please refresh me 5w20 vs 0w-20?

[OtisBlkR1]

Ive never taken the time to read or try to fully understand the 5w20 v.s. 0w20 debates, I have two autos now in my fleet that both take 5w20 and while at the store and looking over oils this question re-entered my mind.

If i guy were to use the 0w20 v.s. the 5w20 would the cold weather benifits be noticable ? like 0-32 degrees F ? any added benifit at all to the 0w ?

Hows about in the summer, obviously they both are 20w oils , so at temp they should be giving your motor the same protection, is there any benifit to using the 5w in the summer v.s. the 0 ?

thanks

 

[Rand]

it depends on the specific oil..

as those are oil grades and cover ranges.

castrol syntec edge 0/20 has vi 161

TGMO is 200+

they have differing viscosity also.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

for comparison sakes, Im using Mobil 1 5w20 now, but im known to use Valvoline SYN and PP & PU when found on good sales any one of these can be found inmy cart.. but these are my preferences.

 

[oggb]

You might notice a difference somewhere near the arctic circle. Maybe around 0F or thereabouts.

There's plenty of vehicles running around in Indiana with 10w-30 in the sump all year round probably.

 

[Boss302fan]

Is there a 0W20 PU?

 

[fdcg27]

There is.
I've seen in at Walmart.
I'll have to pick some up and take advanatge of the MIR with the new ride.

 

[Oil Changer]

Your questions are not difficult, just complicated to explain. I'll just throw out some blurbs:

Some (if not most) 5W's are lighter than some (if not most) 0W's until you reach extreme cold temperatures which you may never encounter.

0w's may not be readily available where you live.

You may not be interested in using synthetic.

I can list a hundred more. As an example, in the temperature range you listed, I doubt you will ever notice a difference between M1 5W-20 and M1 0W-20. Same in the summer. Personally, I always choose the 0W's as I feel they represent the best of what ICE oil should be and should do.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

i appreciate the feedback, i know the topic has been beat to death on here, but as ive never had to drive a auto that calls for this stuff i never truly cared.. well, now i own 2.. so i care.. i know there is little difference and in Indiana we can get (normal) anywhere from -10 to +110 although normal temps falling in the 0-100 degree range most years.

 

[CATERHAM]

To understand the difference between any two oils you need to look at the PDS info for each.
But the main general difference between a 5W-20 and a 0W-20 at more typical temp's is that the 0W-20 is lighter but there are exceptions; hence the need to refer to the PDS.

The M1 5W-20 you're using is one of the heaviest 20wt oils available; heavier than all 5W-20 dino's. And M1 0W-20 is a heavier than most 0W-20.
Since a 0W-20 has been back spec'd for your '07 Honda, that's the preferred grade to use, and that means a high VI 0W-20 the Japanese OEM's specify and is only available from them. The best currently are the Mobil made Toyota 0W-20 and the Mazda 0W-20.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Not to hijack the thread but I have been doing A LOT of reading on 0W20 VS 5W20 VS 5W30 VS 0W30. In simplest terms,the 30W shears to a 20W BUT,a 20W stays the same.This is the easiest way for me to say this.I read that the 20W oils are engineered so well they won't/don't shear.I'm sure the oil guru's here will jump in and tweek my synopsis but that's how we learn.

 

[ganseg]

How does the Honda oW20 blend fare? I have a 2005 Insight with 177,000 miles. The oil has been changed at the dealer every 8k by the previous owner.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: ganseg
How does the Honda oW20 blend fare? I have a 2005 Insight with 177,000 miles. The oil has been changed at the dealer every 8k by the previous owner.

Based on VOAs I've seen it's virtually identical to the CoP made full syn version (176 VI vs 177). As you can see it's not one of the higher VI Japanese 0W-20s. Honda/Acura Canada uses the Idemitsu sourced 197 VI, high moly 0W-20.

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
To understand the difference between any two oils you need to look at the PDS info for each.
But the main general difference between a 5W-20 and a 0W-20 at more typical temp's is that the 0W-20 is lighter but there are exceptions; hence the need to refer to the PDS.

The M1 5W-20 you're using is one of the heaviest 20wt oils available; heavier than all 5W-20 dino's. And M1 0W-20 is a heavier than most 0W-20.
Since a 0W-20 has been back spec'd for your '07 Honda, that's the preferred grade to use, and that means a high VI 0W-20 the Japanese OEM's specify and is only available from them. The best currently are the Mobil made Toyota 0W-20 and the Mazda 0W-20.



Really good answer ^.

 

[badtlc]

For DI engines calling for w20, what do you look for to find the least volatile option? WOuld it just be the lowest viscocity index?

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
For DI engines calling for w20, what do you look for to find the least volatile option? WOuld it just be the lowest viscocity index?

It's a good question.
0W-20 oils are generally made from higher quality base oils than 5W-20 oils. For example PP 0W-20 (11.5%) has a lower NOACK percentage than PP 5W-20 (12.8%) but it has a higher VI. But then PU 5W-20 which is heavier than PP 5W-20 has a lower NOACK than both.
We don't know what the NOACK figures are any of the Japanese OEM 0W-20 oils but to minimize intake deposits I would simply stick with GF-5 oils, not all OEMs have made the switch yet.

 

[Maxima97]

The base is different. 0W20 has high VI than 5W20. Also NOACK may be better. If price the same, I choose 0W20.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
The best currently are the Mobil made Toyota 0W-20 and the Mazda 0W-20.


So Buying Toyota 0w20 is the undisputed best 0w20 ?
So Honda has back speced my 07 Accord (so on my next OCI i should switch to a 0-20 ?

My wal-mart was carrying (pretty sure) Mobil 1 0w20 on the shelf.. not 100% but im pretty sure... now im going to have to go back and double check this. With that said the "Mobil made Toyota oil" is is still at a higher spec (better oil) than the Mobil 1 on the shelf ??

Would it be wise to just go ahead and switch both my cars over to the 0w20 ? At this point i see no reason not to..

And one more question.. vacations/long road trips, use something heavier ? Like the Mobil 1 5w20 ?

just asking thanks..

 

[CATERHAM]

You're quoting somewhat out of context.
I'm saying the Toyota and Mazda 0W-20s are the best of the Japanese OEM oils. They may not be the best for ever 20wt application.
Honda has approved a light 0W-20 oil for your '07 Accord, so yes the Toyota or Mazda oil would be better choice for most typical uses including lots of short trips and Indiana winters.

If you already have the M1 5W-20 in your car I wouldn't dump it, it's just heavier than necessary. But for your next oil change I'd choose a 0W-20.
For long summer road trips the advantages of the high VI Toyota and Mazda oils are minimized, any 0W-20 would likely perform as well. But I would very much prefer M1 0W-20 and even PP 5W-20 over M1 5W-20 for summer use, it's just unnecessarily heavy.

I hope this helps.