Get yourself a 3V Ford with blown tensioner seals (ok, actually, no, don't do that) and you'll appreciate 15W-40 in a small V8 gasserWe used 15w40 Valvoline Blue in our Cummins Diesel generators that ran emergency fire pumps on chemical plants in the deep south. I would use it with caution in cold climates. Its a darn good oil just not for everything. I cant see a need for that in cars or even a light duty truck.
There are also quite a few older diesels out there that spec 15w40 compared to the newer ones recommending 10w30. So probably why 15w40 is more popular.It’s driven by adoption of newer engines. Not 24 year old engines.
A new 6.7 powerstroke is factory filled and recommends 10w30. Not 15w40.
The problem is new engine manufacturers are not pushing 10w30 heavily. Thus the lack of adoption. They say recommended / factory fill. But they don’t say do not run 15w40. So the adoption is slow, other than those who look at fuel economy.
I don't doubt the 10w30 is perfectly capable, my issue is availability. Not many 5 gallon or 2.5 gallon containers of 10w30 HDEO available, same with the gallon jugs. The 10w30 HDEO that is available is usually more expensive than comparable 15w40. My local TSC and WalMart are good examples. They have maybe 5 or 6 options for 15w40, but 1 of 10w30 HDEO and the 10w30 is significantly more expensive per quart.Most engine manufacturers have 10w30 rated back to 2003.
I’ve seen several tests in pre emissions and post emissions engines. Holds up fine.
For the most part, people are comparing conventional group 2 15w40s against Synthetic blend 10w30s. So the viscosity of the 10w30 is on the higher end of the 30 side. Where as a conventional 15w40 will float on the lower end of the 40 side.
The lack of adoption comes from several issues. 1. Simply the lack of an education on the differences in the oils. The vast majority of fleet buyers (where the major gallons are) aren’t all that educated on oil. It’s just a commodity to them. Use whatever is cheapest.
This leads to point 2. Up until a few years ago, 10w30s have been vastly more expensive than 15w40 at the fleet level. It’s hard to sell a fleet an oil that’s going to cost them more. Sure, there’s certainly fuel savings. But you have to show it to them. On top of that, you have the people that have been using 15w40 forever and it hasn’t failed them. Change is hard to force. Add in the scare of wear and you have a hard up hill battle to face.
I personally recommend anything 2008 and newer to use 10w30. As, emissions is at play at that point. Detroit specifically calls for FA4 10w30 back to then and forward.
Diesel 10w30s have been around a long, long time. It’s just been a hard battle to get them adopted. I think we will finally see it take over in PC12 in the next 3-5 years.
There are also quite a few older diesels out there that spec 15w40 compared to the newer ones recommending 10w30. So probably why 15w40 is more popular.
For over the road trucks likely yes, farm equipment definitely not.16+ year old equipment is not the majority of the HDEO market.
Average fleet age is somewhere around 11.5 last I checked. It went out a bit because of Covid. However, the majority of daily use (and thus oil volume) is newer equipment.
For over the road trucks likely yes, farm equipment definitely not.
I haven't used it in many years. Not even in my 1984 Oldsmobile with a 76 350 Olds or any of my OPE. We get cold weather here in Canada and I don't see a reason to use anything other than m1 0w40 that I buy on sale for $34 Canadian for 5 qts.Few friends of mine instill do oil changes for still want 15w40. I’ve used it without issue. Yes it cranks slow way below freezing. Kinda sad that fleets still use it over 10w30 to be honest. Few friends that work beside my work run it without issues too. Anyone here use it in gas vehicles still?
Sharp !
Only due to Gov regs. Oil consumption has become alot more common in engines used under heavy loads since manufacturers have switched to lighter oils.No, 10W30 has become the norm during the last decade.