Why Rotella T6 over a Euro 0w-40?

[WhizkidTN]

Originally Posted By: Garak
They might mean it, but they don't say it, and clearly show a lack of understanding for how ACEA sequences are denoted. Showing "or above" or "or better" or "or newer" is meaningless when it comes to ACEA specs. If an oil is marked A5/B5 and the oil company is labelling things correctly, the spec is a recent one, and the ACEA publications state how far back you can go. A5/B5 doesn't change to A6/B6 or B5/C5 next year. A5/B5 is always current, until ACEA decides to discontinue it.

There are A5/B5 oils with the 2016 specification and there were A5/B5 oils with the 2012 specification. The labels are supposed to say A5/B5, no matter what, without any elaboration as to what year to which they refer.


Well all that being said, I don't feel so "stupid" in attempting to ascertain what oil I should run in my hot turbo Kia engine!
See, I told you guys this was a PITA!

 

[Garak]

I'd look at it this way. Kia simply isn't that picky about what oil to use. If they were, or wanted to enforce that in a warranty action, they'd have a lot clearer wording in their bulletins and manuals.

Rotella T5 5w-40 is perfectly acceptable for this application, by the OEM's own wording and the oil's specifications. What the Pennzoil division of Shell says is immaterial. Shell has enough different SN/GF-5 5w-30 options on the shelf that you could try a different one every three months and never overlap once in five years. So, I can see them being uninterested in you adding Rotella to that mix. They cannibalize enough as it is.

I've never had a concern with using HDEOs in a gasser yet. In fact, they're sometimes a very good option, particularly when an OEM seems exceedingly vague on their specifications. We're not exactly sure what Kia wants for base stocks or HTHS or much else, so a 5w-40 in CJ-4/SM and E7, E9 is a pretty safe bet in a lot of climates and driving conditions.