What does 0W30 mean at start up?

[BlueOvalFitter]

Now that ive found GC at my local Autozone,i'm thinking about using it now.But,ive got questions.What exactly does "0" in the 0W30 mean? I know its that weight at start up,but zero is zero;meaning nothing.And,being I live in Florida,will this oil benefit me any or just the opposite? My F150 has 104k miles;does this matter?

 

[JohnnyO]

The 0w refers (I think) to the cold viscosity. The "w" stands for "winter" (in FL?

). The lower the number, the thinner the oil for good flow at cold start-up. This does not necessarily mean that the oil is thinner than say, a 10w-30, once it's hot.

 

[Ugly3]

GC is rated for unaided starts down to -40F, will not give you much benefit in FLA.

GC 30w is a thick 30w, approaching 40w, so mayne some benefit in FLA.

In any event, GC has been generally found to produce excellent wear numbers in a variety of engines. Your would probably be no exception.

Enjoy!

 

[Patman]

The 0 simply refers to it's cold starting ability, and is not a viscosity at all. Here is a guide as to how an oil can be classified, based on it's cold cranking ability:

code:

---

Oil Grade Maximum Viscosity (cp)

0W 6200@-35C

5W 6600@-30C

10W 7000@-25C

15W 7000@-20C

20W 9500@-15C

25W 13000@-10C

---

So in other words, an oil can be rated as 0w if it has a cold cranking viscosity of 6200cp at -35 (or better)

 

[Pick]

BlueOvalFitter, I use GC primarily in all my "one lungers", two generators, which got some hours on them during hurricane season, and my 15.5 HP Kohler powered Cub Cadet.

May switch the wife's new 2.2L Eco-Tech powered Malibu over to it, if I can find a source here in Gainesville, else it will get 5W30 Amsoil.

 

[benjamming]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:
The 0 simply refers to it's cold starting ability, and is not a viscosity at all. Here is a guide as to how an oil can be classified, based on it's cold cranking ability:

code:

---

Oil Grade Maximum Viscosity (cp)

0W 6200@-35C

5W 6600@-30C

10W 7000@-25C

15W 7000@-20C

20W 9500@-15C

25W 13000@-10C

---

So in other words, an oil can be rated as 0w if it has a cold cranking viscosity of 6200cp at -35 (or better)

---

Where does this information come from? I had seen this on BITOG before but don't remember seeing a source. I have tried convincing people that the 1st number is not a viscosity. If I had a source they might be more likely to believe me.

 

[427Z06]

quote:

---

Originally posted by benjamming:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:
The 0 simply refers to it's cold starting ability, and is not a viscosity at all. Here is a guide as to how an oil can be classified, based on it's cold cranking ability:

code:

---

Oil Grade Maximum Viscosity (cp)

0W 6200@-35C

5W 6600@-30C

10W 7000@-25C

15W 7000@-20C

20W 9500@-15C

25W 13000@-10C

---

So in other words, an oil can be rated as 0w if it has a cold cranking viscosity of 6200cp at -35 (or better)

---

Where does this information come from? I had seen this on BITOG before but don't remember seeing a source. I have tried convincing people that the 1st number is not a viscosity. If I had a source they might be more likely to believe me.

---

Do a Google search with "SAE J300 Viscosity Grades for Engine Oils" and you should find plenty of references. Here's one:

http://www.infineum.com/information/viscosity.html

 

[Spector]

One other change you may see is an increase in mpg. I recently changed my sons oil in his SUV from a 10W to 0W30 without informing him (been running the 10w for past 3 years) and I asked him if he has seen any change. He reported a significant increase in highway mileage, like 2-4 mpg which amazed me.

 

[benjamming]

quote:

---

Originally posted by 427Z06:
Do a Google search with "SAE J300 Viscosity Grades for Engine Oils" and you should find plenty of references. Here's one:
http://www.infineum.com/information/viscosity.html

---

Thanks.

 

[rpn453]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BlueOvalFitter:
What exactly does "0" in the 0W30 mean? I know its that weight at start up,but zero is zero;meaning nothing.And,being I live in Florida,will this oil benefit me any or just the opposite?

---

Oil always thickens as temperature decreases. 0W-30 just thickens less as temperature decreases than 10W-30, as shown in the chart Patman posted. An oil with viscosity that is independent of temperature would be ideal. The 0W oils are the closest thing to that right now, so I now use them year-round.
I began running 0W-30 when my '87 Grand Am had over 200K miles and had no issues.

 

[Hankrr]

There is more to this than meets the eye though because for instance Mobil-1 10W30 flows BETTER than Mobil-1 0W40 up until you start getting below 15 or 20 degrees or so. (going from memory)

Probably not fair comparing a 40 weight to a 30 weight but it should be noted that the lower W number can vary between grades/temp

 

[Dr. T]

As was already stated, the 0W means it is suitable for use at -35 to -40C. What happens if you don't experience these temps? Don't think we have all the answers, but I'll venture to guess that it won't matter other than to say: as a rule of thumb, a similar oil spec'd at 10w-30 may be more shear stable due to a lesser visocity spread.

The pretense is that both oils must be a A3-rated. It is thought that over the long run, eg. 10+k mi., an oil looses it's cold start and high temp. viscosity with time....the bigger the spread between the first and last number, the greater the risk of a bigger loss.