Bottom line on 5W20

[ADFD1]

I guess my writing skills stink, sorry. I was making a comment that the "Advertisement" sounded impressive. The way I'm reading it is they towed thru the desert for 250,000 miles loaded to the hilt with 5W20 oil. It sounds impressive, if they actually did it was another story. Thanks for posting that information!

AD

 

[Smokescreen]

My point is for any engine, if they use a wide variety of oil wts around the world but in north america use a 20wt, you can be pretty sure that another specied weight won`t hurt the engine as far as tight clearances and such goes.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
What does the same engine use in ....Australia for example...?


They use 5w30 because their toilets swirl backwards....

they are working on a 20w5
Everything is upside down as well I can't figure out how they check the oil level in their engines. I Have been told gravity sucks but I can not really prove it.

 

[oilchangeguy]

After reading these tests with Motorcraft 5w20, I'm sold on it!

 

[Badlees]

There are plenty of stout Dino 5w20's out there to choose from.

 

[PandaBear]

IMO the only problem with 5w20 is it cost more to make them for the same performance spec, mostly due to the need for better base stock (higher group III %) to reduce the Noack to the same spec.

That doesn't means that 5w30 or 10w30 are better. They are just made with cheaper quality ingredient to the same performance spec. I'm basing this on what I read on the Peak's oil spec sheet.

To the end user, no difference.

 

[Jtgrant]

Reading this thread I really think I may up my modded 03 Cobra from Castrol GC 0w30 to Mobil 1 0w-40. What do you think?

 

[ZZman]

You can run a 5-30 with no issues.

Many here have said they run 50w oil in their vehicles with no issues.

 

[JAG]

Here is a good paper to read to help us "review some of the key tribological issues of relevance to motorsport applications": Lubrication, Tribology & Motorsport

Post any comments you have on the article.

 

[buster]

The bottom line on 5w20's is no has yet shown me an engine that has failed during it's life time using a "5w20"

 

[Hitzy]

I think 5w30 and 5w20 are so similar your engine won't complain.
I'm not convinced it's better in anyway, but I'm sure it's just as good.

 

[ericthepig]

Originally Posted By: JAG
Here is a good paper to read to help us "review some of the key tribological issues of relevance to motorsport applications": Lubrication, Tribology & Motorsport

Post any comments you have on the article.


I'm feeling better about my 0w20. Given my cars efficient fuel use, I'm assuming it was designed with low boudary friction (negating need for high visc at the boudaries). Given my car is gently driven (reasonable rpms), then I'm less worried about shearing in the upper cylinder (consumption is the counterpart to this upper cylinder issue, but my Mazda is not consuming oil w 0w20). Then there's the desired high flow rate needed by the bearings - 0w20 trumps in flow rate.

The only other issue per the paper (pertaining to my oil choice) is - the desire for effective friction modifiers (even in a low boundary friction engine). Given my M1 0w20 was designed with low friction in mind, I'm hoping this base is covered.

 

[D189379]

I'll just go out and say it. ALL OIL GRADES ARE EQUAL!!!!

5-20 in Ferrari, 20-50 in a Civic, it doesn't make a difference what you choose!!!

 

[StevieC]

I believe in reading the viscosity chart in the manual and using whats recommended for the climatic conditions you are experiencing.

The engineers that designed the engine knows best!

P-E-R-I-O-D!

Screw CAFE, and screw which one is better!

 

[ericthepig]

Originally Posted By: D189379
I'll just go out and say it. ALL OIL GRADES ARE EQUAL!!!!

5-20 in Ferrari, 20-50 in a Civic, it doesn't make a difference what you choose!!!


According to the article posted by JAG there is consequence. But a lot of variables come in to play when discussing if there'll be distinguishable consequence in the first 300k miles.

Meanwhile, it seems the verdict is perhaps in concerning visc. choice and optimization of the engine's performance (per this article and comments by Doug Hillary).

 

[Jtgrant]

Originally Posted By: JAG
Here is a good paper to read to help us "review some of the key tribological issues of relevance to motorsport applications": Lubrication, Tribology & Motorsport

Post any comments you have on the article.



Can I get the short and sweet version?

 

[JAG]

Originally Posted By: Jtgrant
Can I get the short and sweet version?

You don't get the same level of education when someone else tells you what a paper says. The graphs and charts are informative and easy on the eyes. Aside from that, the Conclusion is a good place to start which is shown below but it is stated totally in generalities:
Originally Posted By: paper
CONCLUSION
In this paper I have attempted to demonstrate that the
physical properties of a lubricant are extremely important
in determining both the minimum oil film thickness in key
lubricated contacts, and the associated friction losses. It
is important to use models for the piston assembly, the
engine bearings, and the valve train, that include
accurate information about how the lubricant viscosity
varies with temperature, shear rate, and pressure.

We have compared a conventional gasoline engine with
a high performance Formula 1 engine, and shown that
matching the lubricant to the engine can lead to
significant reductions in engine friction, with consequent
improvements in the available power to the wheels.