Edge 0w30 thicker than 5w30

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Originally Posted by Silver
Even at 40c. Seems like they should just switch labels?

The 0w or 5w rating has nothing to do with viscosity at 40C.

Edge 0W-30 is an ACEA A3/B4 Euro oil. Edge 5W-30 is your typical API SN energy conserving oil. Two very different animals.
 
First of all, this sheet is from 2014. Lots has changed since then.
Secondly, the OPer should probably do some research into the difference between a 0W30 and a 5W30. Has nothing to do with the viscosity at 40C or 100C. CCS/MRV for the former are tested at -35C/-40C while it's -30C/-35C for the latter, with broadly similar viscosity requirements between the two sets of temps.
 
Thanks for the info Virtus. It is what the site linked to.
Gee whiz Castrol!

So that makes it really difficult to compare oils. Generally I see lower 40c viscosities for 0w vs 5w and that has always made sense to me until now ðŸ™
 
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Not quite. The 0w30 is made to have a high HTHS, and it qualifies for the "0w" very-cold part due to its use of PAO VHVI base oil. The 5w30 is basically a GroupIII product that has just enough wax in it to force it into the "5w" category, still not bad as long as your start-up temperatures are above about 0F or so.
 
even though an 0W oil generally must use some PAO + or Ester base oil its thinner base oils + added viscosity index improvers is not a good thing unless you really need the 0W for very cold start temperatures.
 
Originally Posted by benjy
even though an 0W oil generally must use some PAO + or Ester base oil its thinner base oils + added viscosity index improvers is not a good thing unless you really need the 0W for very cold start temperatures.

Completely untrue. You've been here 9 years and still think like this? Lol
 
Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted by PimTac


A lot of people still don't know what the W means.

"W"hat?


lol.gif
 
Originally Posted by Silver
Thanks for the info Virtus. It is what the site linked to.
Gee whiz Castrol!
So that makes it really difficult to compare oils. Generally I see lower 40c viscosities for 0w vs 5w and that has always made sense to me until now ðŸ™

You are welcome, sir. The whole W thing was a mystery to me until I started poking around here and on other car sites.
Some companies make it so hard to find up to date information...I tend to find the lookup page for Shell/Pennzoil PDS hard to use, although the info is there somewhere. Easier for me to find Mobil 1 info, but they don't share a lot of details in general.
Amsoil's site is easy to navigate for me and shares a ton of info, but it's not enough for me to pony up the extra $$$ for the SS oils I find attractive.
The introduction of GM's dexos1 Gen 2 standard in 2017 has caused many SN/GF5 5W30s like the one you reference to be reformulated, so info from 2014 on that oil is almost certainly outdated.
I believe that 0W30 is generally referred to as "German Castrol" or GC on this and other sites and was a much sought after oil. As mentioned above, it seems to have become scarce in the US for whatever reason.

This site has good tables about what the numbers in an oil grade really mean;

https://wiki.anton-paar.com/en/sae-viscosity-grades/

CCS is Cold Cranking Simulator and MRV is Mini Rotary Viscometer...the latter test is intended to measure how easy it is to pump a cold oil, the intent of CCS is pretty obvious.
It seems that the CCS spec is the more difficult one to meet for the oils we see on the shelves and the MRV spec is usually cleared by a wide margin when the results are shared.
Shannow, who works on lubrication issues in massive turbines IIRC, has proposed that a 2:1 ratio of MRV to CCS viscosity reflects an oil that has little to no Pour Point Depressant (PPD) added to it and has excellent "natural" cold weather properties, while a higher ratio reflects the use of PPD additives.
 
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Not quite. The 0w30 is made to have a high HTHS, and it qualifies for the "0w" very-cold part due to its use of PAO VHVI base oil. The 5w30 is basically a GroupIII product that has just enough wax in it to force it into the "5w" category, still not bad as long as your start-up temperatures are above about 0F or so.


How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues? I have never used a 0wXX oil in my 50 years of driving and every year deal with periods of -20F or less on occasion. And 5w30 has done just fine. The stuff is rated for -30C / -23F in terms of CCS viscosity and most of the synthetic varieties have pour points 10 degrees or more lower.

Even for my heavy engine, I use a 10w30 in cold temps and it starts and runs fine in cold weather. Yes, even in S. Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc where it operates all year. And that motor has turned over 973,000 miles and uses roughly 1 quart of oil in 11,000 miles which seems to be less than many with much lower mile vehicles on many forums I visit.

So how is it again that one should only use a 5w30 above 0F?
 
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Not quite. The 0w30 is made to have a high HTHS, and it qualifies for the "0w" very-cold part due to its use of PAO VHVI base oil. The 5w30 is basically a GroupIII product that has just enough wax in it to force it into the "5w" category, still not bad as long as your start-up temperatures are above about 0F or so.

How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues?
"If your engine doesn't sieze up, then it must be gooder oil." right??! ...is the Tired Old argument. Truth is, some people want better wear performance, and as viscosity is lower when cold, cylinder wear rates will trend downward.
See the trend? Notice -21C in the graph is -6F, where differences do exist. ----> https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/00368790010352691
[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues?
Back in the day, people used 15W-40. Was it optimal? No, but that's all that was available at the time.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues?
Back in the day, people used 15W-40. Was it optimal? No, but that's all that was available at the time.


5W is speced down to -22°F
10W down to 0°F
 
Originally Posted by OilUzer
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues?
Back in the day, people used 15W-40. Was it optimal? No, but that's all that was available at the time.


5W is speced down to -22°F
10W down to 0°F

What does "speced" mean? Will the engine start? Yes. But will it cause as little wear as a 0W would at these temps?
 
Originally Posted by OilUzer
5W is speced down to -22°F
10W down to 0°F


For CCS testing, a 5W has to pass at -30°C (-22°F) and a 10W at -25°C (-13°F).
For MRV, the 5W must pass at -35°C (-31°F) and the 10W at -30°C (-22°F).

Let's also remember that for MRV, the passing viscosity is the same - ie the oil must be For CCS the viscosity differs by grade, so a 5W must be <6,600 cP at -30°C but a 10W needs only be <7,000 cP at -25°C (so it can be thicker and warmer).
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by OilUzer
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
How is it then that many folks use a 5w30 at sub zero temps with no issues?
Back in the day, people used 15W-40. Was it optimal? No, but that's all that was available at the time.


5W is speced down to -22°F
10W down to 0°F

What does "speced" mean? Will the engine start? Yes. But will it cause as little wear as a 0W would at these temps?





This is a key point. Yes the oil will pump at those temps but will it be optimal?

In my opinion, if a vehicle is exposed to those temperatures on a regular basis then a pan or block heater should be considered.
 
iirc many experts on this site have said that if the oil can be pumped (e.g 5W to pass at -22°F), then there is nothing to worry about. meaning forget about the YouTube cold flow test videos ...

0W can be pumped at lower temps but that's all.

if 2 oils (0W and 5w) are within the cold temp spec (ccs), the thicker oil will actually be better and will warm up faster which is better and provides quicker protection.

hopefully one of the more knowledgeable members can correct me IF I'm wrong.
 
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