Changing from 5W-30 to 0W-30

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Well, I'm convinced... this forum and my internet researching SKILLZZZZ have led me to believe that 0W-30 is the only way to go in my car.

I have a Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5SE (VQ35DE)...

I'm just curious if/when others have done this and their stories. I did a search and found a couple of good posts, just thought I'd ask.
 
Originally Posted By: Ram01
Noo it will cause more engine wear

LoL, no it wont.
Rule #1: most wear occurs at start up. You want thinnest possible oil at ambient temp.
0w will be thinner than 5w, which in theory will give less wear.
Both of you please read
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/
P.S don't look at my reg. date, it's new acct, I've been here long enough.
 
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Originally Posted By: ACoupe09
Well, I'm convinced... this forum and my internet researching SKILLZZZZ have led me to believe that 0W-30 is the only way to go in my car.

I have a Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5SE (VQ35DE)...

I'm just curious if/when others have done this and their stories. I did a search and found a couple of good posts, just thought I'd ask.


That may help you to choose oil.
LINK
 
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Originally Posted By: MBS500

P.S don't look at my reg. date, it's new acct, I've been here long enough.


No need to explain, hey you are a registered BITOGer, hence an expert in oil matters, right?
 
Originally Posted By: ACoupe09
0W-30 is the only way to go in my car.


Although I suspect I know what you mean, I would not word it like you did.

But, I'm not familiar with Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5SE (VQ35DE), so I'm not going to comment more.
 
I have exact engine in an Infiniti M35 and have run 5w30, 0w30, 5w30 HDD, 10w30.
I switched to Mobil 1 0w40 and the difference is like night and day. The engine is noticeably smoother and quieter, mileage didn't take any noticeable hit either.

If there was ever an engine really needs 0w40 i would honestly have to say its this one. It didn't run this quiet when it was brand new.
Check out the UOA on 0w40 in the UOA section from a guy running this engine and oil combo.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2641619#Post2641619

Edit: Link added.
 
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Originally Posted By: ACoupe09
Well, I'm convinced... this forum and my internet researching SKILLZZZZ have led me to believe that 0W-30 is the only way to go in my car.





I don't think that it's possible to assert that all 0W30 grade oils is always better than all 5W30 oils in all applications. The answer depends on the specific product and application. There could be several excellent 5W30 and 0W30 oils for your application. 0W30 is supposed to flow better in below freezing temperatures, so if you live in the north then it's a good year-round or winter-only motor oil grade.

Once the engine is warmed up then 0W30, 5W30, and 10W30 are supposed to flow like a 30-grade oil. Of course, 30-grade is encompasses a range of viscosities, so you can have 0W30 oil that's thicker than 10W30 at 100C. In terms of how stout the oils are, 0W30 supposedly requires more viscosity improvers than 5W30 to allow good flow of oil in freezing temperatures while flowing like 30 grade when its warm.
 
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Originally Posted By: MBS500
Originally Posted By: Ram01
Noo it will cause more engine wear

LoL, no it wont.
Rule #1: most wear occurs at start up. You want thinnest possible oil at ambient temp.
0w will be thinner than 5w, which in theory will give less wear.

So where does the 5W oil go when the oil pump starts pumping? I keep hearing this start up wear stuff and the more I think about it the more silly it sounds. And I use 0W-20. But I'm just about to start using 10W30.
 
Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: MBS500
Originally Posted By: Ram01
Noo it will cause more engine wear

LoL, no it wont.
Rule #1: most wear occurs at start up. You want thinnest possible oil at ambient temp.
0w will be thinner than 5w, which in theory will give less wear.

So where does the 5W oil go when the oil pump starts pumping? I keep hearing this start up wear stuff and the more I think about it the more silly it sounds. And I use 0W-20. But I'm just about to start using 10W30.

In simple words, 0w oil will reach engine parts faster at start up (especially cold morning start)than 5w.
If there is 90F outside during summer, 0w and 5w may have same viscosity at that temp. But the lower the temp, the more difference between them.
 
Fords call for 5-20, so when I switched to 0-20 I noticed the engine remained very quite and smooth vs the 5-20EP I was using. These faster flowing 0wt oils today are outstanding and gives us better cold starts.
 
Originally Posted By: MBS500
In simple words, 0w oil will reach engine parts faster at start up (especially cold morning start)than 5w.
If there is 90F outside during summer, 0w and 5w may have same viscosity at that temp. But the lower the temp, the more difference between them.


There will be no discernible difference between a 5W and 0W 30 in this guys application. 5w30 is perfectly suited to Mass.

Depending on the 0W30, it may even be thicker than a 5W30 at the cold temps he'll see.

Additionally, in my research and experience, most start up wear is not caused by a lack of oil flow if you're using an appropriate oil for your temp, but by corrosion of components due to condensation and acid build up when the hot engine cools. Someone just recently posted a paper on it and it makes sense in several of my trail rig's UOA's running Delo SAE30 with many start/stops during a typical wheeling season.
 
Just because its says 0w its no guarantee you have better oil flow at cold temps vs a 5w.

In the case of M1, 5w30 has better cold flow than 0w30 the colder it gets, which is counter what you would think. With global warming its rare to see temps below 0F in this area anymore.

In the case of M1, 0w20 is clearly the winner at cold temps, a tie for 2nd with 5w30 and 0w40, 0w30 coming in 3rd.

I cant screen grab flash the graph so here's the link to the Calculating the viscosity curve tool, you can make your own graph:
http://widman.biz/English/Calculators/Graph.html

For the data use this link to M1 product sheets, pick the oil, scroll to the bottom for the different oils product data sheets. Plug in the fields. I used M1 0w20, 0w30, 5w30, 0w40 100ºC, cSt and 40ºC, cSt #'s from the product data sheets
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_0W-30.aspx#

This data and graph will back up my claim factually.
 
Graph of those Mobil 1 oils. 5W-30 is definitely thinner at 32°F than 0W-30. Very odd. The 0W-30 is just very slightly thinner than the 5W-30 (not by much, they're almost identical) at normal operating temp.

Higher percentage of PAO blended into the 5W-30 maybe?

Mobil1comparison.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
Graph of those Mobil 1 oils. 5W-30 is definitely thinner at 32°F than 0W-30. Very odd. The 0W-30 is just very slightly thinner than the 5W-30 (not by much, they're almost identical) at normal operating temp.

As was noted in the past, this tools in not very reliable for very low ambient temps (say 32F and below). Using just two data points (Visc at 40C and at 100C) cannot account for different oil chemistries and things like pour point depressants that may be present in various amounts in different oils.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
Graph of those Mobil 1 oils. 5W-30 is definitely thinner at 32°F than 0W-30. Very odd. The 0W-30 is just very slightly thinner than the 5W-30 (not by much, they're almost identical) at normal operating temp.

As was noted in the past, this tools in not very reliable for very low ambient temps (say 32F and below). Using just two data points (Visc at 40C and at 100C) cannot account for different oil chemistries and things like pour point depressants that may be present in various amounts in different oils.

Not unreliable enough to discount the results entirely though. UOA's have been proven to be unreliable in some cases too. But still valuable. Not sure there is a perfect tool.

Ironic humor here, dont take it wrong Pete:

Post an opinion - discount the opinion, no facts
Post with facts - discount facts as inaccurate or incorrect
Go with your gut and keep it to yourself
01.gif
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
In the case of M1, 5w30 has better cold flow than 0w30 the colder it gets, which is counter what you would think. With global warming its rare to see temps below 0F in this area anymore.


That wouldn't hold true where MRV is measured. Also, Widman's calculator has problems with accuracy when it gets down to really cold temperatures. Aside from that, you're quite right that a 0w-30 doesn't have to flow better than a 5w-30 at cool temperatures. If you get cold enough, though, it does matter.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Ironic humor here, dont take it wrong Pete:

Post an opinion - discount the opinion, no facts
Post with facts - discount facts as inaccurate or incorrect

Haha.
smile.gif


The only facts in this scenario are Visc at 40C and at 100C. Everything else on that graph is extrapolation that may or may not be accurate. That's all I'm saying.

As for the OP's original question, my gut feeling would be that he won't see a whole lot of difference between 5w-30 and 0w-30, but of course it depends on the specific products, as was already noted by you.
 
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