What oil flows best in -5 degree weather.

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Hi,

I have a 2007 Honda Accord 4 cylinder with 39,000 miles. I've moved to a location where it often hits -5 degrees Farenheit in the winter.
Will conventional 5W-20 oil flow ok and not cause engine wear at cold weather startups at -5 degrees Farenheit?

Is Synthetic oil even needed at all? If so, is Penzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 the best choice?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Bill
 
Use 0w20 instead
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Bill7
Will conventional 5W-20 oil flow ok and not cause engine wear at cold weather startups at -5 degrees Farenheit?

Yes.

Originally Posted By: Bill7
Is Synthetic oil even needed at all?

No.
 
5-20 dino will perform fairly well in -5F, however 0-20 will perform better. Penz is a quality synthetic, however you are on a slippery slope when speaking of "the best" of anything here at BITOG.
 
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Thanks for your reply. I know Honda backspeced these cars to 0W-20, but still I feel better using 5W-20 as the original owner's manual specifies. Its just a question of whether conventional 5W-20 is safe to use at cold startup at -5 degrees Farenheit. Is it waxed and maple syrup like thick, or does it flow easily at -5 degrees Farenheit?
 
Originally Posted By: Bill7
Thanks for your reply. I know Honda backspeced these cars to 0W-20, but still I feel better using 5W-20 as the original owner's manual specifies. Its just a question of whether conventional 5W-20 is safe to use at cold startup at -5 degrees Farenheit. Is it waxed and maple syrup like thick, or does it flow easily at -5 degrees Farenheit?


Dino does have waxes in it that tends to solidify at extreme temps. Safe? Probably. The best? No.
 
Not sure why you wouldnt use 0w20. The original owners manual specs 5w20 as I doubt 0w20 were mainstream back then. I think a 0w20 like PP or PU, M1 would all make great options. Worst case, why not use a synthetic 5w20? I think its still a better choice than conventional 5w20. You can use conventional 5w20 too. Would be hard to prove that it causes any additional wear than any other. Id be more concerned about rust than engine wear, considering age of car and current mileage.
 
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Originally Posted By: Bill7
Thanks for your reply. I know Honda backspeced these cars to 0W-20, but still I feel better using 5W-20 as the original owner's manual specifies. Its just a question of whether conventional 5W-20 is safe to use at cold startup at -5 degrees Farenheit. Is it waxed and maple syrup like thick, or does it flow easily at -5 degrees Farenheit?


I have gone round and round in my pea brain thinking and over thinking the same thing. Even after looking at the oil spec sheets cold pour points, I thought dino would perform just fine at 0- to -10F no problem. It will, however last week I had to put away my rider lawnmower and it uses 5w30. The oil light came on when I started it, so I had to put oil in it to move it. It was 28 degree's Fahrenheit. I had a jug of mobil super 5000 5w30, a jug of Pennzoil Plat 5w30, and a jug of Pennzoil Plat 10w30. The mobil 5w30 was notably thick! The Penz plat 5w30 nice and watery, the Penz plat 10w30 a notably thicker than Penz plat 5w30, but nothing like the mobil dino oil. I was very surprised, I didn't think it would make that much difference. "That was at 28 degree's!"

If you want a real eye opener, I would suggest you buy a quart of 5w20 dino oil, and a quart or jug of 5w20 synthetic of your choise, put them in the trunk of your car over night, shake the next morning, then you decide! You really don't need 0w20 but it won't hurt either.
 
My 06’ Lexus GX470 sits in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with M1 5w-30 in the sump. In Michigan and Illinois my ears have always thought Mobil and Pennzoil cranked with less effort (sound wise) than the other major players. You can review PQIA’s tests for CCS and see which oil has the lowest and that may be as close wide sampling you will get. Honestly my main advice is to have a strong and fresh battery.

http://pqiamerica.com/PCMO_Sample_Summary_12_15_2016.html
 
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Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: Bill7
Thanks for your reply. I know Honda backspeced these cars to 0W-20, but still I feel better using 5W-20 as the original owner's manual specifies. Its just a question of whether conventional 5W-20 is safe to use at cold startup at -5 degrees Farenheit. Is it waxed and maple syrup like thick, or does it flow easily at -5 degrees Farenheit?


Dino does have waxes in it that tends to solidify at extreme temps. Safe? Probably. The best? No.


LOL "safe...probably" ????

You are being disingenuous here tig.

Safe, of course

10W, and even 15W are safe, to cast aspersions around 5W at 20C is ridiculous.
 
I don't understand the reluctance to use a synthetic 0w-20 instead of a 5w-20 whatever.

In the end, they are all 20 weight oils just like the manufacturer specifies. The 0w oil should protect a bit better during a cold start and might be easier to crank. It's probably a synthetic as well. What's not to like? The cost difference would mean that you might have to give up a couple of cups of coffee over 5K miles. It's a sacrifice any self-respecting BITOG member can find the courage to face especially with the support of an understanding wife and some careful budget planning especially if you've already funded your retirement plan this year. (lol)
 
OMG how did cars ever run in the days when 10W40 was the oil. Check your dipstick, it should be pretty close to full, if not make it so. That way there is plenty to keep the pickup covered, if a severe cold snap of -20 happened. Then drive it.

Put a quart in your freezer overnight. Then pour it out in a small cup. It will pour. All that gets pumped to the head will drain back. you will be fine.

The oil pump will work the oil just pumping it and that will thin it a bit. The engine will quickly warm, so it could only be an issue in the first minute.
The oil filter bypass might open for a while, ring seal might be poor for a few minutes so it would be unwise to pull out on to a busy highway until the engine had warmed with a few minutes of gentle driving.

Otherwise worry about something real like smart phone users running into you.

Merry Christmas to all

Rod
 
Originally Posted By: ragtoplvr
OMG how did cars ever run in the days when 10W40 was the oil. Check your dipstick, it should be pretty close to full, if not make it so. That way there is plenty to keep the pickup covered, if a severe cold snap of -20 happened. Then drive it.


I have started MANY various engines in bitter cold North Dakota winters... all with either SAE30 or 15W-40 conventional, NEVER synthetic. They actually start OK, believe it or not.
 
Bill... I have an ‘05 with over 200k miles and used M1 0W-20 from first oil change and switched to M1 5W-20 high mileage oil at around 175,000 miles.

Temps don’t get quite that cold here in NJ but we do get a few frosty blasts.

You can always pick up one of those heater pads that affix to the oil pan: Wolverine Heaters - Model 9.0 - 125 Watts - Engine Oil, Reservoir, Biofuel and Hydraulic Fluid Heater (120 Volts)

Merry Christmas
 
I'd use a synthetic 5w20. -5 is cold, but not outside of what the owner's manual specs cover. Conventional will flow and pump well enough but syn will perform better.
 
You have a nice 10 year old car with only 39,000 miles just get the synthetic oil in either viscosity.
My 2 cents.
 
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