Skyactiv 2.5 Oil Recommendation

[dmhudson91]

Taking delivery of a CPO 2014 Mazda CX-5 tomorrow.

I'd like some guidance. The manual says 0W-20, but living in Houston, the city turnings to lava in the summer months. The manual specifies 5W-30 for Mexico, thoughts?

Ideally I'd run a 30-weight in the summer (April-October) and a 20-weight in the winter months (October-April) since the wife won't drive the full 7,500 interval in those periods.

 

[John_Conrad]

how about 0W-30 for year round use

 

[mazdamonky]

Will this vehicle be covered under a warranty? if so, stick with the 0w20 until out of warranty, then move to a 0w30/5w30 and be happy. Mazda makes a special 0w20 oil for Skyactiv engines that you should be able to buy at the dealership.

 

[skyactiv]

Is your engine going to wear out sooner if you run 0w20? Does Mazda el Mexico trust their owners or is 0w20 a royal pita to find south of the border?

 

[mazdamonky]

Also, with the temps in texas, you should be fine on 5w30 year around. If you are worried about the cold, you would be better off with a 0w40 than a 5w20.

 

[skyactiv]

Double post

 

[dmhudson91]

It's a CPO so I guess I'll stick with 0W-20 until the warranty expires and run a few UOAs to see unless I'm having oil burning issues. Synthetic 5W-30 year-round sounds good to me after that.

 

[wemay]

0W-20 will do just fine in the heat of Houston.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: wemay
0W-20 will do just fine in the heat of Houston.
Doesn't answer the question as to why in Mexico the same car is speced for 5w 30.

 

[Eddie]

CRAF requirement for fuel consumption is the reason for 0w20 in USA & CAN. Ed

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: wemay
0W-20 will do just fine in the heat of Houston.
Doesn't answer the question as to why in Mexico the same car is speced for 5w 30.


Maybe because 0W-20 is hard to find... who knows? But i don't live or drive in Mexico, I do both in the U.S., and here, the recommended viscosity is 0W-20. Noting wrong with XW-30 mind you, but why complicate things with a warranty in the balance? And the reverse can be asked as well... where is the evidence that 0W-20 has contributed to any Mazda engine failures?

 

[dmhudson91]

As a Subaru WRX owner, I'm hard-wired to up my oil weight from a 30 to a 40

. Asking the same question of the CX-5 here, up from 20 to 30? Seems I'll stick with the heaviest viscosity 20 I can find.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: dmhudson91
As a Subaru WRX owner, I'm hard-wired to up my oil weight from a 30 to a 40

. Asking the same question of the CX-5 here, up from 20 to 30? Seems I'll stick with the heaviest viscosity 20 I can find.


Long time Evo owner here so i understand. So far as i know, no spun bearing issues or Turbo stresses to deal with in the Skyactiv, GDi or not. If XW30 is allowed and it makes you feel better, go for it. If not, then your plan sounds good to me.

 

[CT8]

5W-30 will be fine .

 

[BikeWhisperer]

Despite it being mentioned almost always when talking oil, running a different weight than recommended in the owners manual (check the manual, it will say recommended, not required) DOES NOT void your engine warranty. The manual also recommends you use Castrol, do you think if you use 0w-20 Mobil 1 that the engine warranty is voided?...of course not.

Use a synthetic 5w-30 where you live and your engine will be happy all year.

 

[andrewp1998]

or just a good syn at 0-20 right now , then later a 0w30 but not much of a difference

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: wemay
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: wemay
0W-20 will do just fine in the heat of Houston.
Doesn't answer the question as to why in Mexico the same car is speced for 5w 30.


Maybe because 0W-20 is hard to find... who knows? But i don't live or drive in Mexico, I do both in the U.S., and here, the recommended viscosity is 0W-20. Noting wrong with XW-30 mind you, but why complicate things with a warranty in the balance? And the reverse can be asked as well... where is the evidence that 0W-20 has contributed to any Mazda engine failures?
The climate in Mexico is more like Florida than it is Maine. If you lived in Maine, many would suggest you stick with 0w 20. A logical person might conclude that Mazda engineers have no problem with 5w 30 in that engine and that 0w 20, as many have pointed out, may be gas mileage gimmick for the EPA dominated US market, rather than the "best" oil for the engine.

 

[5170]

Stick with the recommended oil in the OM. There's no reason to veer from what's been working for thousands of Mazda owners since the company first began recommending 0w20.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

Unfortunately, it'll be a CAFE conspiracy here even if it isn't. The kicker comes with defining the "best" oil for the engine...as if a higher viscosity grade will always "protect" the engine better...and because the Bolivian owner's manual says 10w-30, then we know that things like the quality of the fuel don't mean anything, and using 10w-30 will only "protect" the engine better here and in the Andes.

Climate and fuel economy aren't the only things that are considered when manufacturers recommend an oil grade. Can't say that's definitively true in relation to PEMEX fuel in Mexico, but it is true elsewhere. Some markets get one fuel injection system versus another in the same vehicle based on the quality of the gas. That wouldn't potentially effect oil grade recommendations...Nahhhhhhhhh. It's the EPA then, not 10,000 ppm of sulphur in the gas. Who would've known?? What does the Paraguayan owner's manual say??? Maybe the manual for the cars in Mozambique or Lesotho would give a better picture of why using 0w-20 is such a bad idea. Sarcasm / off