oil conversion

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Originally Posted By: TurboWagon
A 50/50 mix of 0w30 and 10w30 theoretically would give you 5w30.


It's not quite that simple though. My guess would be that if you mixed 0w30 and 10w30 in equal parts, it still would not pass the cold cranking tests required to give it the 5w rating, so in effect you wouldn't have an oil that behaves identical to a 5w30 oil. It all depends on how much viscosity index improvers are used in each of the oils, and how they would react when mixed together. Chemistry is a funny thing!
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Originally Posted By: TurboWagon
Bottom line: Why not just buy a 5w30?
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Bingo!
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I have a feeling the OP must have a large stash of 10w30 and wants to use it up somehow, but has a car that calls for 5w30.
 
Originally Posted By: griasnov
Is there any way to convert 10-30 oil to 5-30 oil by mixing with other weights.


First welcome to BITOG!

The answer is yes but I don't think you really care about an oils viscosity at -30C. A SAE oil grade is a range of viscosities but your question implies a narrow focus of what a 10w30 and a 5w30 oil grade is.

To give a useful answer you need to tell us what you're concerned about and what you're trying to achieve.
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: TurboWagon
A 50/50 mix of 0w30 and 10w30 theoretically would give you 5w30.


It's not quite that simple though. My guess would be that if you mixed 0w30 and 10w30 in equal parts, it still would not pass the cold cranking tests required to give it the 5w rating, so in effect you wouldn't have an oil that behaves identical to a 5w30 oil. It all depends on how much viscosity index improvers are used in each of the oils, and how they would react when mixed together. Chemistry is a funny thing!
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Good answer!

I ran a project at work about a year ago where I was trying to find an SJ-rated 15w40 oil to run in a valvetrain test rig. Amalie listed such an oil on their web site, but when I called them to buy some, they said it was not available. Later on I asked their tech rep if I could mix their 10w30 and 20w50 oils to make a 15w40, and he said "You'll definitely end up with a 40-weight at operating temperature, but I don't really know what you'll get at cold temperatures."
 
I no longer have a car that takes 10-30 oil as advised by the car manufacturer. My new car requires 5-30 oil. Since I have several five quart Mobil One 10-30 containers sitting on my garrage shelf, I would hate to just get rid of it and would like to use it if it can be converted. From the varied replies I received thus far, It appears that I may be asking for potential trouble following that path. Am I reading this right and is it safe for me to to proceed by adding 0-30 oil as suggested in one of the replies above?
 
Since you've already got M1 10w30, there should not be a problem mixing in M1 0w30. Since you're working with synthetic oil, and within the Mobil family of oils, the possibility of unexpected chemical interactions is minimized.

Can you send in the question to Mobil's help line? A lot of people here would be curious to know the answer.
 
just use the 10w30 in the summer. at temps above 50F both have very similar properties. Thats assuming you change oil more than once a year.
 
Originally Posted By: griasnov
I no longer have a car that takes 10-30 oil as advised by the car manufacturer. My new car requires 5-30 oil. Since I have several five quart Mobil One 10-30 containers sitting on my garrage shelf, I would hate to just get rid of it and would like to use it if it can be converted. From the varied replies I received thus far, It appears that I may be asking for potential trouble following that path. Am I reading this right and is it safe for me to to proceed by adding 0-30 oil as suggested in one of the replies above?

It will be perfectly safe to mix the two, but it's hard to determine whether the mixture will actually be 5w30.
 
Modern oils HAVE to mix with one another. That is part of their grading system.
So no problems there.

We still don't know your situation or objectives, though.
Trying to use up some 10-30 you have around?
 
Originally Posted By: surfstar
Its M1 10w30 - you're fine using it year round. It would most likely crank better than many 5w30 conventional oils during the winter.


+1 I've been using M1 10W30 in Charlotte NC for years. Two mid/late 90s Camrys both have well over 200K and are doing great. You have more winter than we do, but M1 10W30 will be fine in your climate even in winter. After you use up the 10W30, you can make the switch. The pour point for M1 19W30 is -42C. It's hard to believe that it wouldn't be up to winter in Fairfax VA.
 
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Originally Posted By: griasnov
I no longer have a car that takes 10-30 oil as advised by the car manufacturer. My new car requires 5-30 oil. Since I have several five quart Mobil One 10-30 containers sitting on my garrage shelf, I would hate to just get rid of it and would like to use it if it can be converted. From the varied replies I received thus far, It appears that I may be asking for potential trouble following that path. Am I reading this right and is it safe for me to to proceed by adding 0-30 oil as suggested in one of the replies above?

The problem with the 10w30 is that the oil has a very low viscosity index and no amount of blending is going to give you the VI of M1 5w30.

Since you have cases of the M1 10w30 presumably unopened, I'd try returning them for a credit or exchange for some M1 5w30.
I've sucessfully done that with some Castrol 0w30 I had for years, returning it to WalMart without receipt and received a credit for more than I paid for the oil originally.
 
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