I have a brand new 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 with the HEMI engine. What oil has been ran successfully in these motors? I am hoping to change the oil for the first time today. It does require 5W-20. I currently have 3,000 miles on the truck. The owner's manual states to change the oil every 8,000 miles. Is everyone sticking with this interval? Thanks!
2011 Dodge HEMI - Which Oil???
- Thread starter jsjonz01
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Does the manual specify a certain oil to use? With 8K oil change intervals, would need to be synthetic in my book. 5/20 in a pick up is an obvious way to get better MPG's from the big hemi, but at the same time, for towing? mmmmm You may want to hit up the Hemi boards and see what people are using. I bet most arent even using 5/20. Maybe if it is used as a "car" and not a "truck" that would be fine. But for "real" truck duties, like towing, and hauling? Its really depends on your driving habits. Just shooting from the hip here, but any name brand synthetic in that Hemi should be fine. Again, check the Hemi boards and see what everyone is liking and go from there. IMO.
Here are a couple statements straight from the Owner's Manual:
1) "Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine must use
SAE 5W-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper
operation of the Multi-Displacement System (MDS)."
2) "Under no circumstances should oil change
intervals exceed 8,000 miles (13 000 km) or six months,
whichever occurs first."
1) "Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine must use
SAE 5W-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper
operation of the Multi-Displacement System (MDS)."
2) "Under no circumstances should oil change
intervals exceed 8,000 miles (13 000 km) or six months,
whichever occurs first."
I am running Amsoil 5W-20 XL in my 2010 Hemi and it is working out well.
Yes the MDS requires 5w-20 to operate correctly.
I plan to stick with Wix filter and Amsoil 5W-20.
Yes the MDS requires 5w-20 to operate correctly.
I plan to stick with Wix filter and Amsoil 5W-20.
Yes you must use 5W-20 in that engine. AFAIK only syn oils are available in that weight, and there are many choices that would work well. If you're looking for an off the shelf oil, you could use PP, PU, M1, Edge, Synpower, etc. Others choose boutique oils such as Amsoil and Red Line. Most people who post on this forum go between 5k and 7k using syn oils without issue.
I disagree that only synthetic oils are available in 5W-20. There are many conventional oils made by Valvoline, Mobil, Pennzoil, etc. that 5W-20 oils. I believe if a person wanted to, they would be fine with a conventional oil in 5W-20 as well. I am leaning towards a synthetic though.
I'd probably use any conventional 5W-20 and change it out every 5,000 miles. Cheap and easy, and the engine'll last forever.
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
I have a brand new 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 with the HEMI engine. What oil has been ran successfully in these motors? I am hoping to change the oil for the first time today. It does require 5W-20. I currently have 3,000 miles on the truck. The owner's manual states to change the oil every 8,000 miles. Is everyone sticking with this interval? Thanks!
Congrat's on the new truck. The new 4th Gen Rams are really nice. I see Dodge changed the mileage limit for 2011 and upped it to 8000( that is the MAXIMUM you may go between OC's and not the recommended schedule just FYI ).Previously it was 6000.
You need...
5W-20
Meets Exceeds Chrysler MS6395
API Certified w/ Starburst
Change by OLM - OR - 6 months/8000 miles( whichever of the 3 comes 1st )
I personally recommend a synthetic. The HEMI does really well on synthetics. You can run conventional oil but IMO a synthetic is a better option. Any of the following will meet your warranty requirements and do a good job( my personal order of preference but ANY of them will do the job )...
Kendall GT1
Penzoil Platinum/Ultra
Valvoline Synpower
Amsoil XL or OE( only lines that are API Certified through Amsoil )
I run Royal Purple in my 08 HEMI Ram and also ran it in my 04 HEMI Ram and it works great. Doesn't meet the API Starburst requirement however but it is at least API Certified( SL ). If that doesn't concern you I highly recommend RP to you.
Just use a quality filter of your choice( RP, K&N, M1, Wix/Napa Gold, Purolator, Bosch, MOPAR, etc... ).
I have a brand new 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 with the HEMI engine. What oil has been ran successfully in these motors? I am hoping to change the oil for the first time today. It does require 5W-20. I currently have 3,000 miles on the truck. The owner's manual states to change the oil every 8,000 miles. Is everyone sticking with this interval? Thanks!
Congrat's on the new truck. The new 4th Gen Rams are really nice. I see Dodge changed the mileage limit for 2011 and upped it to 8000( that is the MAXIMUM you may go between OC's and not the recommended schedule just FYI ).Previously it was 6000.
You need...
5W-20
Meets Exceeds Chrysler MS6395
API Certified w/ Starburst
Change by OLM - OR - 6 months/8000 miles( whichever of the 3 comes 1st )
I personally recommend a synthetic. The HEMI does really well on synthetics. You can run conventional oil but IMO a synthetic is a better option. Any of the following will meet your warranty requirements and do a good job( my personal order of preference but ANY of them will do the job )...
Kendall GT1
Penzoil Platinum/Ultra
Valvoline Synpower
Amsoil XL or OE( only lines that are API Certified through Amsoil )
I run Royal Purple in my 08 HEMI Ram and also ran it in my 04 HEMI Ram and it works great. Doesn't meet the API Starburst requirement however but it is at least API Certified( SL ). If that doesn't concern you I highly recommend RP to you.
Just use a quality filter of your choice( RP, K&N, M1, Wix/Napa Gold, Purolator, Bosch, MOPAR, etc... ).
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Any thoughts on using the Mobil 1 0W-20? Seems like most people enjoy using Mobil 1, and thought I "might" save a few cents on fuel, since the HEMI loves to drink it. I have not averaged over 15 MPG yet, but I still love the truck! This is my first Dodge, and I already like it much better than any Chevrolet or Ford I had in the past. It also seems much more quiet than the new Chevrolet and Ford trucks.
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It is very True, Not only synthetics come in 5/20. If the OEM manual states to change the oil every six months or up to 8K miles, then I would only use a synthetic for 2 reasons. 1) your towing or hauling all the time where oil temps get high. or 2) you plan on keeping the truck 10 yrs. The synthetic will keep things cleaner in there over a decade of use. My Dad actually did his own study when he managed an ACURA dealership. He, had one fleet ACURA Legend (at the time, this was in the late 80's) use M1 15/50 for 100K miles. Then had another identical vehicle run conventional oil for 100K miles. Right before my Dad left ACURA, the mechanics pulled the valve covers off. OMG the difference. Ever since then, I have been sold on Synthetics. The one with synthetic was so clean you can eat off it. The other?? looked well brown and tarnished, and you could scrape black [censored] off the conventional oil valve cover. Wow. Again, that was 25 yrs ago and conventional oils are much better now. But that image is still in my head.
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
I disagree that only synthetic oils are available in 5W-20.
You're right, that's not a weight that I buy so I misspoke.
I don't think I'd use the 0W-20, I'd stick with the 5W-20, at least until the warranty is up. Again, you have many choices that will work for you. Congrats on the truck, those are nice
I disagree that only synthetic oils are available in 5W-20.
You're right, that's not a weight that I buy so I misspoke.
I don't think I'd use the 0W-20, I'd stick with the 5W-20, at least until the warranty is up. Again, you have many choices that will work for you. Congrats on the truck, those are nice
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I agree congrats on the new Truck very nice indeed
Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
I disagree that only synthetic oils are available in 5W-20.
You're right, that's not a weight that I buy so I misspoke.
I don't think I'd use the 0W-20, I'd stick with the 5W-20, at least until the warranty is up. Again, you have many choices that will work for you. Congrats on the truck, those are nice
No problem...I didn't want to sound rude. Thanks for your reply!
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
I disagree that only synthetic oils are available in 5W-20.
You're right, that's not a weight that I buy so I misspoke.
I don't think I'd use the 0W-20, I'd stick with the 5W-20, at least until the warranty is up. Again, you have many choices that will work for you. Congrats on the truck, those are nice
No problem...I didn't want to sound rude. Thanks for your reply!
Originally Posted By: jsjonz01
Any thoughts on using the Mobil 1 0W-20? Seems like most people enjoy using Mobil 1, and thought I "might" save a few cents on fuel, since the HEMI loves to drink it. I have not averaged over 15 MPG yet, but I still love the truck! This is my first Dodge, and I already like it much better than any Chevrolet or Ford I had in the past. It also seems much more quiet than the new Chevrolet and Ford trucks.
I am not a big Mobil oil fan and that is why I did not list it. I will leave it at that to try and avoid any Mobil bashing comments. With that said their 5W-20 and 0W-20 that meet the requirements are ok to use.
You could run the 0W-20 if you want and be ok. As long as it is a 20 weight you are fine as far as MDS goes so either 5W or 0W will work. If your HEMI develops the infamous HEMI tick( not sure if it is an issue on the new redesigned 5.7L - 2009+ - or not? ) be advised for some reason on the 03-08 version anyway M1 seems to make it louder.
Mobil oils will be fine. If you want to run a 0W-20 to try and save some fuel $$$ or to allow for easier cold weather starting they will be fine. If you really want to run a 0W-20 there are other options besides Mobil if you can find them...
Penzoil Platinum, Valvoline Synpower, and Kendall GT1 are all available in 0W-20. Again, finding them may be an issue whereas Mobil 0W-20 is available at most Wal-Marts.
Any thoughts on using the Mobil 1 0W-20? Seems like most people enjoy using Mobil 1, and thought I "might" save a few cents on fuel, since the HEMI loves to drink it. I have not averaged over 15 MPG yet, but I still love the truck! This is my first Dodge, and I already like it much better than any Chevrolet or Ford I had in the past. It also seems much more quiet than the new Chevrolet and Ford trucks.
I am not a big Mobil oil fan and that is why I did not list it. I will leave it at that to try and avoid any Mobil bashing comments. With that said their 5W-20 and 0W-20 that meet the requirements are ok to use.
You could run the 0W-20 if you want and be ok. As long as it is a 20 weight you are fine as far as MDS goes so either 5W or 0W will work. If your HEMI develops the infamous HEMI tick( not sure if it is an issue on the new redesigned 5.7L - 2009+ - or not? ) be advised for some reason on the 03-08 version anyway M1 seems to make it louder.
Mobil oils will be fine. If you want to run a 0W-20 to try and save some fuel $$$ or to allow for easier cold weather starting they will be fine. If you really want to run a 0W-20 there are other options besides Mobil if you can find them...
Penzoil Platinum, Valvoline Synpower, and Kendall GT1 are all available in 0W-20. Again, finding them may be an issue whereas Mobil 0W-20 is available at most Wal-Marts.
I currently have PU in my VVT Hemi, and it seems to like it. I just put it in about 1 month ago. I change by "time interval", because it comes first on mine.
I have used Mobil 1 5W-20 once in a Chrysler product and drained it out soon after I put it in because of noise (ticking at hot idle). I don't know about how it works in the Hemi engines. But my 3.8L V-6 didn't like it. It runs quiet on anything else. The Pennzoil products seem to run best in it.
My local Walmart carries Valvoline SynPower in 0W-20. Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra 5W-20 would be my choice, though, if you wanted to use synthetic oil.
What filter does the Hemi take? If it's an MO-090 or MO-899, Walmart has you covered there, too. It's a quality filter for 5 bucks. Hard to beat.
My local Walmart carries Valvoline SynPower in 0W-20. Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra 5W-20 would be my choice, though, if you wanted to use synthetic oil.
What filter does the Hemi take? If it's an MO-090 or MO-899, Walmart has you covered there, too. It's a quality filter for 5 bucks. Hard to beat.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I have used Mobil 1 5W-20 once in a Chrysler product and drained it out soon after I put it in because of noise (ticking at hot idle). I don't know about how it works in the Hemi engines. But my 3.8L V-6 didn't like it. It runs quiet on anything else. The Pennzoil products seem to run best in it.
My local Walmart carries Valvoline SynPower in 0W-20. Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra 5W-20 would be my choice, though, if you wanted to use synthetic oil.
What filter does the Hemi take? If it's an MO-090 or MO-899, Walmart has you covered there, too. It's a quality filter for 5 bucks. Hard to beat.
The filter for the 4.7L and 5.7L changed in 2008 and went to the metric one( MO-899 ).
I have used Mobil 1 5W-20 once in a Chrysler product and drained it out soon after I put it in because of noise (ticking at hot idle). I don't know about how it works in the Hemi engines. But my 3.8L V-6 didn't like it. It runs quiet on anything else. The Pennzoil products seem to run best in it.
My local Walmart carries Valvoline SynPower in 0W-20. Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra 5W-20 would be my choice, though, if you wanted to use synthetic oil.
What filter does the Hemi take? If it's an MO-090 or MO-899, Walmart has you covered there, too. It's a quality filter for 5 bucks. Hard to beat.
The filter for the 4.7L and 5.7L changed in 2008 and went to the metric one( MO-899 ).
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Plenty of conventional 5W-20 oils out there.
Now 0w-20 USED to be synthetic only. Nowadays, there are blends that are 0W-20.
I wonder why Xw-20 is needed for proper operation of the multiple displacement as that's largely a computer operation, cutting off fuel and spark to four cylinders when manifold vacuum is high.
Now 0w-20 USED to be synthetic only. Nowadays, there are blends that are 0W-20.
I wonder why Xw-20 is needed for proper operation of the multiple displacement as that's largely a computer operation, cutting off fuel and spark to four cylinders when manifold vacuum is high.
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