Can/Should I run a 0w oil in my car?

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I have a question, or rather a series of questions for anyone who feels like answering.

I own a 2010 Nissan Versa with the MR18DE and 4 speed automatic transmission(not CVT) with about 56k miles on the odometer. My daily commute is only about 5-10 miles usually only getting the water up to temperature. 70% of my driving is in town, stop and go traffic, at speeds around 25-35MPH. The rest is short distance driving on the highway at 50MPH. Summer temperatures hover around 98*F and can get up to 110. Winter temps hover around 40*F and dip below 0*F. It's very windy, dry, and dusty during the summer.

My owners manual calls for SAE 5w-30. Previously I had the dealership change the oil every 4k miles since they were running a special for a nine dollar oil change. Which amounted to a cheap generic filter and what was supposedly "Mobil 1 synthetic blend". I recently changed my oil with Mobil 1 extended performance 5w-30 with a Mobil 1 filter. Already I've noticed a slight bump(1-2 MPG) in mileage and a significant reduction of lifter noise. Right now I'm just planning on changing the oil and filter every 6 months.

My question I suppose is if I would see any benefit switching from 5w-30 Mobil 1 Extended performance to 0w-30 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy? Or is there another brand of oil and filter that you guy's would recommend over Mobil 1?

Thank you for your time. I'm still trying to educate myself about the properties of oil and car maintenance in general. It's a bit more complicated than I previously thought.
 
You are doing a short OCI with synthetic and so why not save $3 at Walmart and get the 0W-20 stuff. We get much hotter here and I run 0W-20 in both of my vehicles, which usually do a yearly OCI.
 
The M1 AFE might be a tiny bit cheaper, and you may see a fuel economy bump, but that's just as likely to be buried in the noise of normal driving variations. On the positive side, XOM will stand behind the use of their 0w-30 in that 5w-30 application.
 
Wont hurt a thing to run 0w30 where 5w30 is called for. Thats what I did in our Uplander, however, it makes a lot more noise now. Thats probably just because of the Mobil product in general.
 
First number is lubricity when cold, how well it flows when cold.

Second number is lubricity when hot...

Hence if 5W-30 is called for, you can use 10W-30 in the summer, and 0W-30 in the winter...

Don't change the second number....

Looks like it gets pretty cold in WA, if below zero a lot, use a 0W-30, otherwise a 5W synthetic will work...
 
Best Advice here.


mattwithcats said:
First number is lubricity when cold, how well it flows when cold.

Second number is lubricity when hot...

Hence if 5W-30 is called for, you can use 10W-30 in the summer, and 0W-30 in the winter...

Don't change the second number.
mattwithcats said:
 
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Originally Posted By: SigQAEngineer
Best Advice here.


mattwithcats said:
First number is lubricity when cold, how well it flows when cold.

Second number is lubricity when hot...

Hence if 5W-30 is called for, you can use 10W-30 in the summer, and 0W-30 in the winter...

Don't change the second number.
mattwithcats said:
mattwithcats said:
You can do it but why change the first number either
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats

Hence if 5W-30 is called for, you can use 10W-30 in the summer, and 0W-30 in the winter...

Or you can just use 0w-30 all year long.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats

Hence if 5W-30 is called for, you can use 10W-30 in the summer, and 0W-30 in the winter...

Or you can just use 0w-30 all year long.


Exactly
 
Welcome to the Forum!

Consider 0W-30 all year long or a 0W-20 in the winter and 0W-30 in the summer.
 
Originally Posted By: pscholte
Run GC in my FX-35 year round. Even have driven in Phoenix summer heat. No issues


German Castrol 0w30 is not the same as most 30 weights meant for most American or Asian cars.

So for the OP I wouldn't choose it I'm trying to decide between a 20 and a 30 weight oil. The GC is nearly a 40 weight.

OP, if you're thinking about a zero weight and are tempted to go to a 20 weight even if your vehicle requires a 30 weight consider this.

Buy M1 AFE in both 0w20 and 0w30. Use 1 quart of 0w20 and balance 0w30. See if you like it and get a UOA. Take it from there to decide on what mix % is safe.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
German Castrol 0w30 is not the same as most 30 weights meant for most American or Asian cars.

It's certainly heavier at operating temperatures. Nonetheless, it still is a 0w- multigrade and conforms to those standards. For the OP, as you mention, a GF-5 rated lubricant is more suitable.
 
Originally Posted By: TrevorS
Originally Posted By: pscholte
Run GC in my FX-35 year round. Even have driven in Phoenix summer heat. No issues


German Castrol 0w30 is not the same as most 30 weights meant for most American or Asian cars.

So for the OP I wouldn't choose it I'm trying to decide between a 20 and a 30 weight oil. The GC is nearly a 40 weight.

OP, if you're thinking about a zero weight and are tempted to go to a 20 weight even if your vehicle requires a 30 weight consider this.

Buy M1 AFE in both 0w20 and 0w30. Use 1 quart of 0w20 and balance 0w30. See if you like it and get a UOA. Take it from there to decide on what mix % is safe.


I'm about out of warranty anyhow so I'll give the 0w20 AFE a try. However you mentioned mixing the 20 weight and the 30 weight? Can you elaborate a bit more on what advantages that would have and/or what I would look for on the UOA in that situation?

ETA: I'll be honest, I didn't expect much from this thread. Thanks to all that have given your impute so far!
 
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Substituting a qt of M1 AFE 0W-20 to a sump of AFE 0W-30 will give you a lighter 0W-30 but it will still be a 0W-30. If you went with two quarts then you'd have a heavy 0W-20.

I think you'll be fine running AFE 0W-20 straight in your Versa but there is a 0W-30 that is actually lighter than M1 AFE 0W-20 on start-up if you still want the high temperature viscosity of a 30wt oil. Unfortunately you can't buy it but must blend it yourself.
It's a 70/30 blend of the Mobil oil made Toyota 0W-20 and M1 0W-40. It's lighter version of the same blend below:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3024542#Post3024542

The reason it's lighter on start-up is because the Toyota 0W-20 is a much lighter oil than AFE 0W-20 at normal start-up temp's.
The technical reason for this is due to the Toyota oil's ultra high viscosity index.
This 0W-30 blend will be 15% lighter than AFE 0W-20 at 32F and still lighter at temp's as high as 95F.

Just food for thought.
 
I have tried M1 AFE 0w-30 in my Sport Trac. The UOA for a 5000 mile OCI was fine but when I ran it for the manufacturer's recommended 7500 miles then it wasn't so good and Blackstone recommended that I keep it to 5000. PP for 7500 miles was fine.

I went back to PP 5w-30 and 5000 mile OCI. If I go 7500 I WILL use an M1 filter instead of Motorcraft and have to add two quarts, maybe three, so it doesn't really save me any money. /rambling
 
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Find pennzoil ultra,and engine live long happy life.
You can use a 0w in pretty much any application out there however one must consider the ambient temps as in hot or cold,then decide.
I see no reason to go to a 0w unless it was a great deal or you experience -40 winter temps.
 
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Substituting a qt of M1 AFE 0W-20 to a sump of AFE 0W-30 will give you a lighter 0W-30 but it will still be a 0W-30. If you went with two quarts then you'd have a heavy 0W-20.


How many quart sump is that based on.
 
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