5w30 in Skyactiv

[buster]

I prefer oils with little VII's as possible. I believe the best readily available oil for Skyactiv engines is Mobil 1 0w20 EP/AP. Both are PAO based and have a SA of .8 which is good for reducing intake valve deposits. The EP 0w20 HT/HS is 2.75 I believe.

Mobil 1 AFE 0w30 has more VII's and shears down in service. I never liked that grade of Mobil 1.

Next would be Valvoline Modern Engine.

If you want something ultra high end, Driven DI 0w20 is excellent. mPAO/ester and a SA of .72.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by spasm3
Originally Posted by dave123
Originally Posted by spasm3
I may be the only one here doing it. I am running 0w and 5w30 in the winter. I may run 0w-20 but it would only be in the summer. 30wt in winter to counter fuel dilution.
winter you live in NC what winter maybe Fall.



True, but it's cold enough to cause fuel dilution, especially with short trips.



If you live in western NC..... Especially west of Black Mtn... Where base elevation is 2,000 to 3,400 ft.... It is much colder there say versus Raleigh, Winston Salem, Charlotte.... Most of Haywood county NC is above 3,000 ft in elevation...

The same phenomena is found in Maryland has well... West of the Allegheny front where base elevation is much higher it is much colder out that way as well.

The highland plateau continues northeast in southwest Va.. where base elevation is 2,400 to 3,000 feet has well. Going west on Rte 58 in Virginia east of the Blue Ridge escarpment elevation is only 1,200... Up and over near Lover's Leap base elevation is 3,000 feet...

With the base elevation being so much higher that alone makes it colder obviously. In addition to that the mountains up and above 5,000 feet can see quite a change in weather vs the valleys at 3,000 feet. I believe Rte 110 and Rte 276 in southwest NC there are a number of signs pointing out how drastically different the weather can be at the top of the ridge above 5 thousand feet in elevation... For good reason... The valley floor can be getting a mix of rain and snow or maybe mostly snow with 1-3 inches accumulated at 3,200 feet... But drive up and go up to 5 thousand feet plus and it can be 12+ inches or more of snow and the road is in very rough condition. .

In January 1985 it got down to -34 at the top of My. Mitchell... Even the valley floor areas saw temps well below zero with -20 readings common place. .

While eastward into the Raleigh area temps were around -5 zero maybe -10 that night in January 21, 1985.

A perfect example of how elevation can change the temperature and weather... 1987 huge April snowstorm in the western NC and southwest Va mts and elevated plateau area... Mtn tops above 5 thousand feet saw 3-4 feet of snow.... The high valley areas above 2,400 feet all saw 12+ inches of snow with some areas seeing 20+ inches... While east of Black Mtn... Really no real heavy snow amounts seen.

It can actually get quite cold in the elevated highland plateau areas of NC, WV, VA and western MD. With big changes in not just temperature but observed weather conditions. That circumstance only gets more severe as one heads northeast into the Catskills, Adirondack Mts, Green Mts and the White Mts.. The weather above the tree line in the White Mts and Mt Washington in NH is on par at times with weather seen well above 15k feet in other parts of the world. It can be that dangerous there... High altitude climbers actually go up there to the White Mts just to experience the weather conditions there to get used to what they may well see at elevation way, way higher than that where they are planning to climb in the future. It is Especially dangerous early fall and late spring storms that can change the weather in a very short time frame.

 

[LotI]

No difference in my M6 SkyActiv. I'm on the highway 200-300 miles a day. If you're a short-tripper stick with 20's.

 

[avi1777]

my 16.5 cx5manual says i can use 20,30,40w,the dealership uses30w.
most oil selectors recommend 20and30w.u will be fine with either.

 

[skyactiv]

Has anyone heard of a Skyactiv engine wearing out yet?

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Has anyone heard of a Skyactiv engine wearing out yet?


I haven't. They are very durable, reliable motors. I've had 2. On my 3rd.

 

[RamFan]

0w-20 in winter and 5w30 in summer for me. Haven't noticed any differences when running a 30.

While under warranty, I'd recommend sticking to a 20. Always a good idea to CYA just in case.

 

[Gokhan]

0W-20 oils have far better base-oil quality than 5w30 oils, which means you will have less intake-valve deposits and turbocharger deposits with a 0W-20 than with a 5w30. This is because as the CCS (cold-crank simulator) viscosity drops, base-oil quality increases, which increases the oxidation resistance. Thicker oils with larger, more complicated molecules oxidize faster. This is why there is Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 A3/B4 for European cars but not Mobil 1 FS 5W-40 A3/B4.

You don't need a 5w30 unless you're racing the car. 5w30 is going to become a legacy SAE viscosity grade by 2030, just like 10W-40 became so a long time ago.

 

[sjd]

Originally Posted by Oildudeny
No benefits in running anything but 0w20 with that engine.. and its readily available


Originally Posted by Gokhan
0W-20 oils have far better base-oil quality than 5w30 oils, which means you will have less intake-valve deposits and turbocharger deposits with a 0W-20 than with a 5w30. This is because as the CCS (cold-crank simulator) viscosity drops, base-oil quality increases, which increases the oxidation resistance. Thicker oils with larger, more complicated molecules oxidize faster. This is why there is Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 A3/B4 for European cars but not Mobil 1 FS 5W-40 A3/B4.

You don't need a 5w30 unless you're racing the car. 5w30 is going to become a legacy SAE viscosity grade by 2030, just like 10W-40 became so a long time ago.


So why does Mazda recommend 5W30 everywhere else in the world except Canada and the U.S.?

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted by sjd
So why does Mazda recommend 5W30 everywhere else in the world except Canada and the U.S.?

No, only in Mexico, because synthetic oil is too expensive there. However, the 5w30 recommendation in Mexico comes with a reduced OCI in that country. This was discussed in a different thread. 0W-20 is the recommended grade for every other country.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...il-and-filter-brand-and-type#Post5379123

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

It's silly to use the wrong lubricant in your sump, and risk a warranty, to save a couple bucks....

 

[sjd]

Originally Posted by Gokhan
Originally Posted by sjd
So why does Mazda recommend 5W30 everywhere else in the world except Canada and the U.S.?

No, only in Mexico, because synthetic oil is too expensive there. However, the 5w30 recommendation in Mexico comes with a reduced OCI in that country. This was discussed in a different thread. 0W-20 is the recommended grade for every other country.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...il-and-filter-brand-and-type#Post5379123


My MX-5 owner's manual says something different than that. Everywhere else is 5W30.

Originally Posted by Jackson_Slugger
It's silly to use the wrong lubricant in your sump, and risk a warranty, to save a couple bucks....


This isn't about saving a couple of bucks. It's about being concerned about the protection the thin 0W20 offers.

 

[Gillsy]

I ran 0w-20 in my 2014 CX-5. My wife still has her 2012 Mazda 3 with 113,000 on 0w20 Magnatec. I like the way it runs. Not a H.P. monster, but very good fuel economy with good torque.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted by sjd
My MX-5 owner's manual says something different than that. Everywhere else is 5W30.

Yes, your owner's manual is the North American owner's manual. "Except U.S.A., Canada, and Puerto Rico" in North America is Mexico. "(Mexico)" is also explicitly written above the 5w30 recommendation.

I posted the global owner's manual in my link.

If you insist, use the Mexico conventional 5w30 recommendation but keep the longer OCI programmed into your car's oil-life monitor for the US/Canada synthetic 0W-20 recommendation, and let us know what happens.

PS: The word "except," is a common term used by vehicle OEMs in region-specific manuals. For example my factory service manual for my 1985 Corolla had three types of emissions: federal, California, and Canada. The terms such as "except Canada," "except USA," "except federal," and "except California" were used when they made reference to specific emissions parts in the manual. Of course, when they said "except USA," I knew they meant Canada, and I never interpreted it as "everywhere else in the world" as some people naively interpret the language in the Mazda North American owner's manual. That's because there were dozens of Corolla versions with dozens of different emissions systems in different countries around the world, and it was obvious that the manual only applied to California, the rest of the USA, and Canada, not everywhere in the world.

 

[buster]

I see zero benefit of running a xw30 in the Skyactiv engine.

 

[OilReport99]

Originally Posted by sjd
Originally Posted by Gokhan
Originally Posted by sjd
So why does Mazda recommend 5W30 everywhere else in the world except Canada and the U.S.?

No, only in Mexico, because synthetic oil is too expensive there. However, the 5w30 recommendation in Mexico comes with a reduced OCI in that country. This was discussed in a different thread. 0W-20 is the recommended grade for every other country.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...il-and-filter-brand-and-type#Post5379123


My MX-5 owner's manual says something different than that. Everywhere else is 5W30.

Originally Posted by Jackson_Slugger
It's silly to use the wrong lubricant in your sump, and risk a warranty, to save a couple bucks....


This isn't about saving a couple of bucks. It's about being concerned about the protection the thin 0W20 offers.


According to the engineers who designed the engine, 0W-20 offers the best protection. Just run it and forget about what they run in some other places.

 

[maintenanceMan]

I run either. You know that amount of viscosity difference is going to have a negligible effect in a moderate climate. Both would absolutely fine.

 

[haggler]

Originally Posted by Gokhan


You don't need a 5w30 unless you're racing the car. 5w30 is going to become a legacy SAE viscosity grade by 2030

I am racing my car. So...you concede it protects it better? I'm sure you said the same thing 10 years ago about w20 but here we are GM Ford still spec'ing it in their performance cars. Eco boost series LS series. Besides Toyota, the only other Asian GDI makers are Honda and Kia/Hyundai and they're both suffering fuel dilution. Much more concerned about this than IVDs. Besides IVD don't seem to solely be an oil issue, engineering has something to do with it.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted by haggler
Originally Posted by Gokhan
You don't need a 5w30 unless you're racing the car. 5w30 is going to become a legacy SAE viscosity grade by 2030
I am racing my car. So...you concede it protects it better? I'm sure you said the same thing 10 years ago about w20 but here we are GM Ford still spec'ing it in their performance cars. Eco boost series LS series. Besides Toyota, the only other Asian GDI makers are Honda and Kia/Hyundai and they're both suffering fuel dilution. Much more concerned about this than IVDs. Besides IVD don't seem to solely be an oil issue, engineering has something to do with it.

You would see a zero reduction in wear unless you race your car to the point that the minimum oil-film thickness (MOFT) in the bearings becomes smaller than the surface asperities, which is unlikely to happen in most driving conditions. Moreover, studies have shown that, until you reach that point, thinner oil results in less bearing wear. Besides, the base oil of 0W-20 is usually not thinner than that of 5w30, and that's what matters for the valvetrain and timing chain. 0W-20 is the recommended viscosity for the new BMW, Audi, etc. TGDI engines.

Originally Posted by haggler
I run 0w20 in my 2019 2.0 skyactiv miata but I plan to switch to M1 5w30 EP here in socal for the summer. I'll take the extra hot visc at 7500 RPM. If i do get any sort of dilution, there is enough of a buffer. Same exact engine in Europe recommends 0w20 OR 5w30. Not sure how Mazda would void your warranty when they state 5w30 in mexico and rest of world. What if my brother in Tijuana changed my oil.

Actually following the Mexican recommendation and filling it up with 5w30 conventional oil as the manual says would void your warranty because your USA oil-life monitor is programmed for longer OCIs with 0W-20 synthetic oil than what is allowed with 5w30 conventional oil in Mexico. European 5w30 recommendation is not the same as the Mexico 5w30 conventional-oil recommendation. They recommend synthetic 0W-20 as the preferred grade in Europe and synthetic 5w30 ACEA A5/B5 as an alternative to the preferred grade. In Mexico conventional 5w30 oil is recommended instead of synthetic 0W-20 oil because of the very high cost of synthetic oil there, but that comes at the expense of a reduced OCI in Mexico.

 

[Luftmasse]

Originally Posted by buster
I see zero benefit of running a xw30 in the Skyactiv engine.


Because they are an advocate of thicker oil. That is what it seems to be in most of the threads. Usually making recommendation to up a higher grade to handle the heat and fuel dilution.

But it is all personal preference.