Cant decide between 5w20 and 5w30 for harsh winter

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Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Originally Posted By: Mau
If the car is garaged at night I'd stick to 5w20 you will be fine. IF it isn't then you may want to look into 0w20 as Caterham suggested.

You don't have to dump out the 5w20 yet, run it with for a while and when you see M1 0w20 on sale grab it and keep it until your next change.


[censored]...it stays out at night :| and Mi 0w-20 AFE is on sale at Canadian Tire. Hmm..I guess I will get it and install an oil pan heater, willl change the oil if I have trouble in winter.


rik,

I expressed earlier in this thread my reluctance to deviate from manufacturer's spec, even though I acknowledge a 0W oil probably wouldn't hurt a thing, but you know what? If I had to deal with the ultra-cold temps and outdoor parking like you, I would not hesitate for a second to use the M1 OW-20.

Seriously. Waaayyy sub-zero F temps are just too extreme.

Get this double-element heater I already mentioned for our curvy oil pans.

Double-element stick-on oil pan heater

If this were available when I did mine, this is the one I would have gotten. It's still gonna be very underpowered for your brutal temps, but combined with your OEM block heater and the 0W-20, you'll be doing your engine a world of good. Let us know how it all works out.
 
Originally Posted By: KlooksKleek
If this were available when I did mine, this is the one I would have gotten. It's still gonna be very underpowered for your brutal temps, but combined with your OEM block heater and the 0W-20, you'll be doing your engine a world of good. Let us know how it all works out.


That actually looks like a pretty nifty setup. In any case, even a few degrees can make a difference. The advertising for the high wattage one I mentioned claimed it could warm oil from -40 C to +20 C overnight. Even if it actually could only warm it from -40 C to -10 C, that's a rather significant difference, as in the difference between recommending a 0w30 or 5w30 to a 10w30 in some of the old temperature charts.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: KlooksKleek
If this were available when I did mine, this is the one I would have gotten. It's still gonna be very underpowered for your brutal temps, but combined with your OEM block heater and the 0W-20, you'll be doing your engine a world of good. Let us know how it all works out.


That actually looks like a pretty nifty setup. In any case, even a few degrees can make a difference. The advertising for the high wattage one I mentioned claimed it could warm oil from -40 C to +20 C overnight. Even if it actually could only warm it from -40 C to -10 C, that's a rather significant difference, as in the difference between recommending a 0w30 or 5w30 to a 10w30 in some of the old temperature charts.


Garak,

I agree that even a little boost is going to help. And that double-element product is perfect for oil pans like mine and the OP's, which have ribs and valleys that won't allow for a bigger pad to attach securely.

As far as those claims about how much of a temp difference any particular heater will make on the fluid they are heating, those same figures came with the unit that I bought but in practical application, I can tell you the claims are very optimistic. Like I already mentioned, on a cold winter Chicago morning after my heater has been plugged in for hours, I can feel barely any warmth at all when I withdraw the dipstick. But at least the stick isn't stone cold and that's probably just enough to do some basic good.
 
Hey Klook,

thanks for all your inputs.Your are right about the temperatures.Just youtubing cold weather synethic oil, shows how even a synthetic oil "flows" at -40. It slowly drops from the bottle like hooney, but its still better than dino(they made a point), which took about 10 secs to flow.

I took care of a few things today.I went to Hyundai dealership and asked if 0w-20 would void my warranty, they said NO,(provided I follow recommended OCI). So thats good news.

Secondly, I ordered the double element oilpan heater from proheat(they owe you a comission :p)

I am probably gonna switch to Mobil 1 0w-20 afe soon. I now have the opportunity to use Redline fuel system cleaner to clean out the injectors before the oil change.

will keep you posted and maybe do a uoa after the winter.
 
Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Hey Klook,

thanks for all your inputs.Your are right about the temperatures.Just youtubing cold weather synethic oil, shows how even a synthetic oil "flows" at -40. It slowly drops from the bottle like hooney, but its still better than dino(they made a point), which took about 10 secs to flow.

I took care of a few things today.I went to Hyundai dealership and asked if 0w-20 would void my warranty, they said NO,(provided I follow recommended OCI). So thats good news.

Secondly, I ordered the double element oilpan heater from proheat(they owe you a comission :p)

I am probably gonna switch to Mobil 1 0w-20 afe soon. I now have the opportunity to use Redline fuel system cleaner to clean out the injectors before the oil change.

will keep you posted and maybe do a uoa after the winter.


Niiice! Yes, be sure to post back about how everything goes for you. Interesting that someone at your dealership gave you the go-ahead on the 0W20. Even if they know logically it can only help, these people still almost always speak the company line. And yeah, get it in your car right away, even if draining out the current stuff is premature. I hate to waste but it's good to feel fully protected.

I don't envy your temps but I do envy your OEM engine block heater for your Sonata. Galls my stones that on USA models not only can't the heater be officially obtained but it can't even be fitted. Jerks. I'm a huge fan of engine heaters and have had the devices for two previous cars.

I'd love to get that double-element Proheat stick-on device on my car. Wish it was available last year when I was shopping. I wonder how I'd even get the current one off the oil pan in order to install the double one...once that glue dries it feels like the heating pad is attached with concrete! I'm sure a quick email to the company would provide an answer.

Good luck and stay warm!
 
Originally Posted By: KlooksKleek
Like I already mentioned, on a cold winter Chicago morning after my heater has been plugged in for hours, I can feel barely any warmth at all when I withdraw the dipstick. But at least the stick isn't stone cold and that's probably just enough to do some basic good.


I would agree many of them are rather optimistic. I do know that some setups work better than others. The magnetic ones aren't as convenient, but some of them do kick out some pretty impressive wattage and will burn your hands if you touch them in the wrong spot. The factory in-the-pan setup on the Audi also gave off a lot of heat. I didn't have to use it, having a heated garage, but I did test it one time, and the end of the element near where the plug is got very hot very quickly.

But, such setups involve losing a fair bit of convenience. Climbing under the vehicle to play with a magnetic pan heater is not a lot of fun, and retrofitting an in-pan system could be a bit of a chore.

It's good to know that the dealer gave him the approval for 0w-20. The dealer probably had no issues, considering they likely have enough trouble convincing us rubes to not use 10w30 in the things.
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: rikstaker

thanks for all your inputs.Your are right about the temperatures.Just youtubing cold weather synethic oil, shows how even a synthetic oil "flows" at -40. It slowly drops from the bottle like hooney, but its still better than dino(they made a point), which took about 10 secs to flow.


While to pour test is fun to watch, it has nothing to do with the oil flow in the engine because in the engine the oil is pumped, not gravity poured.
The difference between synthetic oil flow and conventional is definitely there, no question about it, but it is not as big as these pour test might imply.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: KlooksKleek
Like I already mentioned, on a cold winter Chicago morning after my heater has been plugged in for hours, I can feel barely any warmth at all when I withdraw the dipstick. But at least the stick isn't stone cold and that's probably just enough to do some basic good.


I would agree many of them are rather optimistic. I do know that some setups work better than others. The magnetic ones aren't as convenient, but some of them do kick out some pretty impressive wattage and will burn your hands if you touch them in the wrong spot. The factory in-the-pan setup on the Audi also gave off a lot of heat. I didn't have to use it, having a heated garage, but I did test it one time, and the end of the element near where the plug is got very hot very quickly.

But, such setups involve losing a fair bit of convenience. Climbing under the vehicle to play with a magnetic pan heater is not a lot of fun, and retrofitting an in-pan system could be a bit of a chore.

It's good to know that the dealer gave him the approval for 0w-20. The dealer probably had no issues, considering they likely have enough trouble convincing us rubes to not use 10w30 in the things.
wink.gif



I was amazed how hot my 125W stick-on oil pan heater got, and how quickly, too (plugging it in briefly to warm it up just before installation is part of the instructions). But I still can't feel much warmth in the oil in daily operation. Perhaps that's because the heat is disapated so much through the 4.7 qts. of oil and all the metal-to-metal contact down there. But again, I am confident that even a small bump above stone-cold is going to really help.
 
One thing to keep in mind with the oil pan heater is it will do a lot better job of keeping warm oil warm, then it will of warming up sub zero oil. So on those cold days, you might just want to plug in the pan heater when you get home, and leave it on until the following morning when you need to drive it again.

Also blocking any major wind from blowing under/around your car while that cold would also help the heater perform better.
 
Originally Posted By: smfinley
One thing to keep in mind with the oil pan heater is it will do a lot better job of keeping warm oil warm, then it will of warming up sub zero oil. So on those cold days, you might just want to plug in the pan heater when you get home, and leave it on until the following morning when you need to drive it again.

Also blocking any major wind from blowing under/around your car while that cold would also help the heater perform better.


Thanks. Fortunately, wind is not a problem in the garage and at only 125W, keeping the heater plugged in all night won't break the bank. My previous heater, an element that heated the coolant through a frost plug in the block, was a whopping 1,275 watts. But I got easy starts and instant heat after just three hours on a timer. This was with F temps in the teens in the garage. If it dipped down to single digits, I'd give it an additional couple hours. Of course, had my car been outside, I would have gone all night with it plugged in.
 
Originally Posted By: smfinley
One thing to keep in mind with the oil pan heater is it will do a lot better job of keeping warm oil warm, then it will of warming up sub zero oil. So on those cold days, you might just want to plug in the pan heater when you get home, and leave it on until the following morning when you need to drive it again.

Also blocking any major wind from blowing under/around your car while that cold would also help the heater perform better.


Hmmm..I wonder how real is the risk of degrading the oil if I do that, rememebr I am at 250 watts now, I was thinking plugging it in in the morning 2 hours before startup on usual winter days and plugging it in all night when its -40...thoughts?
 
Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Originally Posted By: smfinley
One thing to keep in mind with the oil pan heater is it will do a lot better job of keeping warm oil warm, then it will of warming up sub zero oil. So on those cold days, you might just want to plug in the pan heater when you get home, and leave it on until the following morning when you need to drive it again.

Also blocking any major wind from blowing under/around your car while that cold would also help the heater perform better.


Hmmm..I wonder how real is the risk of degrading the oil if I do that, rememebr I am at 250 watts now, I was thinking plugging it in in the morning 2 hours before startup on usual winter days and plugging it in all night when its -40...thoughts?


rik,

Are you questioning whether plugging in your heater overnight will degrade the oil? Are you thinking the heater can heat up the oil too much? That definitely is not going to happen.

And what heater are you talking about when you say "I'm at 250 watts right now" ? That Hyundai OEM block heater is much stronger than that. I believe it is 1,000 watts at least. But remember, that heater works on the head, block and the coolant in the block (our Sonata heaters are lipstick tube-shaped and actually slip into a round opening in the head, right above the block, and never actually come in contact with the coolant. It's all by convection). It probably has some small "reach-down" ability to the oil, too, but not much. I'd bet that with the OEM engine heater the oil might get faintly warm, at most, but that's OK, because the moment that faintly warm oil touches the much warmer metal surfaces upon start-up, you're golden.

Please clarify.

As for the time issue, it's very seat-of-the-pants. You're just going to have to experiment. There's really no way to tell other than experimentation, and even then, with your car being outside, things will be a moving target. Temps, winds and time will all have an effect (yes, I know windchill does not apply to inanimate objects).

Dunno...3 hours or so on a calm, 20F morning, maybe all night on a sub-zero morning?
 
Klooks, ya I am a little concerned that the oil might get too hot, when plugged in all night. Wolver lists 125w as enough to heat oil capcity upto 5litres or so..but guess that is omptimistic as you guys said.
 
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Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Klooks, ya I am a little concerned that the oil might get too hot, when plugged in all night.



My opinion is that with a 250W oil pan heater, our 4.7 qt sumps, your ambient temps and your car being outside, your oil temp will never even come close to normal operating temp, let alone overheat and degrade.

Test it just once. Leave the heater plugged in overnight when it's really cold, pop the hood in the morning and withdraw the dipstick. Feel the bottom end of the stick that was in the oil. I guarantee you won't be dropping the stick in howling pain
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Klooks,

Will do Sir.
smile.gif
BTW how is the Mobil 1 filter? I bought an Amsoil filter from a dealer, and it was rusted like crazy and I returned it, this whole Amsoil Avon type marketing makes me wanna stay away from them.
 
Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Klooks,

Will do Sir.
smile.gif
BTW how is the Mobil 1 filter? I bought an Amsoil filter from a dealer, and it was rusted like crazy and I returned it, this whole Amsoil Avon type marketing makes me wanna stay away from them.


Dunno. Only have used the OEM. It is heavy and feels substantial. I'm happy sticking with it.
 
Originally Posted By: KlooksKleek
I was amazed how hot my 125W stick-on oil pan heater got, and how quickly, too (plugging it in briefly to warm it up just before installation is part of the instructions).


I tried the magnetic one on my 1999.5 Lightning when I had it. The magnetic one would burn you if you grabbed it wrong, as I mentioned. I really never checked how much it warmed the oil, but it made a very significant difference in cranking when very cold. But, it was terribly inconvenient.

@rikstaker: I'd use the M1 filter without hesitation. In fact, I think Partsource has them on sale now, making them actually pretty competitively priced now in relation to other filters.
 
Update, still dont have the delivery of the oil pan heater, its hitting -22 tonight(-32 with windchill).Massive snow dump for last 2 days.

Guys, if you are driving in snow, please do not use the standard "all season" kumho tires.The Sonata will refuse to obey you and the potential for things to go wrong is high.It wasnt fun watching some clunkers braking and turning more effectively than your car.Get yourselves some winter tires. As for my senorita, she is glued to the parking lot, need to dig her out tomorrow.It looks a lot worse now, this is from yesterday morning.

jh9VV.jpg
 
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