Dino vs synthetic for cold starts

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Originally Posted By: eljefino
Get a bottle of each and leave them outside then shake them about or do your own pour test. You'll convince yourself better than we ever could.

Save the dino for April.
wink.gif




I personally think we all make too big of a deal out of this stuff. I remember my first car sat outside the whole time I owned it. (a 75 Ford Granada with the 302 smog dog motor) I ran 10W40 Quaker State Sterling oil in it. And back in those day`s we used to have some real cold night`s (pre Global warming day`s lol) Never any problems,except for it being very cold blooded. And keep in mind,this was with the OLD Conventional oil! Today`s are much,much better.
 
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Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Get a bottle of each and leave them outside then shake them about or do your own pour test. You'll convince yourself better than we ever could.

Save the dino for April.
wink.gif




I personally think we all make too big of a deal out of this stuff. I remember my first car sat outside the whole time I owned it. (a 75 Ford Granada with the 302 smog dog motor) I ran 10W40 Quaker State Sterling oil in it. And back in those day`s we used to have some real cold night`s (pre Global warming day`s lol) Never any problems,except for it being very cold blooded. And keep in mind,this was with the OLD Conventional oil! Today`s are much,much better.


I think this sums it up perfectly - people got lots and lots of cars started on group-1 10W-40's in the 1970's and 1980's w/o much issue, but on here, we freak out about not having a '0W' syn in a car in winter!

The Honda syn-blend 5W-20 will be perfect for your Civic.
 
I guess it doesn't get cold in Canada. HaHa. Anyway I lived in Maine in the 60s and 70s and used Valvoline 10-40 in my Chevy V8. When it was extremely cold -10to -25F the Valvoline was terrible in the V8 Chevy. Every morning very slow cranking and lots of lifter clatter. I first switched to Amsoil 10-40( 1977) and there was a huge differance. No lifter clatter and easier starting. Later in 1978 I changed to M1 5-20 and again no lifter clatter or hard starting.
 
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I agree with the block heater. I had a old beater 86 c-vic that lived its life on 5w30. It wouldnt want to start in the winter with out being plugged in for at least an hour or a heavy drink of starting fluid down its gullet.

But todays oils are great, I've ran both 5w30 and 5w20 in my pick up and the 5w20 has a easyer start then the 30 weight.
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Get a bottle of each and leave them outside then shake them about or do your own pour test. You'll convince yourself better than we ever could.

Save the dino for April.
wink.gif




I personally think we all make too big of a deal out of this stuff. I remember my first car sat outside the whole time I owned it. (a 75 Ford Granada with the 302 smog dog motor) I ran 10W40 Quaker State Sterling oil in it. And back in those day`s we used to have some real cold night`s (pre Global warming day`s lol) Never any problems,except for it being very cold blooded. And keep in mind,this was with the OLD Conventional oil! Today`s are much,much better.

I dont think we should compare sloppy clearanced 70s V engines (with their attendant 100K miles max service life) to today's engines with electronic dingleberries, etc.
 
if any thing it`s a wash then. Today`s Conventional oil is better than ever to make up the difference right?
 
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if any thing it`s a wash then. Today`s Conventional oil is better than ever to make up the difference right?


Well, there's a difference between just getting the car started with adequate lubrication so it doesn't tear itself apart, and getting it started easily with better lubrication until the engine gets warmed up. Synthetics mean less wear and tear on the starter, and better lubrication at cold temps.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Originally Posted By: moviedave
To be perfectly honest, I was planning on trying the Honda 5w-20 synthetic blend.


If you're going to seek out Honda-brand oil, get the 0w20.


+1 I've heard Toyota's 0W-20 is quite similar to the Honda, and competitively priced. Being in Minnesota, you'll notice a difference.

I personally do fine using synthetic 5W-30 in Alberta, but my vehicle is usually (unheated) garage parked overnight, and if I could find a good 0W-30 at a similar price and availability to the 5W-30, I'd make the switch. Not sure I would do an xW-20 on my vehicle on a regular basis (though my current fill is a Syntec 5W-20). Though it's now back-spec'd for it, it was originally spec'd for 5W-30. Believe Honda's have had xW-20's spec'd from new for quite some time now. In those applications, I'm far more comfortable with an xW-20.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy


I think this sums it up perfectly - people got lots and lots of cars started on group-1 10W-40's in the 1970's and 1980's w/o much issue, but on here, we freak out about not having a '0W' syn in a car in winter!


Ever since 0w came out, i don't see a reason why NOT to run it in the winter. If it flows better even a little better then a 5w synthetic, i would switch.

You get THAT much better engine protection during start up. It might not be much in your everyday beaters but with a more expensive car/engine, i'd recommend it just to squeeze out those few extra miles of durability outta the block.
 
Originally Posted By: Sal69
It wouldnt want to start in the winter with out being plugged in for at least an hour or a heavy drink of starting fluid down its gullet.


I don't know why, but this struck me as hilarious...the word "gullet". I'm really sitting here laughing hard enough it's hard to type.
 
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I don't know where you are in MN but I live just across the border from International Falls and I was outside bout 10 minutes a go to let the dog out and had a look at the thermometer and it is -40 outside my house right now. I'd go for a full synthetic. In these temperatures your motor needs all the help it can get. The oil in my diesel will probably still be sludge when I go to start it in the morning and its 0W40 and its plugged in right now. I doubt it will run cause the fuel will be gel. Your motor will thank you as the oil will actually flow when you go to start it up. If you really wanna see go buy a L of dino and a L of synthetic and leave them outside on a night like tonight and try and pour them in the morning. The dino wont flow out very fast.
 
I can't imagine how cold those temps would be to live in year after year. People in NYC complain when the temps get down to 20 degrees. I usually get a wicked wind chill being close to the ocean, but I can't imagine -40 F.
 
Got to -46 last night here. -30 right now in the morning. Gotta have synthetic around here if you want your motor to have oil pressure when it starts.
 
A block heater will do more good for your engine than any sythetic oil!!!! I lived in Winnipeg where the typical winter morning is -20c to -45c and have never run synthetic in any of my cars. Waste of money for most drivers IMO.
Use a good quality dino based on manufacturers specifications and a good block heater and your vehicle will have zero starting or oil pressure worries.
 
Originally Posted By: mongo161
I can't imagine how cold those temps would be to live in year after year. People in NYC complain when the temps get down to 20 degrees. I usually get a wicked wind chill being close to the ocean, but I can't imagine -40 F.


To be fair, it is different. The dry cold actually means you can tolerate a lower absolute temperature than a damp cold. But then once you start dropping below a certain point (say -20C to -25C), then dry or damp, it's [censored] cold no matter what. You just spend more time indoors on those days. Can't speak for other parts, but those excessively cold days are usually only a couple or three weeks total out of the entire winter here. But I do ensure I am winterized to at least -40 or lower (oil, coolant, washer fluid).
 
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Use a full synthetic. Motor will turn over more easily.
"full synthetic is a meaningless appellation these days - could be less than 20% "real" synthetic". The word means NOTHING. Go by specs. Many syn are not rated for exceptional cold flow. MRV under 15KcP at -40 would be a good start. PetroCanada makes some good looking extreme winter oils (spec wise), IN wally world: M1 AFE of course and EDGE, most likely some QS stuff too.
 
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