Delo 400 15w40 or 5w40?

[coffee]

Hi All,

I have the ability to get either of these oils at Costco here in the valley and the difference in price is about $4-5 dollars a jug. The 15w40 is about $9ish and the 5w40 is $14ish a gallon. Since the difference is so minimal between the two would it be better for me to use the 5w40 synthetic or would you think I should just use the 15w40? If the price wasn't so close I would not bother but I thought I should get some input. Thank you.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Well both are going to do great in terms of wear. So the big difference is that you might see a fuel ecconomy pay off with the 5W40 over the 15W40. So if consuption is not an issue currently and price is close you might want to spend a little bit more up front for the 5W40 and see if it pay's off on the back side in terms of fuel ecconomy.Now if you have already ran 15W40 and it did not negatively impact feul ecconomy then save the money and go with the 15W40. SOme vechiles notice a difference in fuel economy and some do not. Uusaly the small I4's will notice a difference especialy if short trips around town make up the bulk of your driveing. Larger engines and those that see more continious HWY driveing like 20 miles or more at a pop usualy do not register any real difference in fuel ecconomy with a 15W40.The first 20 minutes of driveing after you start an engine is when you notice a milage difference based on the first two digits in front of the "W" after about 20 minutes of driveing the advatage of the lower initial viscosity rateing plays next to no role once the two oils are at operateing temp!

 

[pickled]

Wow that is really inexpensive for the 5W40 (it's a group III)...the price you are quoting is as cheap as bulk fleet purchase prices I've seen quoted directly from Chevron! If you want to do some extended OCI's then their 5W40 is pretty good at that price! Overall though their group II+ dino juice is a solid performer too. Depending on your annual mileage you might just want to back the truck up and load up on the Delo 15W40 before it jumps over $10.

 

[D-Roc]

I've run both, and performed uoa with both. No fuel economy difference, and no difference in wear. But I ran oem intervals. This was kind of what I hoped for as Delo 400 MG has performed wonderfully for me, and I was skeptical with the 5W40. Honestly, if it makes you feel better to use the syn for whatever your justification (heat, cold, X drains) then do so. Me, I would be sticking with the 15W40. I use the 5W40 up here in Edmonton, Alberta because we can and do see temps which remain below freezing for about 6 months of the year. Plus, we see MANY weeks of -20 C (-5 F). Further to that, we usually see 2-3 cold snaps of -30 C OR MORE. Does it get this cold where you are? I know it probably gets hot there...we usually only see slightly above 90 F...I've never seen it break 100F (38C) here in Edmonton. Down south in Alberta maybe...
Your choice.
By the way, Delo 400 5W40 does NOT contain any Moly...its important to some people...I, myself like Moly.

 

[coffee]

Well, this is what I was looking for and I think I will go with the 15w40 then as I agree with you all. Thank you.

 

[widman]

I've used the 15W-40 in a lot of vehicles, but run the 5W-40 (synthetic in my BMW for once a year oil changes). Easier starting at 30F. In most cases you can easily run the synthetic twice as long.

 

[coffee]

Well, I would have to drive 30 miles to buy the 5w40 at the Costco Business Center and I an drive 3 miles to get teh 15w40 at WalMart so I am not sure it is worth that much of a difference. Supposedly the Delo 15w40 is an IsoSyn and better for colder starts already than most dino 15w40's. I appreciate the input though.

 

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted By: coffee
Well, I would have to drive 30 miles to buy the 5w40 at the Costco Business Center and I an drive 3 miles to get teh 15w40 at WalMart so I am not sure it is worth that much of a difference. Supposedly the Delo 15w40 is an IsoSyn and better for colder starts already than most dino 15w40's. I appreciate the input though.


Where did you hear that? About the cold starts and Isosyn?

 

[coffee]

I will try and find the posts but it was when I was searching for 15w40 comparisons and people felt that the Delo IsoSyn oils provided a better cold flow than the othe rproducts but it may have been their own opinion.

The truth is that I want to use a 15w40 product year around but want the one that has the best cold starting properties for the occasional trips up north to visit family in Flagstaff. If anyone knows which 15w40 has the best cold starting please let me know. Thank you.

 

[Volvohead]

RTS 5w-40 (Shell XHVI GIII base) is only $16 at WM. I would take that over either Delo offering, especially considering the 54 extra miles you have to drive to get the latter 5w-40.

 

[pickled]

FWIW- Delo 400 Le 15W40 has a pour point of -22F vs the Delo 5W40 at -45F. How cold does it get in Flagstaff anyway? I'm sure that Albertans see a little more extreme and if D-Roc can run it year round you should be good to go for $9/gallon. As far as Volvohead's comments about Shell's new offering I don't know what the reasoning would be to spend $7 more per gallon than for the Delo dino juice that already controls wear quite well in most applications and should work well within your temperature operating range.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: coffee
Hi All,

I have the ability to get either of these oils at Costco here in the valley and the difference in price is about $4-5 dollars a jug. The 15w40 is about $9ish and the 5w40 is $14ish a gallon. Since the difference is so minimal between the two would it be better for me to use the 5w40 synthetic or would you think I should just use the 15w40? If the price wasn't so close I would not bother but I thought I should get some input. Thank you.


That's why I said what I said. The OP's already willing to pay an extra $5 for syn, and willing to drive over 50 miles to get it - not as inexpensive as you thought. He'll spend more on gas than the $2 more for RTS.

 

[D-Roc]

I only run the 5W40 for about 3, maybe four months max...only because I have to, it just gets so darn cold here- and there are places out of the city which routinely see about 5 celsius colder than me on any one winter day.
Coffee, if you have limited amounts of below freezing days, you should be fine with the 15W40. Delo is great, I use it because I have had great results, it is also highly regarded in the trucking/offroad world, just like Delvac, Rotella, VPB, and all the others out there that are routinely used. You gotta go with what works for you.
Further to that, I'm not really convinced that running 15W40 will result in engine problems or accelerated wear. There's always a coating of oil on all moving parts- that's the oil's job. My buddy ran 15W40 the first year he bought his Cummins, when we had no power at work to plugin becuase they were tearing up the parking lot. His truck always started and I highly doubted he had any excess wear. It's always a good idea to run a 5W40 when you are seeing my temps on a regular basis, however...

 

[pickled]

Understood sorry that i didn't get it...sometimes I'm quite dense!

 

[coffee]

Well, that makes sense but is there any real preference between Delvac, Delo and Rotella 15w40 as far as cold cranking or performance overall?

 

[coffee]

Okay, now this article seems to states that CJ-4 oils are poorer than CI-4 and recommend avoiding them if possible. Now my gas Volvos do not need that rating but does that mean the CJ-4 oils perform worse than the CI-4 oils? Would I be better off using the older spec oils where possible that have the SL rating my cars need? Can I get any advice regarding the differences between the CJ & CI oils? If the CI oils are better than the only one I can find at WalMart with the older rating I believe is the SuperTech brand.

Here is the article, http://www.turbodieselregister.com/TDR57_Oil.pdf

 

[D-Roc]

I know that TDR article says that CJ4 is "lesser" than the CI4 oils, but I think that's just initial opinion and the unwillingness to accept the new formulation because it lost a few things that were considered advantageous (less ZDDP, lower tbn). All the oil companies are claiming lower wear, and the new CJ4 test is actually harder to pass than previous tests. Also, if using ULSD, TBN is supposed to diminish less over time, as long as you're using ULSD exclusively.
I honestly don't believe its a lesser product, but I've got lots of CI4+ to use and still find reasonable prices on some older CI4/+ stock, so I take advantage of it. I wouldn't worry about using it though.

 

[coffee]

Thank you for that input, D-Roc! This stuff gets so confusing and all I am looking for is a good 15w40 to use for 5-7k OCI's. I just read some good stuff about the Valvoine 15w40 as well and plan on checking into that oil as well.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: coffee
Well, that makes sense but is there any real preference between Delvac, Delo and Rotella 15w40 as far as cold cranking or performance overall?


Short answer: no.

If you want improved cold crank performance at lower ambients, consider a 5w-40.

 

[coffee]

Well, I think any of the major 15w40's are going to fit me fine and in Phoenix, AZ it should be good year around even if I go to Flagstaff every now and then. The site I linked above seemed to think Valvoline Blue was one of the best of the choices and I think I will give it a try. Thank you all again.