0W-16 and 0W-30 blend

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What ratios are required generally to achieve a 0W-20 viscosity by blending 0W-16 and 0W-30 oil? I have a stockpile of 0W-30 that I want to run in a 0W-20 application...
 
your engine will appreciate the 0Wx30 much better than unkownW20
Also your friends may see you buying 0Wx16
shocked2.gif
 
Turn into a "thicky" and drop that light stuff. I never have and never will run anything below 0w-30 or 5w-30 as long as its available. Come on, how long have you been here. You should know going up one 10 series makes zero difference in cars available in today's market.
 
I agree with the other posters - I would stick with the 0W-30.

But, if I were to mix, I would go with the same manufacturer. This is the easy way to do it, but it's wrong! Read on ...

1 litre of 0W-16 mixed with 1 litre of 0W-30 would yield 2 litres of 0W-23

2 litres of 0W-16 mixed with 1 litre of 0W-30 would yield 3 litres of 0W-21.3

3 litres of 0W-16 mixed with 1 litre of 0W-30 would yield 4 litres of 0W-19.5

5 litres of 0W-16 mixed with 2 litres of 0W-30 would yield 7 litres of 0W-20

... and so on. This is not a reliable way to calculate viscosity.

Given that there's a range of viscosity for any given weight of oil, it really all depends on the manufacturer. The alleged 0W-23 (the result of a 50/50 mix) might have a viscosity that falls into the 0W-20 range. Ditto for all of the others. Let's check:

https://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/introducing-the-sae-8-and-sae-12-viscosity-grades.php

http://infomechanical.blogspot.com/2010/09/lubrication-oil-meaning-number-sea-20w.html

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/viscosity-charts/

SAE 16 weight has a range of 6.1 - 8.2 cSt @ 100 C.

SAE 20 weight has a range of 5.6 - 9.3 cSt @ 100 C.

SAE 30 weight has a range of 9.3 - 12.5 cSt @ 100 C.

The overlap between SAE 16 and 20 is weird; I wonder whether they'll up the lower range of the SAE 20. As is, an oil with a viscosity anywhere from 6.1 to 8.2 could be either a 16 or 20 weight. This confusing article seems to imply that the viscosity range for SAE 20 will be raised from 5.6 to 6.9 cSt @ 100 C:

https://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/sae-16-viscosity-grade.php

Regardless,

Mobil 1's 0W-16 has a viscosity (@ 100 C) of 7.2 cSt.

Mobil 1's 0W-20 has a viscosity (@ 100 C) of 8.8 cSt.

Mobil 1's 0W-30 has a viscosity (@ 100 C) of 10.9 cSt.

If you were to mix Mobil 0W-16 and 0W-30 50:50, you'd get a viscosity of 9.05, still near the top of the SAE 20 viscosity range. If I were to mix, this is what I'd do. But, let's say you have a 5 litre sump - one bottle of M1 0w-30 and four of M1 0W-20 would give you a viscosity of 9.22, near the top of, but within, the SAE 20 range. No SAE 16-weight required!

Good question, I learned a lot going down this rabbit hole.
 
The HTHS for a 0w16 is 2.3 mPa.s.

Forget the KV100 target.

How much 0w30 do you have and is it ILSAC GF or ACEA A3?

If you only have a couple litres, you could run, say, 1 litre in each sump of say 4.5L without notice.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
What ratios are required generally to achieve a 0W-20 viscosity by blending 0W-16 and 0W-30 oil? I have a stockpile of 0W-30 that I want to run in a 0W-20 application...


What's the application?

I totally agree with simply using the 30.




Originally Posted by Shannow
:facepalm:

I have no idea why I visit BITOG


Why, because this thread is almost identical to the hundreds (?) of "How can I mix 0w20 with 0w40 to get a xxw30" threads?
lol.gif


Me either.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
What ratios are required generally to achieve a 0W-20 viscosity by blending 0W-16 and 0W-30 oil? I have a stockpile of 0W-30 that I want to run in a 0W-20 application...


Most 20-weights cluster near the low end of the 30 range, so it doesn't make much difference to the fuel economy potential if the 0w30 you have is at the low end of the range.
But let's get down to specifics. What 0w30 do you have? What 0w16 do you want to mix in with it? What viscosity are you targeting? If those are known, plug the values into the Widman viscosity calculator, and find the proportions that are required.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Shannow
33.gif


I have no idea why I visit BITOG


But why not? You find the same anal-retentive stuff on any forum you visit, in this case attempting to strictly follow the oil requirements in the owner's manual by blending an approximation in the garage because 0W-30 just isn't correct. It's entertainment. Take one of your deep breaths and endeavor to persevere.

@pitzel: sell the -30 and get the right oil or you'll never sleep.
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
:facepalm:

I have no idea why I visit BITOG

I'm no where as intelligent as you on this stuff but some of what people come up with is obviously ridiculous.
 
btw, by unknownW20 I meant that the W part will be "unknown" according to experts in several other threads ... It can potentially cause issues (rare?) if you live in cold places which seems like you do. Shannow has explained that a few times if you search.
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
... I have no idea why I visit BITOG
Calculating 0W-21.3 isn't ridiculous enough to be entertaining?
 
Not ridiculous at all. It's kinda' fun to blend different viscosities. I'll be doing an approx 0w33 this winter. Gurus-here claim it's an 0W30, but us Frankensteins know better....lol
Four quarts of Castrol Edge 0W40
Two quarts of 0W20 Mobil-1 AFE

My addiction to this almost 30 year blending habit just won't quit. My Rehabs are failing. It began with odd-ball leftover quarts of Amoco, Gulf, Sunoco, Texaco and Wolfs Head oils.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
I have a stockpile of 0W-30 that I want to run in a 0W-20 application...

I remember a few years back, Doug Hillary told someone to run the Mobil Delvac Elite 222 0w-30 unadulterated to properly obtain the benefits of that high quality, fully formulated motor oil.
wink.gif
 
Yeah … I don't mix companies … but tossing in a couple quarts of M1 EP in M1 AFE helps keep the stock sorted out around here …
 
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