2001 Mustang GT

[Shiney]

I'm looking for suggestions on what oil I should run in my car

1. What kind of vehicle you have
2001 Ford Mustang GT - V8

2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
I don't have the owner's manual but it calls for 5w-20

3. Where you live
Lincoln, NE. Weather gets to as high as 105 degrees and as low as a couple below 0

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
I'd say it's a combo of all of the above. It will see the drag strip and there will be times I get on it but for the most part I'd say it's normal DD driving or a quick pull from a stop

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
Mostly short trips. All city miles

6. Whether your car has any known problems
No known problems

I'd like to stay with fully synthetic. Online or in the store doesn't matter, which ever place I get it for cheaper and I don't have a preference on OCIs. No modifications to the car. Just a stock 4.6L 2V.

I've been searching around the forum here and other places and have come to the thinking I'd like to try M1 0w-40 but wasn't sure if my thinking was somewhat accurate. Reason I'd like to try and M1 0w-40 is because 1.) the thinner viscosity at lower temps will help initial start up during the cold winters here 2.) the 40 will add additional wear protection at operating temperature over the recommended 5w-20 3.) I've been reading a higher HTHS rating is good and the M1 0w-40 has a 3.8 rating which is one of the highest I've seen.

So before I go out and change my oil I'd like to hear what the BITOG members think or suggest for me.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Welcome to BITOG!

Your reasoning for choosing M1 0w-40 is pretty good, and I'm sure the engine will do fine on it, although that extra protection may just not be needed, considering that Ford thinks an Xw-20 is all that's required. You could probably find some happy medium in a 5w-30 grade, such as Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra, or Castrol Edge, or Even M1 5w-30. Still, nothing wrong with M1 0w-40.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Shiney

I don't have the owner's manual but it calls for 5w-20


I wouldn't run no 5W-20 oil in a Mustang no matter what Ford says.

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Welcome to BITOG!

Your reasoning for choosing M1 0w-40 is pretty good, and I'm sure the engine will do fine on it, although that extra protection may just not be needed, considering that Ford thinks an Xw-20 is all that's required. You could probably find some happy medium in a 5w-30 grade, such as Pennzoil Platinum/Ultra, or Castrol Edge, or Even M1 5w-30. Still, nothing wrong with M1 0w-40.


I've been reading Ford most likely choose that oil weight for better MPG and to meet requirements set by the oil places (sorry I don't remember who it is exactly) so I've been leary about if that is truly the best oil weight for the car.

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Shiney

I don't have the owner's manual but it calls for 5w-20


I wouldn't run no 5W-20 oil in a Mustang no matter what Ford says.


Go on...

 

[Mr Nice]

Any 5w20 will be just fine especially since its gonna get very cold very soon.

 

[Kuato]

0w20 in your cold temps would be my opinion.

 

[Shiney]

Wow I just stumbled across Redline's 0w-40 and it seems to be better than the M1 0w-40 spec wise. Much lower pour point, even though that doesn't really matter as temps will never get that low here. A HTHS of 4 (M1 is 3.8) and a VI of 197 (M1 is 185).

Overall on paper a better oil than the M1, correct? What does BITOG think of RL's 0w-40 for my car?

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Shiney


Go on...


Ford recommends 5W-50 for their supercharged Mustang and what does that tell you?
They know dang well that 5W-20 won't hold up in an engine where people are
gonna romp on it. The idea is to keep metal from contacting metal - and if you press
too hard on that 5W-20 while it's hot and as thin as lacquer thinner - you're gonna be
scuffing up some expensive metal.

 

[dparm]

I think it's probably too thick for you. Try their 0w30 instead. It's a mid to heavy 30.

Though truthfully the Redline 0w20 is probably sufficient. It is more of a light 30 and far more shear-stable than just about any other store-bought 5w20 that Ford specs.

If you want to just stick with store-bought stuff, I would say that any of the name-brand 5w30s would work well. There's always something on sale (Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, etc).

 

[Shiney]

Ya I read somewhere that they recommend 15w-50 in the Ford GTs which the Ford GT has very similar, if not the same, clearances as the 2v and 4v motors yet they are recommended 5w-20. I'm guessing that has to do with MPG and the other [censored] they have to deal with. From learning that I have been interested in learning about oils so I can make a decision for myself and potentially pick an oil that is better for my engine than the recommened 5w-20.

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: dparm
I think it's probably too thick for you. Try their 0w30 instead. It's a mid to heavy 30.

Though truthfully the Redline 0w20 is probably sufficient. It is more of a light 30 and far more shear-stable than just about any other store-bought 5w20 that Ford specs.

If you want to just stick with store-bought stuff, I would say that any of the name-brand 5w30s would work well. There's always something on sale (Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, etc).


What do you mean when you say a 0w-20 is a light 30?

Are you saying 40 is too heavy for me because of my driving style or too heavy for my car to properly lubricate everything?

I liked the 0w-40 because of the high VI and higher HTHS.

Another question. When looking at the VI of oil what number is typically a good number? Is anything above 160 good? Or is anything above 170 good? I've seen oils in the 160 range with a high HTHS while some oils with a high VI but a somewhat average HTHS.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Shiney
Ya I read somewhere that they recommend 15w-50 in the Ford GTs which the Ford GT has very similar, if not the same, clearances as the 2v and 4v motors yet they are recommended 5w-20. I'm guessing that has to do with MPG and the other [censored] they have to deal with. From learning that I have been interested in learning about oils so I can make a decision for myself and potentially pick an oil that is better for my engine than the recommened 5w-20.


The Shelbys and Ford GT use 5w50. I'm sure it's because they know those owners are going to drive the bejeezus out of those cars (and probably take them to a track).

I would not run a 50-weight in that car, or even a 40-weight (unless it's a very light 40 and you've got an oil pressure gauge).

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Shiney
From learning that I have been interested in learning about oils so I can make a decision for myself and potentially pick an oil that is better for my engine than the recommened 5w-20.


5W-20 will get you good gas mileage as long as you drive the car very lightly - but as soon as you mat that petal to the floor, that 5W-20 is no longer keeping the crankshaft suspended in its bearings - it's allowing the crank journals to make direct contact with the bearings and now you've got bits of lead and copper floating around in your fuel economy oil.

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Shiney
From learning that I have been interested in learning about oils so I can make a decision for myself and potentially pick an oil that is better for my engine than the recommened 5w-20.


5W-20 will get you good gas mileage as long as you drive the car very lightly - but as soon as you mat that petal to the floor, that 5W-20 is no longer keeping the crankshaft suspended in its bearings - it's allowing that crank journal to make direct contact with the bearing and now you've got bits of lead and copper floating around in your fuel economy oil.


So I've got people saying 40 is probably too heavy and 20 is too light. Does that mean 30 is just right? lol

If I bought an oil gauge would that allow me to try a 40 weight oil since I could see if it was flowing properly? I've read other Mustang owners using 40 but only in the warmer months.

I asked this in my last reply but what typically is considered a high VI and a high HTHS?

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Shiney

So I've got people saying 40 is probably too heavy and 20 is too light. Does that mean 30 is just right? lol

If I bought an oil gauge would that allow me to try a 40 weight oil since I could see if it was flowing properly? I've read other Mustang owners using 40 but only in the warmer months.

I asked this in my last reply but what typically is considered a high VI and a high HTHS?


Oil pressure is fine and dandy, but is the oil lubricating the bearings when it gets there? You can
have good fluid pressure with water, but we all know that water is not a lubricant. It all comes
down to this: Do you want to get good fuel mileage, or do you want your engine to last?

 

[addyguy]

You don't need something AS thick as 0W-40 - M1 0W-30 would be a great compromise.

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Shiney

So I've got people saying 40 is probably too heavy and 20 is too light. Does that mean 30 is just right? lol

If I bought an oil gauge would that allow me to try a 40 weight oil since I could see if it was flowing properly? I've read other Mustang owners using 40 but only in the warmer months.

I asked this in my last reply but what typically is considered a high VI and a high HTHS?


Oil pressure is fine and dandy, but is the oil lubricating the bearings when it gets there? You can
have good fluid pressure with water, but we all know that water is not a lubricant. It all comes
down to this: Do you want to get good fuel mileage, or do you want your engine to last?


Engine lasting as long as possible > MPG

 

[Shiney]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
You don't need something AS thick as 0W-40 - M1 0W-30 would be a great compromise.


If I went with a 0w-30 I would probably lean towards RL. Higher VI and higher HTHS compared to M1.

So I'm curious why you guys think 40 is too heavy for me. Not trying to argue just trying to understand why you think it's too heavy. I understand heavier oil has its pros and cons same with lighter weight oils but for me I think the heavier weight (40) pros outweigh the cons. There was a thread about what high viscosity and lower viscosity oils offer both good and bad and the only "bad" thing I read about the heavier weight is the added friction which cause more heat and high oil temps. But if my oil system is sufficient the temps should raise to a level of increased wear.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Shiney

So I'm curious why you guys think 40 is too heavy for me. Not trying to argue just trying to understand why you think it's too heavy. I understand heavier oil has its pros and cons same with lighter weight oils but for me I think the heavier weight (40) pros outweigh the cons.


They're thinking that a cold 40 weight at start up is not gonna get to your
bearings in time. This whole entire board is poisoned with that notion.