic.
 
My first thoughts were "it's gotta be the temp" but apart from the no below zero start ups, the engines here are probably running similar temps when warmed up as cars in cooler climates.
 
Well, 20 C higher might be ridiculously noticeable to the human body, but a thermostatically controlled engine doesn't even notice. If a 10w-40 or thicker is ideal for the Middle East yet a 5w-20 is suitable for southern US summers, then we should be using a hypothetical 0w-10 in Canadian winters?
 
I agree, and I reckon the heavy grade obsession here is a hangover from when oils probably needed to be heavier.

Do the manufactures spec a heavier grade in Florida or Arizona?

Regardless of what the reason is the lack of options has left me with the choice of M1 0W-40 at $75 a jug or Havoline Synthetic 5W-30 at $30 a jug.
The Havoline was the only 30 grade I could find.
Fuel might be cheap but everything else is inflated.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I didn't want to buck a trend to the detriment of my engine.
 
Last edited:
It is part of natural selection in that economy.

It is hot there most of the time, and cold there only very rarely. The heavy oils work fine, the single grades are a little cheaper, so they predominate.

In a lot of the Middle East you are not going to drive that care anywhere where it might get cold. Now if you drove from Dubai over the borders and up to the Black Sea in Turkey, you would see some real cold weather. But I bet that 99.99% of Dubai cars will never leave the Persian Gulf area until the day they die.

If features are not needed in anything subject to change, those features will over time fade away or never get developed in the first place.
 
A Florida car might be driven up north. A Phoenix car might be driven to Flagstaff Arizona, which sees subzero weather, or to Angel Fire, New Mexico which can see -34 degrees C. (close to -30 degrees F).

If the 40 or 50 weight oil works OK and protects your engine, why not use it? Does Dubai have any smog requirements?
 
Yes, strict on the emissions and tested every 12 months.

I can't help thinking a lighter weight oil would be more suited to the driving here, lots of starts and short distances.

Temps don't have to be freezing for the engine to be damaged on start up.
 
What do the other locals say? Dubai has money and I am sure there are some fancy cars around. Have they had any problems with oil such as 40 weight?

I also bet there are other oils around if you looked but it might take time to find them. Maybe find a retailer who does the British as well as German and American brans.

On Wikipedia it says that the record low of Dubai was 7°C (45°F) and the rest of the year it is warm to hot, about the same as the Coachella Valley here in California. So the climate is warm to hot, and often humid as the Gulf is right there. If 40 is the lowest weight you can find, stick to that and let the engine warm up for a minute or so. Also check the perdormance specs on the oil if that's all you can find. In fact, what brands have you found?
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Grab a 15W-40, 10W-40, and don't worry too much more than that.


This is short and sweet, and probably the best option .
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Grab a 15W-40, 10W-40, and don't worry too much more than that.


This is short and sweet, and probably the best option .


I appreciate your input gentlemen but I can't help but think that 40 grade is too heavy particularly for lots of starts and short driving distances.
Lots of WOT or towing maybe but not for toddling around.

Cheers,

Paul
 
If I've misread the thread, then please forgive me, but you aren't talking about straight 40, or straight 50, but an XW-40, XW-50...a multigrade.

And don't get much into single digits Celsius

Your stop-start behaviour should be more worried about the cold end performance, and the xW part of the equation gives you that...especially when you aren't approaching freezing.

so a 10W, 15W, would be OK.

I grew up on 20W-50, as it was Oz standard, even when we went to the snow. I dded STP for more "protection", and the majors came out with 25W-50, 25W-60, 25W-70, 30W-70, and 40W-70...and they sell.

I don't think that I'm in a 50 world anymore, nothing in my shed has it anymore, but a 5W-50 should be fine in UAE.

If I were in your shoes, I'd find a straight 30 with a proper add pack, and be at it.

My 15W-40/10W-40 suggestions were more real world...they won't hurt
 
No worries,I should have been more clear about the grades.

They are all multigrades but mostly a small spread with the lowest at 40 grade.

I can find only one 5W-30.

The rest are xW-40 or xW-50.

I was going to brew a Caterham blend but there isn't a 20 grade to be found.

Your right the temps don't get down below 15C but the car is started regularly and my main concern is start up protection. Hence the inclination to something lower than 40 grade.
 
If start-up is the worry, I'd reiterate that you should be worried about the xW part of the equation...especially so far above freezing.

If you can find a 5W-Anything, get it...or next best a 10W, or 15W.

If you can get M1 0W-40, take that, it has (traditionally) sheared down to a not much more than 30 weight anyway.

Looking at my Mobil South Pacific (2009) guide, the 40C viscosities for the different stuff is as follows.
M1 0W-40 75cst
M15W-30 ESP 73 cst
M15W-30 63 cst
Super2000 5W-30 61 cst

5W-50 is 108 cst.

I don't believe that once you have started the car in 15C weather, that you have to worry too much about the next start...particularly if you are at the point that the AW additives aren't really functioning.

I'd still run a fully additised straight 30 in that environment.
 
Thanks Shannow.

I can get the M1 0W-40 or Havoline 5W-30.

The Havoline been the only 30 grade I could find.

Cheers,

Paul
 
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