With all the talk about the Rotella T6 5w40, would it be a bad choice for a gas engine that calls for 5w20/5w30?
Rotella T6 for a 5w20/5w30 app?
- Thread starter Johnny248
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Not necessarily. You'll be pumping glue in colder temps with no benefit if you don't require the hot operating viscosity. While I'm not up on the benefits of the "T6" thingie, it might not be a bad deal if you can get the longevity out of it ..or rather are willing to get the life out of it.
I just happen to see some at Walmart and it's priced pretty good for a syn, just didn't know what the pros/cons may be
I'd use it in summer for an engine that specs a 30, and get it out of there in the fall if it were me. And that's if I happened to just have it to use up or got some dirt cheap. Wouldn't go looking for it. Never on something specing a 20wt. Would work sure but miles away from optimal. What is it about this oil that interests you for gasoline 5w20/30 app?
I was just looking at it for the fact that Rotella has a good reputation, and like I said the pricing is really good on it.
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
and like I said the pricing is really good on it.
There are plenty of reasonably priced 5w-20/30 oils out there. PP comes to mind.
and like I said the pricing is really good on it.
There are plenty of reasonably priced 5w-20/30 oils out there. PP comes to mind.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
and like I said the pricing is really good on it.
There are plenty of reasonably priced 5w-20/30 oils out there. PP comes to mind.
Have to agree, you're better off looking elsewhere unless you end up with a diesel vehicle, great oil but not a good match for most of our gassers, they need thinner drink for the most part.
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
and like I said the pricing is really good on it.
There are plenty of reasonably priced 5w-20/30 oils out there. PP comes to mind.
Have to agree, you're better off looking elsewhere unless you end up with a diesel vehicle, great oil but not a good match for most of our gassers, they need thinner drink for the most part.
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Originally Posted By: Johnny248
I just happen to see some at Walmart and it's priced pretty good for a syn, just didn't know what the pros/cons may be
You'll lose some shorter trip fuel economy. The amount will vary with typical trip length. If you're a long distance commuter, you'll barely notice.
I'd normally pull some rhetorical point out of my behind comparing someone using a 15w-40 in Texas while a 5w-20 user in Canada is pumping even heavier fluid (in a 5w-20 spec'd vehicle) ..but your climate is close enough to our friends up north that it kinda shoots that dead.
I just happen to see some at Walmart and it's priced pretty good for a syn, just didn't know what the pros/cons may be
You'll lose some shorter trip fuel economy. The amount will vary with typical trip length. If you're a long distance commuter, you'll barely notice.
I'd normally pull some rhetorical point out of my behind comparing someone using a 15w-40 in Texas while a 5w-20 user in Canada is pumping even heavier fluid (in a 5w-20 spec'd vehicle) ..but your climate is close enough to our friends up north that it kinda shoots that dead.
I have a 1500 Chevy pickup that has 217k miles on it now and has been on Pennzoil LL 15w40 for the first 90k miles in PA. Yes winters also. Then when i moved to NC and bought the truck from my dad, i also ran Rotella and ST 15w40 in it up to about 200k miles. About last year, i switched it to dino 10w30 after reading thru BITOG for a while. I do fell it start up faster with the 10w30 in the winter but honestly i dont notice the gas mileage at all, but i do most of my driving on the highway and work 17 miles away so the engine gets good and warmed up. i do think you would notice it, if you made a lot of short trips. There are others on this site that run nothing but 15w40s and 15w50s in everything and have great luck. When i lived in PA on our farm, seems like everything got wolfs head 10w30 or rotella. I know plenty of people there that use nothing but rotella in everything. I think it depends on your situation whether it would benefit your or not. The new T6 is an awesome fit for someone looking for a 5w40 for there gasser. The 100C viscosity came down to 14.2 and it flows pretty good at cold temps. The ZDDP has come down to about 1200 in the CJ oils so compared to the CI HDEOs of yesterday that had hot viscosities of 15.5 on avg and ZDDP of 1450 on avg, these are nice HD gas engine oils. If your vehicle does many long trips or is a work truck that spends a lot of its time hot, use these with confidence. Im not claiming to know if they would realistically help your engine last longer but they would at very least work very well.
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How is it that a 5w40 versus a 5w20 gets better short trip gas mileage for the 5w20 when they are both a 5w at start-up and until warmed up? This has been a confusing area for me as I always thought a 5w meant the same for whatever grade until warmed up? Could someone give some insight? Thank you.
Originally Posted By: coffee
How is it that a 5w40 versus a 5w20 gets better short trip gas mileage for the 5w20 when they are both a 5w at start-up and until warmed up? This has been a confusing area for me as I always thought a 5w meant the same for whatever grade until warmed up? Could someone give some insight? Thank you.
The 40C viscosity is still higher on a 5w40 compared to a 5w20
The 5w is based on a Cold Cranking Simulator test
How is it that a 5w40 versus a 5w20 gets better short trip gas mileage for the 5w20 when they are both a 5w at start-up and until warmed up? This has been a confusing area for me as I always thought a 5w meant the same for whatever grade until warmed up? Could someone give some insight? Thank you.
The 40C viscosity is still higher on a 5w40 compared to a 5w20
The 5w is based on a Cold Cranking Simulator test
hmm, well, I am glad to get the info and appreciate the input.
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It's a common misconception, coffee. Most see 5w and think that the oils are identical @ -35F and get some free ride up to op temp. Have no doubts about it, at any sensible Newtonian state anything heavier at op temp is WAY heavier at cold temps. It just produces stress within limits in the Cold Crank Simulator. Some substances won't be pumpable at those temps. They won't remain fluid. They'll form a gel that "fractures" and turns into "torn plastic" just moving a chunk of the stuff around in a circle on the spindle.
Look at the MRV spec's if you want a "more true" indicator of the oil's thickness at those temps.
These are not rational terms to the undisciplined (like myself).
Look at the MRV spec's if you want a "more true" indicator of the oil's thickness at those temps.
These are not rational terms to the undisciplined (like myself).
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
It's a common misconception, coffee. Most see 5w and think that the oils are identical @ -35F and get some free ride up to op temp. Have no doubts about it, at any sensible Newtonian state anything heavier at op temp is WAY heavier at cold temps. It just produces stress within limits in the Cold Crank Simulator. Some substances won't be pumpable at those temps. They won't remain fluid. They'll form a gel that "fractures" and turns into "torn plastic" just moving a chunk of the stuff around in a circle on the spindle.
Look at the MRV spec's if you want a "more true" indicator of the oil's thickness at those temps.
These are not rational terms to the undisciplined (like myself).
Thank you, Gary Allan for the extra feedback. It does make more sense to me now.
It's a common misconception, coffee. Most see 5w and think that the oils are identical @ -35F and get some free ride up to op temp. Have no doubts about it, at any sensible Newtonian state anything heavier at op temp is WAY heavier at cold temps. It just produces stress within limits in the Cold Crank Simulator. Some substances won't be pumpable at those temps. They won't remain fluid. They'll form a gel that "fractures" and turns into "torn plastic" just moving a chunk of the stuff around in a circle on the spindle.
Look at the MRV spec's if you want a "more true" indicator of the oil's thickness at those temps.
These are not rational terms to the undisciplined (like myself).
Thank you, Gary Allan for the extra feedback. It does make more sense to me now.
I'm a big fan of RTS, but I'd have to say that in most cases its just too thick for modern vehicles that call for a 5w30 (let alone a 5w20). Not always- some engines thrive on it (Subaru turbos, Jeep 4.0, etc.). Its somewhat engine-dependent. I do wish they'd expand the RTS line to include a 5w30, its the only Group III oil that I really like.
Is it going to HURT anything? Again, probably no unless your engine has an MDS or VVT system that will throw an error if the vis is too far off what's specified.
Is it going to HURT anything? Again, probably no unless your engine has an MDS or VVT system that will throw an error if the vis is too far off what's specified.
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