Anybody who watches The Weather Network on Starchoice or cable must shudder just thinking about it. Especially folks in Vancouver BC who rarely dip below -4 C.
That's why it's so easy for somebody who lives in a "moderate" climate to get very long motor life even using a "low bidder" 49 cent a quart cheap oil.
A regular 5w30 is useless colder than about -30 F. I have personally witnessed cars getting a boost at -40 F only to shear the oil pump drive.
I have also witnessed large commercial chemical tanker trucks from places like Florida and Alabama stuck up here when a blizzard has closed the road.
They check into a motel and in the morning discover their 15w40 is frozen hard as a brick so the diesel won't even crank, the straight 50 in the RoadRanger won't even let them move the shifter, and the wheels won't even turn.
Fortunately, there are a few heated truck shops here so the entire rig can be towed in and thawed out. The dumba** ones are those who refuse to pay for a tow bill (It costs too much!!) and keep spraying ether and boosting until it DOES start: ka-BOOM.
Darwin is proven right when folks around here p*** and moan their car croaks cuz some part snapped off at -40 F. Of course, it "costs too much!" to run synthetics.
Maybe if I lived in a moderate climate I'd never worry about synthetics. The only reason I first switched to synthetics 22 years ago was their cold temp performance.
I didn't care about extending oil drains, or supposed MPG gains, or cleaner engines. Those were the bonus features. I just wanted things to start and run without puking a conrod at -40 F.
So I run Mobil MobilLube SHC 75W-90 (Borderline at -54 F), Mobil MobilTrans SHC 50 (Bordeline at -51 F), Delvac 1 5W-40 (Borderline at -45 F)in the commercial trucks.
Plug-ins help to get started, but unless you run pan heaters too, don't help cold flow too much. Unless you use a Tiger Torch to heat up the axles, they don't have heaters at all: please don't use a tiger torch, you can crack the housing.
The commercial trucks run automatic rad shutters and air-engage fans, so when the fans aren't needed, they freewheel. This really helps shorten the warm-up time, and more importantly ensure they maintain temp.
My personal equipment also runs synthetics: SHC 75W-90 front axle, Mobil 1 Gear Oil rear axle (Need the LS additives), Mobil 1 0w30 in motor, and Mobil 1 ATF in the trans. Most ATF's are only good to -35 F.
I've seen folks who somehow have managed to start their beast at -40 F, only to discover when they shove the selector into Drive that nothing happens. Then they floor the gas pedal, somehow thinking that must "help."
