Synthetic cold flow test
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Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Both are 5w30 and if at the proper MRV test temp they should have been identical, as you said. Maybe we need to see what would have happened at -35 C.
Just to clarify Shannow's point, they all will pump when you're choosing the correct Xw- part for your weather. They're identical in that they'll all work and pump. It's interesting to note, however, that a 5w-30 ILSAC will have better MRV numbers than a 5w-30 A3/B4 or a 5w-30 CK-4. That won't make the ILSAC ones into a 0w-30, however. You might get faster cranking with the ILSAC examples, but you're not getting a "free" 0w-XX, either. Note that 5w-30 Petro-Canada conventional has better cold numbers than the 5w-30 Petro-Canada synthetic. Also, I can find a 15w-40 with a -45 pour point, but I wouldn't try it at -45 unaided, either.
Both are 5w30 and if at the proper MRV test temp they should have been identical, as you said. Maybe we need to see what would have happened at -35 C.
Just to clarify Shannow's point, they all will pump when you're choosing the correct Xw- part for your weather. They're identical in that they'll all work and pump. It's interesting to note, however, that a 5w-30 ILSAC will have better MRV numbers than a 5w-30 A3/B4 or a 5w-30 CK-4. That won't make the ILSAC ones into a 0w-30, however. You might get faster cranking with the ILSAC examples, but you're not getting a "free" 0w-XX, either. Note that 5w-30 Petro-Canada conventional has better cold numbers than the 5w-30 Petro-Canada synthetic. Also, I can find a 15w-40 with a -45 pour point, but I wouldn't try it at -45 unaided, either.
I still would like to see each oil run for 2000 miles ( in a non DI engine, as fuel dilution could be unpredictable) then do the cold pour test.
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I still would like to see each oil run for 2000 miles ( in a non DI engine, as fuel dilution could be unpredictable) then do the cold pour test.
Yes, and the standard DOES have a used oil test...the oils are allowed to slip into the next grade, to "stay in grade"...slipping two is a fail.
I still would like to see each oil run for 2000 miles ( in a non DI engine, as fuel dilution could be unpredictable) then do the cold pour test.
Yes, and the standard DOES have a used oil test...the oils are allowed to slip into the next grade, to "stay in grade"...slipping two is a fail.
Oooooo - so, back to the 0W-16.....
Originally Posted By: Shannow
If I was in an environment where it got to -20F (-29c???), there would be nothing in my shed bar 0W anything...Probably M1 0W40 for that matter (places that have -20F also don't have Aussie oil prices of $105/5 litres)
Why stop there when we now know we can order -5W30 from HKS??
;^)
If I was in an environment where it got to -20F (-29c???), there would be nothing in my shed bar 0W anything...Probably M1 0W40 for that matter (places that have -20F also don't have Aussie oil prices of $105/5 litres)
Why stop there when we now know we can order -5W30 from HKS??
;^)
In the late 80s our diesel maintenance supervisor at work gave me a printout of cold pour tests. There was quite a range, from a conventional straight 30 or 40 at the thick end down to a synthetic 5W-30 at the thin end.
It's been a long time now, and I can't recall the paper perfectly, but the tests were done at several cold temperatures, and with the oil cold-soaked for different lengths of time.
The differences were, predictably, emphasized as the test temperatures got colder, but what surprised me was that the cold soak time was a significant factor in flow rate - I think they did 16 hrs and 48 hrs, and there was a very measurable difference. I was surprised, as I wouldn't have thought that oil would get any colder after sitting in the sump for 16 hours after the engine had last been run.
So my question (and maybe it was in the video but I missed it) is for how long were the oils sitting outside @ -20 C before the start of the test? If the tester kept them at room temperature and then took them outside immediately before the test, the test was not really evaluating the impact of cold weather on flow rate. That might explain why, in the 2nd test, the conventional oil flowed as well as the synthetic.
I know oils are better now, but I also remember buying oil (QS 10W-30) by the caseload of 24, and carrying the whole lot around in the trunk of my thirsty oil-guzzling '68 Impala. I had to add a couple of quarts @ -30 C, and the oil (which had been sitting in the trunk for weeks) was almost impossible to pour out of the can. It was thick like molasses. I know 5W-30 vs. my 10W-30, and -30 vs. -20, but still that conventional looked to be pouring extremely well for winter temperatures.
It's been a long time now, and I can't recall the paper perfectly, but the tests were done at several cold temperatures, and with the oil cold-soaked for different lengths of time.
The differences were, predictably, emphasized as the test temperatures got colder, but what surprised me was that the cold soak time was a significant factor in flow rate - I think they did 16 hrs and 48 hrs, and there was a very measurable difference. I was surprised, as I wouldn't have thought that oil would get any colder after sitting in the sump for 16 hours after the engine had last been run.
So my question (and maybe it was in the video but I missed it) is for how long were the oils sitting outside @ -20 C before the start of the test? If the tester kept them at room temperature and then took them outside immediately before the test, the test was not really evaluating the impact of cold weather on flow rate. That might explain why, in the 2nd test, the conventional oil flowed as well as the synthetic.
I know oils are better now, but I also remember buying oil (QS 10W-30) by the caseload of 24, and carrying the whole lot around in the trunk of my thirsty oil-guzzling '68 Impala. I had to add a couple of quarts @ -30 C, and the oil (which had been sitting in the trunk for weeks) was almost impossible to pour out of the can. It was thick like molasses. I know 5W-30 vs. my 10W-30, and -30 vs. -20, but still that conventional looked to be pouring extremely well for winter temperatures.
Sometimes i go to the Pyrenees in February-March to do some "shopping" in Andorra for a few days.
No problems with 20W-50 Dino in the sump even some mornings where the temp is perhaps -5C ( 23 F ).
Although i do let the engine run a little bit before setting off, perhaps a minute or two, after all it's a old carburated engine that runs a little rough when cold.
No problems with 20W-50 Dino in the sump even some mornings where the temp is perhaps -5C ( 23 F ).
Although i do let the engine run a little bit before setting off, perhaps a minute or two, after all it's a old carburated engine that runs a little rough when cold.
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