Is the recommended 0-20 bad for engine life?

W

Wolfkc

Joined
Mar 18, 2011
Messages
4
Location
Texas
I read up on oil years ago and my general take away was that the upper number for when the engine was hot should be at least 30 if not 40 and the cold number was always too high so go as low as possible, certainly use 0 instead of 5 or 10. In general it may not make a huge difference but until now I’ve always been asking for 0-30 or 0-40. But today I was told at three different oil change shops that I had to use 0-20 because that was all they could select or that was their shop rule. I know the auto mfg’s have asked for thinner oil to help get their mpg up. But IMHO i suspect that is at the expense of some engine life. I'd rather lose .5 mpg and have even a few more months of engine life. Even if the cost comes out in favor of using the thinner oil, time and effort or big factors for me.
I know some people on this forum, at least in years past, do very detailed even scientific study of such things as how much running a thinner oil hurts engine life. And I know there will be some people on both sides of the issue, there always are. But I'd still like to get a few comments on what people think of being forced to stay on 0-20. Should i find a different shop to get the oil I think is better or just accept the trend?
 
In a nutshell, it really does depend on the car in question as well as your driving conditions/habits. I would venture to say that for a good number of cars that call for 0w20, they will get longer engine life than needed (in other words you'll trade the car long before it's engine is going to wear out anyway) If you drive very hard and in hot climates, the move to a 5w30 is probably a wise one for many people.

I will say this about my particular situation with my 2016 Civic. I strongly believe I will have no problem getting to 300,000 miles with 0w20. My climate is neither super cold or super hot, I drive this car very gently, the engine spends most of it's time at or below 1500rpm and it's not turbocharged or direct injected. So even though I follow the oil life monitor and go 10,000 miles between changes, that oil is not being stressed very much at all.
 
Oil is oil, except if its old then its called old oil.

I think he has setup macro's and does a three key combination which has his search responses automated that picks from an AI generated list.

Just kidding, they are always on point. :)
 
Patman said:
In a nutshell, it really does depend on the car in question as well as your driving conditions/habits. I would venture to say that for a good number of cars that call for 0w20, they will get longer engine life than needed (in other words you'll trade the car long before it's engine is going to wear out anyway) If you drive very hard and in hot climates, the move to a 5w30 is probably a wise one for many people.

I will say this about my particular situation with my 2016 Civic. I strongly believe I will have no problem getting to 300,000 miles with 0w20. My climate is neither super cold or super hot, I drive this car very gently, the engine spends most of it's time at or below 1500rpm and it's not turbocharged or direct injected. So even though I follow the oil life monitor and go 10,000 miles between changes, that oil is not being stressed very much at all.
Click to expand...
Very good point. I think i was more bothered by having all these places make the decision for me than actual worry about having to work on the engine going bad. Next time I'll call around and find a more agreeable shop before going out. :)
Thanks to everyone for responding.
 
My Lexus calls for 0w-20. Many of the trips are short ones, 3 miles to the post office, 3 miles back. Its all downhill leaving my house for those three miles, dropping 1000 vertical feet. The engine is barely used to propel the car. In fact, its mostly used for engine braking, so I don't have to ride the brakes down the hill.

As a result, by the time I get to the bottom of the hill, the engine is barely warm. I decided that, with this unusual situation, I am better off to stay with the 0w-20, and if I change, it will be to 0w-30 or 0w-40
 
Engines do wear without regard to the grade of oil used.
Thing is the entire car wears and in much of the country is also subject to rust.
There is really no point in using a thicker grade of oil in an effort to extend engine life even farther beyond the life of the vehicle than it would be using 0W-20.
I see where you're coming from, but I don't think that the lighter grades should be a serious concern for those who don't track their cars and those who don't drive them like they're rentals all of the time. Even then, on the street there is rarely enough running room to seriously heat the oil and keep it at an elevated temperature for very long.
 
k1xv said:
My Lexus calls for 0w-20. Many of the trips are short ones, 3 miles to the post office, 3 miles back. Its all downhill leaving my house for those three miles, dropping 1000 vertical feet. The engine is barely used to propel the car. In fact, its mostly used for engine braking, so I don't have to ride the brakes down the hill.

As a result, by the time I get to the bottom of the hill, the engine is barely warm. I decided that, with this unusual situation, I am better off to stay with the 0w-20, and if I change, it will be to 0w-30 or 0w-40
Click to expand...
If you want it to warm up faster then a thicker oil will help with that.
 
Wolfkc said:
I read up on oil years ago and my general take away was that the upper number for when the engine was hot should be at least 30 if not 40 and the cold number was always too high so go as low as possible, certainly use 0 instead of 5 or 10. In general it may not make a huge difference but until now I’ve always been asking for 0-30 or 0-40. But today I was told at three different oil change shops that I had to use 0-20 because that was all they could select or that was their shop rule. I know the auto mfg’s have asked for thinner oil to help get their mpg up. But IMHO i suspect that is at the expense of some engine life. I'd rather lose .5 mpg and have even a few more months of engine life. Even if the cost comes out in favor of using the thinner oil, time and effort or big factors for me.
I know some people on this forum, at least in years past, do very detailed even scientific study of such things as how much running a thinner oil hurts engine life. And I know there will be some people on both sides of the issue, there always are. But I'd still like to get a few comments on what people think of being forced to stay on 0-20. Should i find a different shop to get the oil I think is better or just accept the trend?
Click to expand...
Really depends on your driving......
Where you live, hot cold.
Get a scanner and see what your oil temps get to after 30-40 mins.
Mine was 20 Bux Bluetooth obd2 and runs off my phone. Free software.

Interestingly my turbo 2.0 runs much cooler than my 3.5 V6.

89c max temp.....after lots of WOT driving on 15c weather.
Vs
111c after lots of WOT.

Look at your engine data it will tell you what it needs
 
CKN said:
Here we go...over and over again.
I have towed all over the Rocky Mountains pulling a 5,000 pound travel trailer up
7000 to 8,000 Foot mountain passes with motors using 0W/20 without issue.
Click to expand...
What were your oil temps towing?
 
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