What benefits does 5w-20 have over 0w-20?

[Garak]

You might eek out a tiny bit more fuel economy on the 0w-20, but you'll never notice it. The OEM will notice it for CAFE testing, but that's about it.

 

[Leonardo629]

So who wants to buy my two jugs of 5qt 5W20 Pennzoil Ultra that I bought two years ago? I use TGMO now for my Accord which calls for 0W20.

 

[HTSS_TR]

For reasonable price I will take 2 jugs 5W20 Pennzoil Ultra off your hands. PM your desired price.

 

[jdavis]

I don't see many 20 weight oils that meet A1/B1 but it looks like M1 HM 5w-20 actually does, kind of interesting to stumble across.

 

[jdavis]

I live in Maine, and in the dead of winter we see -20 to -30 F a few days a year.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: jdavis
I live in Maine, and in the dead of winter we see -20 to -30 F a few days a year.
In the '60s, a 5W-20 oil was a very common "winter weight" oil on the Canadian prairies where we occasionally see -40 (C or F - it's the same at -40). In those days I used a 10W-30 in the summer.

It's much simpler with modern motor oils. I agree with Garak - pick an oil that's good for all of your seasons. Then you're not forced into wasting oil because summer (or winter) is coming.

I currently use a 0W-30 synthetic in my 2000 BMW and a 5W-20 dino in my 2007 Accord. The BMW oil gets changed once a year - typically now 8000 Km/5000 miles but up to 12,000 Km/7500 miles in the past. The Accord oil gets changed according to the oil monitor, on average 8000 Km/5000 miles.