Can you use 0W oils in any car?

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I'm a beginner and still new to the site and I've noticed most people are using 0W-40 oils. Mobil says you can use a 0W-30 where 5W-30 and 10W-30 are recommended. Is the same true for 20 and 40? Can you use it in any engine? Thanks
 
Pretty much.

The first number is how the oil performs in cold weather on a cold start.

The second number is the operating viscosity.
 
The main thing to look at to see if a motor oil will work well in your engine is to compare the manufacturer recommended HTHS value with the oil you want to use. If you can't find the HTHS value, you can instead look at the Kinematic Viscosity at 100 degC (kv100). To your question, notice the 0w30 oils closely match the 5w30 oils in the same category (i.e., dexos1 category, or A3/B4 category) in HTHS and kv100.

Some engines do call for avoiding "0w" oils, but they are rare. About the only one I can think of is the high-revving Honda S2000 which actually specs 10w30 because the fear is the VII polymers get physically shredded under the extreme conditions, resulting in a loss of viscosity & oil film thickness.

That said, another high revving engine, Indycar engines at 10,000 rpm's, have used off-the-shelf Mobil1 0w40 and Pennzoil SRT 0w40 for some long races. I think they just factor in the loss in viscosity which also frees up horsepower in the later stages of the race. Shredding happens.
 
My car also says that. I would use it, especially if I lived up north. However, if you are under warranty, you better use what they list in the manual.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Pretty much.

The first number is how the oil performs in cold weather on a cold start.

The second number is the operating viscosity.

Not exactly. I know it kind of simplifies to that, but the reality is that there's a lot more than just two temperatures. The W number is typically from characteristics at some ridiculously low temperature that pretty much nobody will experience. The second number is at 100ºC, which is more realistic but not all motor oil will be running at that exact temperature based on several factors including how the engine is being run, if there's an oil cooler, and ambient temperatures. It's also a range, so it can be possible to tweak the characteristics towards one end of the range or another.

It's certainly possible to engineer a 0W-40 that will be thicker on a 45ºF warm start than a 5W-30. I'm currently using Mobil 1 0W-40, and it's certainly more viscous at summer temps than most 5W-30 oils. I recall there are even 0W-30 motor oils that are thicker at typical ambient temps than most 5W-30 oils.
 
Originally Posted By: TheBeaz
I'm a beginner and still new to the site and I've noticed most people are using 0W-40 oils. Mobil says you can use a 0W-30 where 5W-30 and 10W-30 are recommended. Is the same true for 20 and 40? Can you use it in any engine? Thanks


Instead of wandering in generality, what kind of cars do you have specifically what year and model?
 
Chances are 10w30 will burn less than 0w30 and 0w40. So oil consumption might be a factor.

Climate, warranty, owners manual and other factors dictate also.
 
Originally Posted By: JMJNet
Originally Posted By: TheBeaz
I'm a beginner and still new to the site and I've noticed most people are using 0W-40 oils. Mobil says you can use a 0W-30 where 5W-30 and 10W-30 are recommended. Is the same true for 20 and 40? Can you use it in any engine? Thanks


Instead of wandering in generality, what kind of cars do you have specifically what year and model?


+1
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Generally, yes.


+1
There's typically no reason that one couldn't.
OTOH, why use what may be a higher NOACK oil unless you often see morning temperatures of -35C, in which case you'd plug the car in anyway, I'd hope.
 
The only time it's not ok to use it is in some older turbos that say no 0w oils, because oil tech wasn't as good as it is now. Even the cheapest SN oil is better than anything available 20 years ago, and better than most oils available 10 years ago
 
That pretty much sums it up
smile.gif
 
Most beginners think 0w means it's 0 "weight" in the cold, which is where they go wrong.

It's more the ability for the oil to pump (from my own limited understanding). I compare it to coolant. Coolant will not freeze as easy as water and will raise the boiling point but doesn't make your car run cooler than straight water. 10w30 can be thinner in cSt than 0w40 at normal startup temps but at extremely low temps will not pump where 0w40 will.
 
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Hyundai / Kia are not fond of 0W oils - I believe now even Mobil does not recommend 0W AFE oils for Hyundai / Kia any more (not sure why Hyundai / Kia only endorse 5W as the lowest winter weight ?)
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Hyundai / Kia are not fond of 0W oils - I believe now even Mobil does not recommend 0W AFE oils for Hyundai / Kia any more (not sure why Hyundai / Kia only endorse 5W as the lowest winter weight ?)


Probably/Possibly because 0w oils are harder to find and more expensive. 5w covers most cold temps on the planet. Just my guess.
 
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