Why is this weight of oil so scarce? I have seen it in a few flavors, but, it's kind of rare.
0W30 0il
- Thread starter BlueOvalFitter
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too thick for the thin crowd, too thin for the thick crowd, too expensive for the ones who don't care.
I'm going to guess it's because there isn't that much demand for it so less is made.
The "0 weights" were relegated to turbo/higher tech (whatever that means) applications.
Then 0W-40 seemed to have taken over.
Any other theories? Factual answers must move to the back of the line. Kira
The "0 weights" were relegated to turbo/higher tech (whatever that means) applications.
Then 0W-40 seemed to have taken over.
Any other theories? Factual answers must move to the back of the line. Kira
0w30 is significantly more expensive than 0w40 here in Europe, or as 5w30 or 5w40 for that matter. And mostly low or mid-saps
My Corolla is originally specd to run 5w30..so you would figure 0w30 would be more popular but most japanese cars are backspecd to 0w20 so 0w30 sits alone. Im still trying to get an oil that keeps my engine hot in extreme cold. It seems that 0w20 has a hard time getting hot and staying hot. I would like engine to be hot so i can get hot air in the cabin...wonder if 0w30 or 0w40 would help keep the heat..oh well thats way off topic. Ive always wanted to try 0w30 to see if i noticed a difference.
I just bought 5 quarts Mobil 1 0W-30 at Wally mart dot com for 20.98. Picked it up in the store. Supposed to get $12 rebate also but we'll see about that. Still a great price.
I'd be tempted to run it in a car speccing 0W-20, just slightly thicker to give myself a bit more peace of mind
I'd run it in a car speccing a 40, if it's an A3/B3/B4 0w30..
I'll reiterate what others are saying. Manufacturers went from specifying 5w30 and 5w20 for quite some time. Then they made a jump to 0w20 and left 0w30 out of the equation. If more manufacturers selected 0w30 as their specification, I'm sure we'd have more options.
Back in the late '90s, 0W30 was very much the in vogue European factory fill oil. VW kicked off the trend and if memory serves, they were followed by GM Europe which at the time was Vauxhall/Opel and Saab. The oils were PAO/Ester based and, whilst technically very good, were horribly expensive. I seem to recall that the cost of these oils became a problem for the bean counters and it was dropped over time in favour of Group III 5W30.
Nowerdays, with the emergence of better quality Group III's, it's probably easier to make 0W30 at an acceptable cost but the market has shifted towards fuel economy oils so 0W20 has taken the space it used to occupy.
Nowerdays, with the emergence of better quality Group III's, it's probably easier to make 0W30 at an acceptable cost but the market has shifted towards fuel economy oils so 0W20 has taken the space it used to occupy.
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
I'd be tempted to run it in a car speccing 0W-20, just slightly thicker to give myself a bit more peace of mind
My Honda calls for 0w20 which I will use while under warranty. Mobil site says 0w20 or 0w30 can be used. I plan on going to that after warranty is up. As for the reason, which some folks always seem to ask, none. I just want to try it out.
I'd be tempted to run it in a car speccing 0W-20, just slightly thicker to give myself a bit more peace of mind
My Honda calls for 0w20 which I will use while under warranty. Mobil site says 0w20 or 0w30 can be used. I plan on going to that after warranty is up. As for the reason, which some folks always seem to ask, none. I just want to try it out.
I use 0w-30 Red Line. It costs exactly the same as 5w-30 so just in case there might be a slight advantage every now and then, I use the 0w-30. I have no idea if I'm correct.
My 03 4Runner V8 has about 150K miles and on the next oil change I'll be getting and publishing a UOA. I'm doing 10K intervals for the oil and 20K for the Mobil 1 oil filter. Red Line has been excellent for 10K intervals. I was told by the lab that I could go a bit longer, maybe 12K but I'm sticking to 10K miles.
I sometimes wonder about this high mileage oil that is suggested at 70K miles. I'm at 150K and the oil level does not move any amount that I can detect between 10K intervals with non high mileage oil. Part of this might also be this excellent Toyota 4.7 V8. It appears to be a very durable engine.
My 03 4Runner V8 has about 150K miles and on the next oil change I'll be getting and publishing a UOA. I'm doing 10K intervals for the oil and 20K for the Mobil 1 oil filter. Red Line has been excellent for 10K intervals. I was told by the lab that I could go a bit longer, maybe 12K but I'm sticking to 10K miles.
I sometimes wonder about this high mileage oil that is suggested at 70K miles. I'm at 150K and the oil level does not move any amount that I can detect between 10K intervals with non high mileage oil. Part of this might also be this excellent Toyota 4.7 V8. It appears to be a very durable engine.
I don't think sticky oil control or compression rings is an issue running Red Line oils, and that's IMO where and why most engines start using oil (in the US). In Europe they'll start using oil through the turbo, so with more turbos being used in the US that'll change...
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
My Corolla is originally specd to run 5w30..so you would figure 0w30 would be more popular but most japanese cars are backspecd to 0w20 so 0w30 sits alone. Im still trying to get an oil that keeps my engine hot in extreme cold. It seems that 0w20 has a hard time getting hot and staying hot. I would like engine to be hot so i can get hot air in the cabin...wonder if 0w30 or 0w40 would help keep the heat..oh well thats way off topic. Ive always wanted to try 0w30 to see if i noticed a difference.
Rolla---I think I'd be more concerned about the correct functioning of the car's thermostat, a slightly higher-temp thermostat, or installing a grill cover for very low-temp operation, before I'd be trying to increase engine/coolant temps by generating more friction.
My Corolla is originally specd to run 5w30..so you would figure 0w30 would be more popular but most japanese cars are backspecd to 0w20 so 0w30 sits alone. Im still trying to get an oil that keeps my engine hot in extreme cold. It seems that 0w20 has a hard time getting hot and staying hot. I would like engine to be hot so i can get hot air in the cabin...wonder if 0w30 or 0w40 would help keep the heat..oh well thats way off topic. Ive always wanted to try 0w30 to see if i noticed a difference.
Rolla---I think I'd be more concerned about the correct functioning of the car's thermostat, a slightly higher-temp thermostat, or installing a grill cover for very low-temp operation, before I'd be trying to increase engine/coolant temps by generating more friction.
Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
I'd be tempted to run it in a car speccing 0W-20, just slightly thicker to give myself a bit more peace of mind
My Honda calls for 0w20 which I will use while under warranty. Mobil site says 0w20 or 0w30 can be used. I plan on going to that after warranty is up. As for the reason, which some folks always seem to ask, none. I just want to try it out.
I'm currently running a 0w-20/0w-40 blend of PPPP & PUPSRT in my Honda. Guess what? No change in mileage, noise, performance...nothing.
Like others here, I scored M1AFE when AZ had the clearance last year. Since I have 100k miles worth of it, it will be going in my Honda for a while. The Ford too since they backed off on 5w-20 in my V10 in 2015, now spec'ing 5w-30.
My previous GM vehicles recommended 0w-30 GRADE during really cold conditions.
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
I'd be tempted to run it in a car speccing 0W-20, just slightly thicker to give myself a bit more peace of mind
My Honda calls for 0w20 which I will use while under warranty. Mobil site says 0w20 or 0w30 can be used. I plan on going to that after warranty is up. As for the reason, which some folks always seem to ask, none. I just want to try it out.
I'm currently running a 0w-20/0w-40 blend of PPPP & PUPSRT in my Honda. Guess what? No change in mileage, noise, performance...nothing.
Like others here, I scored M1AFE when AZ had the clearance last year. Since I have 100k miles worth of it, it will be going in my Honda for a while. The Ford too since they backed off on 5w-20 in my V10 in 2015, now spec'ing 5w-30.
My previous GM vehicles recommended 0w-30 GRADE during really cold conditions.
Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
Why is this weight of oil so scarce? I have seen it in a few flavors, but, it's kind of rare.
The reason is because few manufacturers specify the grade.
So the question is why don't they?
In NA it has to do with the move from 5W-30 in favour of 5W-20 to improve efficiency. That was an easy move to make for the oil formulators since you could still use conventional oil just with less VIIs.
Having made that step, the only option left to the manufacturers that wanted an even lighter oil was the move to the higher VI synthetic 0W-20 grade.
And that's the principle point to understand, the move to 0W-XX oils has little to do with being able to pump at -40 degrees but rather being lighter at more typical start-up temp's; hence the higher viscosity index of the OEM 0W-XX oils.
Having said that we do have a couple of relatively new 0W-30s on the US market; the Pennzoil made BMW 0W-30 (estimated HTHSV of 3.0cP) and PP Euro LX 0W-30 (C3/SN HTHSV 3.5cP).
Why is this weight of oil so scarce? I have seen it in a few flavors, but, it's kind of rare.
The reason is because few manufacturers specify the grade.
So the question is why don't they?
In NA it has to do with the move from 5W-30 in favour of 5W-20 to improve efficiency. That was an easy move to make for the oil formulators since you could still use conventional oil just with less VIIs.
Having made that step, the only option left to the manufacturers that wanted an even lighter oil was the move to the higher VI synthetic 0W-20 grade.
And that's the principle point to understand, the move to 0W-XX oils has little to do with being able to pump at -40 degrees but rather being lighter at more typical start-up temp's; hence the higher viscosity index of the OEM 0W-XX oils.
Having said that we do have a couple of relatively new 0W-30s on the US market; the Pennzoil made BMW 0W-30 (estimated HTHSV of 3.0cP) and PP Euro LX 0W-30 (C3/SN HTHSV 3.5cP).
Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
Why is this weight of oil so scarce? I have seen it in a few flavors, but, it's kind of rare.
I agree on the climate comments - I used 0w30 exclusively while I lived in northern MT, and was unable to locate any brand reliably. With regular starts at -31 to -34°C (-25 to -30°F) for a few weeks in the winter it was definitely good to have in the sump.
They can be difficult to find, have only seen M1 AFE at Malwart and usually none at auto parts stores. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Castrol, M1, Redline and Amsoil the only ones available in the US?
Why is this weight of oil so scarce? I have seen it in a few flavors, but, it's kind of rare.
I agree on the climate comments - I used 0w30 exclusively while I lived in northern MT, and was unable to locate any brand reliably. With regular starts at -31 to -34°C (-25 to -30°F) for a few weeks in the winter it was definitely good to have in the sump.
They can be difficult to find, have only seen M1 AFE at Malwart and usually none at auto parts stores. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Castrol, M1, Redline and Amsoil the only ones available in the US?
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The only North American manufacturer that I can think of that even gave a 0w-30 any owners manual space was GM, always stating it was a suitable viscosity instead of 5w-30 (or 10w-30) in extreme cold conditions. I'm sure the rarity of its mention in manuals hasn't helped matters, either.
Originally Posted By: Kuato
They can be difficult to find, have only seen M1 AFE at Malwart and usually none at auto parts stores. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Castrol, M1, Redline and Amsoil the only ones available in the US?
You're probably pretty close. You might be able to get Petro-Canada 0w-30 down there, but certainly not readily. Of course, something like GC 0w-30 was never intended as a drop in replacement for an SN/GF-5 5w-30, whereas M1 AFE 0w-30 and PC 0w-30 are.
They can be difficult to find, have only seen M1 AFE at Malwart and usually none at auto parts stores. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Castrol, M1, Redline and Amsoil the only ones available in the US?
You're probably pretty close. You might be able to get Petro-Canada 0w-30 down there, but certainly not readily. Of course, something like GC 0w-30 was never intended as a drop in replacement for an SN/GF-5 5w-30, whereas M1 AFE 0w-30 and PC 0w-30 are.
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