0W20 instead of 5W20?

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Interesting... I've been contemplating a move toward 5w-20 (from 5w-30) with an interest in both protection AND fuel economy.

Now... 0w-20 is in the picture. I have a '94 Miata with about 170K. Thing is... I bit scared to use a 5w-20 much less a 0w-20.

I've see an oil chart (Australian) that list 5-20... But then again, newer oils are here and they didn't have these 0w-oils 17 years ago.

I'm concerned the "20" weight isn't right for my car, like Radman's post says.
 
Originally Posted By: JGmazda
Interesting... I've been contemplating a move toward 5w-20 (from 5w-30) with an interest in both protection AND fuel economy.

Now... 0w-20 is in the picture. I have a '94 Miata with about 170K. Thing is... I bit scared to use a 5w-20 much less a 0w-20.

I've see an oil chart (Australian) that list 5-20... But then again, newer oils are here and they didn't have these 0w-oils 17 years ago.

I'm concerned the "20" weight isn't right for my car, like Radman's post says.


U can get 0w30 instead of 0w20 so at least you stay within the recommended oil weight for your car...

I think i would stick with the recommended oil weight for your car..just to be on a safe side..
 
Originally Posted By: mauric3
Originally Posted By: JGmazda
Interesting... I've been contemplating a move toward 5w-20 (from 5w-30) with an interest in both protection AND fuel economy.

Now... 0w-20 is in the picture. I have a '94 Miata with about 170K. Thing is... I bit scared to use a 5w-20 much less a 0w-20.

I've see an oil chart (Australian) that list 5-20... But then again, newer oils are here and they didn't have these 0w-oils 17 years ago.

I'm concerned the "20" weight isn't right for my car, like Radman's post says.


U can get 0w30 instead of 0w20 so at least you stay within the recommended oil weight for your car...

I think i would stick with the recommended oil weight for your car..just to be on a safe side..


I'm thinking this might be a wise move. I know many manufacturers are going with the lighter (newer) oils. I think my car "could" use a 5w-20... but?

What would be the point? Immeasurable fuel economy gains? Longer life?
 
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My 04 feels like it responds much better and smoother on the lighter 5w20 oils like pennzoil ultra. I cant imagine ever using a 5w30 on the D17 engine unless i was boosted . This is Just an observation though.
 
guys if someone want cheap 0w-20 and 5w-20 Oils, check out amazon for Accel oil. It is synthetic SN and cost under $24 for 6qt case.
As I remember here was discussion about their dino oil and it was fine. Syn should be better.
 
The original question is the comparison between 5W-20 and 0W-20.
However, I think the same comparison could be made between a 5W-30 and 0W-30.
The 0W-xx will thicken LESS as temperature gets lower.
This will give you better cold flow.

The question of using a 0W-20 in place of 0W-30 is a completely different question.

If a 5W-20 is a good choice.....then a 0W-20 is a better choice in almost all situations.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
Yes. Their 0w20 is a better oil than the regular M1 5w20.


Do you (or anyone) know what is different. I have posted before about how I tend to like the AFE 0W-20 better than the traditional M1 5W-20 and folks have said that they believe the AFE is a stouter oil, or has better basestocks, or whatever.

Are there basestocks or additive differences in the 0W-20 vs. the 5W-20 that makes the 0W-20 a "better" oil at normal operating temperatures (not startup, because the differences there are probably self-explanatory).
 
Following the lead of Tig, I'm working toward a 10K oci on my wife's 07 Camry. The current fill of Toyota 0W20 will come out at 72,500 miles with about 7500 on the oil. I'm then going to do another 7500 oci using M1 0W20 to get me to 80,000. That's when I'll start the 10K oci's; the 80,000 mile mark will make it easy to remember when to do the 10K oil changes with 5K tire rotations in between. Once I get to 80K, I'm leaning toward 5W20 M1EP. I figure that in my climate, there won't be a lot of benefit to the 0W whereas the add pack in the EP oils will give me an extra margin of error. If some knowledgeable person considers my thinking flawed, I'd welcome the input.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: buster
Yes. Their 0w20 is a better oil than the regular M1 5w20.

Do you (or anyone) know what is different. I have posted before about how I tend to like the AFE 0W-20 better than the traditional M1 5W-20 and folks have said that they believe the AFE is a stouter oil, or has better basestocks, or whatever.
Are there basestocks or additive differences in the 0W-20 vs. the 5W-20 that makes the 0W-20 a "better" oil at normal operating temperatures (not startup, because the differences there are probably self-explanatory).

It's not a matter of being "better" or not but understanding what's most suitable for the application.

M1 5W-20 is heavier at all temp's vs M1 0W-20 due to it's higher 2.77cP HTHSV and lower 162 VI.
And M1 0W-20 is heavier (at operating temp's) than most other OTC 0W-20s and dino 5W-20s with it's HTHSV of 2.7cP.

If a 20wt oil is specified only a HTHSV of 2.6cP is required so technically M1 0W-20 is heavier than necessary but will be lighter on start-up than most 5W-20s with HTHSV of 2.6cP due to it's higher 173 VI.

If you want the lightest oil possible on start-up that would be the EOM made Toyota 0W-20 with it's 216 VI. It's 25% lighter than M1 0W-20 at room temperature and a full 35% lighter at 32F.

As with any motor oil, talking about the SAE grade on the bottle is just the beginning of what you should be looking at. The underlying spec's is what tells the real story.
 
Thanks for the info guys, and I am going to try the 0W20 AFE Mobil 1 anyways.


thanks folks


adam
 
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