5w20 vs. 0w20

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pbm

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I read 9 pages of the Amsoil 20wt. thread only to discover that it was locked (due to a 'personal attack' that I could not find).
I know that Caterham is a 'thinner is better' guy but I'm asking if there is really any difference in using 5w20 vs. 0w20 in a NY winter where 0*F would be the absolute lowest temp. seen (normally teens to 20's in the AM).
I'm talking 5K OCI's (not extended). ???
 
No real difference really, unless youre in cold weather, and i think the difference is +/- 10 degrees or so.

Honestly use whatever works, and is cheapest.
 
The advantage of 0w20 weight over 5w20 weight is better start up or cold flow properties ( any oil not upto operating temp is considered "cold" ). The length of OCI has no affect on your choice of oil weight between the two.

Geographically, your location is an excellent example of where the merits of 0w20 shine over 5w20. Especially during the really cold morning starts, 0w20 will flow better/faster and will get upto operating temperatures faster.

Recommendations in 0w20 oil would be :

1) Toyota Full Syn 0w20 ( available at your nearest dealer for anywhere between $5 ~ 10$ per qt. Excellent oil with very high VI indicating excellent cold flow properties. )
2) M1 0w20 AFE ( available at almost every walmart. Great everyday choice oil with a decent VI )
3) PP 0w20 ( generally available at walmart as well. Not much is known about this oil here. Specs speak well and few who have tried it like it. Expect an excellent year round oil like always from SOPUS )
4) Quaker State Ultimate Durability 0w20 ( again generally found at wally world. Inexpensive choice but not necessarily the first choice )

Hope this helps ......
 
The 5w20's can be dino, syn blend or full syn while all the 0w20's I'm aware of will be full syn. Not sure full syn would be a very good ROI at 5k, but if you go full syn you might as well go 0w20.

For the temps your expecting I doubt you'd be unhappy with a 5w20.
 
What is the consensus on NAPA syn 0w20 for a 5 or 6K OCI?

PS: When I started driving in the mid 1970's most people used 10w40. I remember when 5w30 came out I thought it was like H20.
Now we have arguments over the thickness of Toyota 0w20 vs. Mobil 1 0w20.
I think that if I bought a new Camry and used NAPA 0w20 at 5 or 6K intervals the motor would outlast the rest of the car....

PS2: I think Amsoil makes awesome oils....I also think Mobil 1 is an awesome oil. Mobil 1 is easier to get and probably cheaper so that's what I use in my turbo Cruze.
I think that SS is on par with M1 Extended...XL is similar to regular M1 and OE is similar to Mobil Super Syn....
 
0w20 can be syn-blend or full-synthetic, but most are full-synthetic. Honda 0w20 is the only widely available syn-blend 0w20.

Toyota specs a 10k interval for the 2.5 Camry on 0w20.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
What is the consensus on NAPA syn 0w20 for a 5 or 6K OCI?

PS: When I started driving in the mid 1970's most people used 10w40. I remember when 5w30 came out I thought it was like H20.
Now we have arguments over Toyota 0w20 vs. Mobil 1 0w20.
I think that if I bought a new Camry and used NAPA 0w20 at 5 or 6K intervals the motor would outlast the rest of the car....

PS2: I think Amsoil makes awesome oils....I also think Mobil 1 is an awesome oil. Mobil 1 is easier to get and probably cheaper so that's what I use in my turbo Cruze.
I think that SS is on par with M1 Extended...Xl is similar to regular m1 and OE is similar to Mobil Super Syn....


Amsoil XL and OE here are cheaper than M1 qts,
if youre doing an 5-6k OCI, OE is the better option over M1

of course Jugs of M1 at chinamart are a good deal, but quart wise, OE is cheaper
 
Napa Syn is a great value syn. Its usually on sale every few months for 3.49/qt. Its made by Ashland and has a similar addpack as Valvoline Synpower does. Just maybe a little lesser in amount. It will work great for a 5k oci. Problem is , there are many 5w20 in the market which are thinner than 0w20 Synpower while being just as thick at operating temperature (i.e. having a better VI ).

Still, if you use it , and change oil every 5~6k , I do believe you will not be suffering from an oil related issue over the life of the vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
Napa Syn is a great value syn. Its usually on sale every few months for 3.49/qt. Its made by Ashland and has a similar addpack as Valvoline Synpower does. Just maybe a little lesser in amount. It will work great for a 5k oci. Problem is , there are many 5w20 in the market which are thinner than 0w20 Synpower while being just as thick at operating temperature (i.e. having a better VI ).

Still, if you use it , and change oil every 5~6k , I do believe you will not be suffering from an oil related issue over the life of the vehicle.



Bourne: Which 5w20's are so thin. I'm not being a smart-[censored] but I'd like to know which dino is such a great cold weather oil?
 
Originally Posted By: pbm



Bourne: Which 5w20's are so thin. I'm not being a smart-[censored] but I'd like to know which dino is such a great cold weather oil?


Sorry , misunderstanding. I was talking only in terms of full syn . Whenever we talk about oil for a place where it gets really cold, I automatically always think full syn in my mind.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: bourne
Napa Syn is a great value syn. Its usually on sale every few months for 3.49/qt. Its made by Ashland and has a similar addpack as Valvoline Synpower does. Just maybe a little lesser in amount. It will work great for a 5k oci. Problem is , there are many 5w20 in the market which are thinner than 0w20 Synpower while being just as thick at operating temperature (i.e. having a better VI ).

Still, if you use it , and change oil every 5~6k , I do believe you will not be suffering from an oil related issue over the life of the vehicle.



Bourne: Which 5w20's are so thin. I'm not being a smart-[censored] but I'd like to know which dino is such a great cold weather oil?


Plenty of 5w20 syns have more VI's than 0w20 syns,

he said 5w20, he didnt say Dino only.
 
Mobil recommends, per their web site and telephone calls, 10w-30, year round for NYC in my T4R.

I usually run 5w-30, conventional/synthetic blend for winter use.

Next month I'll be using 3 quarts of the Old Castrol Syntec, 5w-30, SM, GF-4 from the Gallon clearance at Kmart. I'll blend in 3 quarts of Castrol SynBlend,(Synthetic Blend), 10w-30, SM, GF-4 that I picked up at AAP on clearance.

Use what ever you have that is in spec. for your vehicle at the best price you can find.

NAPA synthetic is very good oil so is VWB, PYB, GTX, MC5....for 5K runs.
 
Last edited:
While I'm not big on using an xW-20 in my application (Toyota 3MZ-FE), even though it is back spec'd, I will say that either a 0W-20 or 5W-20 will be just fine for your application.

I use 5W-30 synthetic, and would love to use 0W-30 synthetic were it more widely available and as easy to get. I also live where temperatures reach at least once each winter down to -40. 5W-30 serves me well. By extension, 5W-20 will handle NYC winters with ease.
 
Originally Posted By: bourne
The advantage of 0w20 weight over 5w20 weight is better start up or cold flow properties ( any oil not upto operating temp is considered "cold" ). The length of OCI has no affect on your choice of oil weight between the two.

Geographically, your location is an excellent example of where the merits of 0w20 shine over 5w20. Especially during the really cold morning starts, 0w20 will flow better/faster and will get upto operating temperatures faster.

Recommendations in 0w20 oil would be :

1) Toyota Full Syn 0w20 ( available at your nearest dealer for anywhere between $5 ~ 10$ per qt. Excellent oil with very high VI indicating excellent cold flow properties. )
2) M1 0w20 AFE ( available at almost every walmart. Great everyday choice oil with a decent VI )
3) PP 0w20 ( generally available at walmart as well. Not much is known about this oil here. Specs speak well and few who have tried it like it. Expect an excellent year round oil like always from SOPUS )
4) Quaker State Ultimate Durability 0w20 ( again generally found at wally world. Inexpensive choice but not necessarily the first choice )

Hope this helps ......

+1....IMO....the above is the best information for this post. Better start-up and getting up to operating temps faster...are the main reasons I'll be using M-1 0w20 on my next OCI.

M-1 0w20 and 5w20....are the same price ($24.97) for the 5 quart jug at WalMart....and I'll be using it year-round...with an OCI of around 7500 +/- miles. Its easy to get, a top rated oil, priced reasonably, and can do 10k OCI under ideal driving habits.
 
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: bourne
Napa Syn is a great value syn. Its usually on sale every few months for 3.49/qt. Its made by Ashland and has a similar addpack as Valvoline Synpower does. Just maybe a little lesser in amount. It will work great for a 5k oci. Problem is , there are many 5w20 in the market which are thinner than 0w20 Synpower while being just as thick at operating temperature (i.e. having a better VI ).

Still, if you use it , and change oil every 5~6k , I do believe you will not be suffering from an oil related issue over the life of the vehicle.



Bourne: Which 5w20's are so thin. I'm not being a smart-[censored] but I'd like to know which dino is such a great cold weather oil?


Plenty of 5w20 syns have more VI's than 0w20 syns,

he said 5w20, he didnt say Dino only.



Which 5w20's are best in cold weather?
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: bourne
Napa Syn is a great value syn. Its usually on sale every few months for 3.49/qt. Its made by Ashland and has a similar addpack as Valvoline Synpower does. Just maybe a little lesser in amount. It will work great for a 5k oci. Problem is , there are many 5w20 in the market which are thinner than 0w20 Synpower while being just as thick at operating temperature (i.e. having a better VI ).

Still, if you use it , and change oil every 5~6k , I do believe you will not be suffering from an oil related issue over the life of the vehicle.



Bourne: Which 5w20's are so thin. I'm not being a smart-[censored] but I'd like to know which dino is such a great cold weather oil?


Plenty of 5w20 syns have more VI's than 0w20 syns,

he said 5w20, he didnt say Dino only.



Which 5w20's are best in cold weather?


Thin ones.
 
Originally Posted By: rcy
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Honda 0w20 is the only widely available syn-blend 0w20.



The Honda 0w20 is a syn-blend???


They make both , a 0w20 syn blend and 0w20 full syn. There are many major manufacturers who are working on a new 0w20 weight syn blend product.
 
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