Cant decide between 5w20 and 5w30 for harsh winter

[rikstaker]

Hi there! I just bought a 2012 2.4 GDI Sonata and I changed the oil from whatever the dealer had to Royal Purple 5w20. In Saskatchewan some winter days can drop to -45 with -10 to -20 being minimum average.

I have a block heater but also plan to get an oil pan heater installed. Summers here can get pretty warm to around 30 above. I just wanted to pick one viscosity grade and stick to it year round.

I do mostly short trips less than 8km drive to work and back with stops at gym. Highway is pretty rare and only about 10%. I have been reading here that GDI engines can cause fuel dilution and it is better to run a thicker grade. The owners manual recommends a 5w20 for better mileage but says 5w30 can also be used for my temperature range.

I plan to change to Pennzoil Ultra to whatever viscosity you folks recommend.RP doesn't seem impressive, they have removed the synerlec additive in their SN oils and Pennzoil just seems like a more trusted and tested brand and has done more research.

thanks

 

[volk06]

From your title I'd just use 5w-20

In those cold temps I'd be using a 0w-20 if possible.

 

[rikstaker]

loolz... eidted..I cant use an ow-20 cause its not recommended in the manual

dont wanna risk voiding the warranty.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I would go with M1 AFE 0W20 in winter and AFE 0W30 in summer.

 

[flatlandtacoma]

For one grade year round I would choose the 5w20. Especially with the shorter trips.

 

[hounddog]

If it calls for 5w20 then 0w20 is just fine. Thats what I use in that cold. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/faq.php?faq=haas_articles

 

[rikstaker]

Originally Posted By: hounddog
If it calls for 5w20 then 0w20 is just fine. Thats what I use in that cold. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/faq.php?faq=haas_articles


Thanks what do u use personally

 

[expat]

What do YOU call a harsh winter?
I spent some time in UAE, there was no winter to speak of.

 

[rikstaker]

Originally Posted By: expat
What do YOU call a harsh winter?
I spent some time in UAE, there was no winter to speak of.


dang..forgot to change my country. I am in Saskatchewan now..

-45 is kinda harsh

 

[Garak]

Whether you're in Saskatchewan or Saudi Arabia, the manual is correct.

If a 5w-20 is acceptable according to the manual, I'd certainly use it in the winter.

With respect to going to a 0w-20, you'll see that at least some companies, such as Mobil, will categorically state that a 0w-20 can be used wherever a 5w-20 is specified. However, I'm paranoid and would probably stick to the 5w-XX as per the manual.

Does the manual state that synthetic is required? In any case, as you can see in my signature, I stick to the 5w-30 conventional year round and have done so with various vehicles for many years.

 

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Whether you're in Saskatchewan or Saudi Arabia, the manual is correct.

If a 5w-20 is acceptable according to the manual, I'd certainly use it in the winter.
With respect to going to a 0w-20, you'll see that at least some companies, such as Mobil, will categorically state that a 0w-20 can be used wherever a 5w-20 is specified. However, I'm paranoid and would probably stick to the 5w-XX as per the manual.
Does the manual state that synthetic is required? In any case, as you can see in my signature, I stick to the 5w-30 conventional year round and have done so with various vehicles for many years.

There is almost no difference between a 5/20 and 5/30 oil in cold start terms, so if you can't use an 0/30, just stick to a 5/30.
The block and sump heater is a great idea and will make a big reduction in cold start wear factors and give your starter, alternator and battery an easy time. It's also nice to have the heater working soon after start, rather than the nearly 10 minutes it takes to warm up my car when very cold.
Full block heaters are not cheap and can be tricky to install if there is not much room in the engine bay. The block does get warmed up to some extent by a sump heater, BUT it needs to be a big one and left on for longer.

 

[LineArrayNut]

When the GDI motor was being developed, 0w-20 oil was not very well known or available. Now that it is, almost all is a synthetic.
Hyundai continues to be a value oriented brand. They are not going to mandate a higher priced oil to be used. 0W-20 is what your motor wants in your climate, IMNSHO.
Down in the states CAFE reigns supreme and ONLY 5w-20 is recommended, no mention of -30 weight for the NA 2.4. Not wanting to deviate from the manual is good, but time marches on.
I won't be searching out an API SH oil for my Jeep, LOL! There's no reason to think that a higher spec oil will be bad for your motor. It only shows that Hyundai is better at engineering than keeping manuals up to date.

 

[LineArrayNut]

Sorry, I didn't read the NA part very well. It does mention 5w-30 and 10W-30 above 0 degrees F. My bad.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted By: skyship
Originally Posted By: Garak
Whether you're in Saskatchewan or Saudi Arabia, the manual is correct.

If a 5w-20 is acceptable according to the manual, I'd certainly use it in the winter.
With respect to going to a 0w-20, you'll see that at least some companies, such as Mobil, will categorically state that a 0w-20 can be used wherever a 5w-20 is specified. However, I'm paranoid and would probably stick to the 5w-XX as per the manual.
Does the manual state that synthetic is required? In any case, as you can see in my signature, I stick to the 5w-30 conventional year round and have done so with various vehicles for many years.

There is almost no difference between a 5/20 and 5/30 oil in cold start terms, so if you can't use an 0/30, just stick to a 5/30.
The block and sump heater is a great idea and will make a big reduction in cold start wear factors and give your starter, alternator and battery an easy time. It's also nice to have the heater working soon after start, rather than the nearly 10 minutes it takes to warm up my car when very cold.
Full block heaters are not cheap and can be tricky to install if there is not much room in the engine bay. The block does get warmed up to some extent by a sump heater, BUT it needs to be a big one and left on for longer.


5w-20 is always usually lighter than 5w-30s at start up. Hths is lower, lower viscosity, and lower mrv specs correlates to a lighter oil at all temps.

 

[KlooksKleek]

Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Hi there! I just bought a 2012 2.4 GDI Sonata and I changed the oil from whatever the dealer had to Royal Purple 5w20. In Saskatchewan some winter days can drop to -45 with -10 to -20 being minimum average.

I have a block heater but also plan to get an oil pan heater installed. Summers here can get pretty warm to around 30 above. I just wanted to pick one viscosity grade and stick to it year round.

I do mostly short trips less than 8km drive to work and back with stops at gym. Highway is pretty rare and only about 10%. I have been reading here that GDI engines can cause fuel dilution and it is better to run a thicker grade. The owners manual recommends a 5w20 for better mileage but says 5w30 can also be used for my temperature range.

I plan to change to Pennzoil Ultra to whatever viscosity you folks recommend.RP doesn't seem impressive, they have removed the synerlec additive in their SN oils and Pennzoil just seems like a more trusted and tested brand and has done more research.

thanks

rikstaker:

Same engine and similar concerns.

As some have mentioned, you almost certainly could use 0-20 with full confidence despite the lack of mention of that grade by Hyundai. However, I too have been concerned about deviating from the manufacturer's spec while under warranty, and what I've learned here is that PP 5W-20 is the lightest commonly available OTC product in that grade on cold startup. That's what I'm getting for my upcoming Chicago winter.

You are lucky to have a block heater option in Canada (actually, the heater is installed in the head, not the block). That heater is not officially obtainable here in the U.S. So, I had a friend in Nova Scotia buy one and send it to me. My thinking was "same engine, right?" My local dealership was quite willing to do the intstall and dove right in when I brought them the device in the official Hyundai Canada box. But, there was a fly in the ointment. On U.S. models, there is a small metal lip that blocks the insertion of the heating element. It seems to be there solely to prevent this from being done.

As for your oil pan heater idea, beware. Our oil pans are not flat on the bottom, probably to provide additional structural strength. That makes fitting a pan heater difficult. I ended up choosing the only size that would fit between the "ribs" of the pan, and as I feared, it is too small to do much good. A bigger heating element simply is not going to conform to the curves on the underside of the pan. Even though the stick-on pads are somewhat flexible, in my opinion the curves on the underside of the pan are too deep for the element to be successfully attached.

 

[Norm Olt]

TO the OP: And rightly so... There's so little difference!

Cheers!

p.s. Forget about what the manufacturer says: maybe using a little 0W-5 would be "thin enough"?

REMEMBER: "You can NEVER be TOO RICH or TOO THIN!"

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Whether you're in Saskatchewan or Saudi Arabia, the manual is correct.

If a 5w-20 is acceptable according to the manual, I'd certainly use it in the winter.

With respect to going to a 0w-20, you'll see that at least some companies, such as Mobil, will categorically state that a 0w-20 can be used wherever a 5w-20 is specified. However, I'm paranoid and would probably stick to the 5w-XX as per the manual.
Well I'm not paranoid, and M1 AFE 0W-20 is clearly the best lubricant choice for starting at -45 degrees.
The FACT that Mobil says it will not void any warranty is more than good enough for me.
Just use MI 0W-20, it's goes on sale periodically at Cdn Tire.
On the extremely remote chance that you do have a lubrication failure during the warranty period, Hyundai wouldn't dare consider voiding the warranty, I'll stake my reputation on it.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Whether you're in Saskatchewan or Saudi Arabia, the manual is correct.

If a 5w-20 is acceptable according to the manual, I'd certainly use it in the winter.

With respect to going to a 0w-20, you'll see that at least some companies, such as Mobil, will categorically state that a 0w-20 can be used wherever a 5w-20 is specified. However, I'm paranoid and would probably stick to the 5w-XX as per the manual.

Well I'm not paranoid, and M1 AFE 0W-20 is clearly the best lubricant choice for starting at -45 degrees.
The FACT that Mobil states it will not VOID any warranty is more than good enough for me.
Just use M1 0W-20. It goes on sale periodically at Cdn Tire.
On the extremely remote chance that you do have a lubrication failure during the warranty period, Hyundai wouldn't dare consider voiding the warranty, I'll stake my reputation on it.

 

[tig1]

M1 0-20 year round.

 

[Noey]

I'd use the viscosity recommended by Hyundai, your concerns about extreme temps are best addressed by using a syn (which you are), so you should stay with the manufacturer viscosity. Make sure you use a filter that's rated for extended OCI for added protection.