What is the point of a 20w60 Diesel oil

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Here's the back story. Say you have an engine that was originally speed for 5w30. In Oz you have to use at least 40 grade or a 50 grade for better performance in the heat. Yet the same engine back spec'd for 5w20 will run for 300k miles in the Southern California desert which is hotter than Oz. It's just way it is...
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
Here's the back story. Say you have an engine that was originally speed for 5w30. In Oz you have to use at least 40 grade or a 50 grade for better performance in the heat. Yet the same engine back spec'd for 5w20 will run for 300k miles in the Southern California desert which is hotter than Oz. It's just way it is...


????

There are heavy DIESEL engines that were specced for 15W40, and backspecced to 5W20 ?

Or there were heavy duty DIESEL engines that were specced for (presumably) ILSAC 5W30 and later back specced to 5W20 ?

and subsequently went on to 300k miles (not much for a heavy duty diesel engine) in So Cal...do you drive in little circles in SoCal ?

Because it's pretty small compared to the rest of the world.
1024px-Koppen_World_Map_BWh.png


Anyway, I agree with the OP that Penrites' 20W60 is a bit of an oddball.
 
It's a heat map of some sort...

20W-60 would work for equipment running 8 hrs a day in say the Choachilla Valley farming in summer. And yes, they farm 3 crops a year down there on canal water. Peppers like high temps as an example. So do dates, ex.

Those machines can run full loaded in 115*F+ heat. There is a heat warning for next week down there for many days of 120*F+. You do not want some silly 5W-30 in your air-cooled Deutche Diesel running the irrigation pump...

I imagine it's the same in Out-Back Australia ...
 
Shannow I was just pointing out that Oz likes thick oil and USA likes thin, as a stereotype. You can in fact drive 300k in a circle, I have 2 trucks in my fleet with over 1 million miles and they don't go further than 120 miles from home. I've never had a vehicle run hotter in 100-121F weather so in my experience a thicker oil isn't needed unless your cooling system can't keep up. I like specialty oils though so I'm going to find an old Harley or marine diesel so I can use some 20w60 oil!
 
but cooling system temperature doesn't say much if anything about oil temperature.

In my experience coolant temperature is typically load related, oil temperature rpm related...
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
Here's the back story. Say you have an engine that was originally speed for 5w30. In Oz you have to use at least 40 grade or a 50 grade for better performance in the heat. Yet the same engine back spec'd for 5w20 will run for 300k miles in the Southern California desert which is hotter than Oz. It's just way it is...
But every thing is upside down in Australia look at a world globe, that is why thicker oil is needed. They also drive on the wrong side of the road.
 
Probably for diesel generators or other applications that don't get a lot of airflow. My grandfather used to run a sawmill that was powered by a Green Screamer (Detroit 2 stroke diesel) and it ran on straight 50 all the time but needed a heavy oil because it didn't get much airflow. Those old Detroits fancied single weight oils, and they'd burn through 15w-40 like water dumped on the ground in a hot desert if you dared to use it.
I've honestly never heard of a 20w-60 diesel oil until now.
 
Hmmm, Penrite claim this oil meets ACEA A3/B3, a passenger car spec, and HDEO specification- E7. First to be seen.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: andyd
Aren't Detroit Diesels known for oil consumption?


It's just a matter of perspective. Detroit 2-stroke owners could just consider oil to be part of the fuel supply. Many of them never change the oil, just the filter.
 
Originally Posted By: Stelth
Shannow, what's that map?


Areas identified as "hot desert" climate.
 
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Detroit Diesels despise eveything but Straight 30/40/50 oils, they really don't like multigrades


Yeah, you do not run any multi's in 2-stroke Detroit's unless you want to be buying parts ...
 
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