How To Choose The Right Viscosity Motor Oil - A Certified Lubrication Specialist Explains 

All multi-grade will flow freely at start-up. It is SINGLE-GRADE that may not.

5w should work unless you see -30+

This^ Ford does it too. US vehicles are being destroyed by the EPA

CAFE in the USA.

I guess this is the problem. What are you optimising for? If it is only fuel economy, you are going to use thinner oils with some degradation of durability to maximise fuel economy. If the standards talked about the total energy required to build a car, then maybe you might prioritise durability a little higher.

This seems backwards, as Canada is colder than US and therefore would be better to have thinner oil.

@@bakemonking Yep. I checked the known bearing clearances for my BRZ and 0W-20 was correct for most people, except high temperature racing. However using the charts, a turbocharged engine with the same bearing clearances should be running 5W-30 or 10W-30. Definitely for fuel economy or US CAFE.

Great point!

There is more than fuel dilution at work here. A 5W 30 oil is a 5 weight oil.cold with viscosity improvers to make it act like a 30 weight oil when it is hot. Operating in the tight clearances of a running engine a couple of other things that happen beyond fuel dilution are shear back whereby those viscosity improvers get broken. Think of them kind of like tiny bits of thread that get torn in half, so now your hot oil behaves more like a 25 or 20 when hot. Another thing that happens is boil off. Petroleum is a compendium of molecules with different boiling points. When you get the oil well warmed up the light ends vapourize and get carried out in the PCV system. Now your 5 oil becomes 8 or 10 when cold. Synthetic oils do not have the range of molecules petroleum oils do and can be engineered for qualities the designers want. Thus they do not have the same light end boiloff or the shearback. Synthetics generally have premium additive packages in them that prevent shear better. Like the old Fram filters ad, pay me now or pay me later. You generally get what you pay for, so if you pay for cheap shit, you get cheap shit.

​@@daledavies2334 speaking of PCV , I wish people would change their friggin pcv valves! Some cars should have them changed as early as 30,000 miles. Then on another topic, I also wish folks would do their transmission fluid at regular intervals. Today's small DI turbo engines with a CVT is so easy to do, you should really be doing it atleast once a year. Or at a minimum of every 30,000 miles.

Glad you enjoy it!

Stapleton lead me here also

We are happy to help! The gas ported top rings are awesome, and the 0W-40 should be a solid option with bearing clearances between .002 and .0025

Can 0w damage the engine in cold starts? I have a toyota corolla tsport 2zzge with 192hp hp 8.400rpm and recommended 5w30 or 10w30 but lotus in elise and exige with the same engine recoment 5w40 I use 0w40 oil always. Is 0w weight safe for engine? The 40 is ok but I worried for 0w. I use 0w40 because the mobil1 fs 0w40 is the best oil in my neighbourhood and I get it free from my cousin.

​@DimosTs192 dodge specificies a 0w40 for all their scat packs aka 6.4l Hemi, so at least at start up I cant imagine they would spec an oil leading to wear under warranty...in fact other oils will void it.... I run a 5w50 in a 7600rpm LS7 build get about 75psi hot at shift.... The gen 3 boosted coyote calls for 5w50 it would see 90psi at 8000rpm shifts well 7850

Thank you!

Thanks! We have a great podcast episode coming soon on this topic.

Thanks for the kind words!

High mileage oil

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks! We are glad to help.

We are glad it was helpful!

Use a crome molly shaft.

Glad you liked it

Great suggestion!

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks!

Which oil run hotter for your experience?

@@BoredGeese In my experience fully synthethic runs cooler if you check the oil temp gauge, if it is because that oil transport more heat away from the other materials, bearings, pistons etc. or absorbs less heat than mineral oil I do not know, I only get more questions thinking about it than answers. But if the synthethic has less wear than mineral oil, I guess part of the lower temperature is because there is less friction, less wear and less temperature because of that. But maybe it is cooler because it is more effective at transfering more heat away instead? And is that because of the more uniform size of the synthetic oil molecules or because of more/better additives? I do not know. But too hot oil is not good atleast, but then, what is too hot oil? What is the limit?

Glad you enjoyed it!

LOL

I agree. I never got the 'point' being made. Too much zig-zag .

They ignore the most critical function of oil as usual...

Thanks!

You bet!

Going up in viscosity is the right move when going from NA to Boost.

@@TotalSeal I've heard others recommend to stick with factory viscosity. No thanks! I wanted better cold flow for instant oil pressure and flow on cold starts.. while maintaining better protection when I step on the throttle. I recently read that the 650hp LT4 is factory filled with the same multi-grade viscosity.

@@EricErnst good thinking

@@EricErnst Not withstanding the fact that a 0w40 is already almost a 30 from the container and get to a low 30 after a few hours of operation So, you still giving a 30 most of the time, anyways

Film strength matters too. The 0w40 requires more viscosity modifiers than a 10w30, assuming all else is equal. More viscosity modifiers (big numerical spread) often result in less shear resistance. The big numerical spread can look like everyone is happy, but might not be as protective as numbers closer together (less modifiers). 10w30 won't shear to less than 10. 0w40 can shear down to 0.

Thanks for sharing. The UOA is the way to go!

A dyno test would also be interesting to see.

@@ericfranke1637 yeah, you do have less resistance with 5w-30 but less compression n more blowby

I'm a big fan of 15-40 and use it in a lot of my engines and customers engines. I shy away from it in modern cars with variable cam timing stuff, some of them seem to be pretty sensitive to oils. While there might be better options, you typically won't go wrong with using what the manual says.

@@DonziGT230 "...you typically won't go wrong with using what the manual says." Yup. Could have been a single-sentence video.

Stay with that viscosity and that oil.

Those temps are pretty normal for this type of application, and the XP3 can a handle it. With that said, try the XP1 as it is a better fit for those clearances.

The lower viscosity spec in the US is because of EPA fuel economy requirements.

Thanks for the feedback. The VR1 20W-50 is a great oil!

I don’t know if that is going to help you but one my friends at my previous work used to have a Mazda CX9 with the same engine as your Ford Edge. He clocked at over 400 thousand kilometres (250k miles plus) using 5w20 oil and didn’t have any issues engine wise. Aside from charging the water pump obviously.

Won’t hurt a thing.

Amsoil 5W30 100% synthetic

Thanks for the question. The camshaft type does not effect the choice of viscosity. It’s all about bearing clearances and oil temperature.

​@TotalSeal mate is ok the 0w40 use instead 5w30? Can damage the engine? Toyota 2zzge vvtli 1800cc 192hp 8.400rpm.

fordteck manudko says to use 5-30

the lower the W number, the better (within reasonable cost, comparatively). The other number... well... whatever your ambient upper temperatures tend to be. For most people, 5w-30 is fine in most location. Otherwise 5w-40 is fine. Very very rarely would anyone need *W-50 or 60. These are either for highly stressed performance cars, high mileage engines, or very hot ambient temps.

If only you had watched the rest

I had read a research article which in short words stated that engine oil viscosity is based upon clearance of rod bearings. We all know rod bearings are the most critical parts of an engine to have maximum wear

That sounds like a good blend.

Awesome, thank you!@@TotalSeal

Yes, that is fine for that temperature.

Changing synthetic oil at 3,000 is what morons do

The problem is my car has 200k miles and my oil gets very hot.. 218°f/103°c and I drive mainly city miles.. wouldn't I be better off running 0w40 at these temps?

I know many of the recommended weights by manufacturers are really thin for emissions and economy and in other countries they direct the owners of the same engines to run thicker oils so you need to really know what is best for your engine…

Oil weight aside, oil changes at 3k miles with modern oils, let alone full synthetic, is a complete waste of oil and money. Don’t do that. It certainly won’t hurt your engine, just your wallet. But, it won’t help either.

@@torchmd I was thinking on an Rv or heavy truck 3k is good (especially an RV, where it takes years to put 3k miles on it) but on a car maybe 5-6k…

For stock engines, that’s all you need.

In San Diego, you could probably use 5W-30, but we don’t recommend changing viscosity without doing used oil analysis before and after to know for certain if the viscosity change was beneficial.

@@TotalSeal Thank you so much, will do! God bless

For a GDI engine, go with an API SP 5W-30 synthetic.

@@TotalSeal Thank you v much 1for your time. Most channels never respond to viewer comments.

We are happy to help!

If you race in cold weather stick the 0 weight.is good , if you race in hot weather zero weight is stupid! Sounds backwards but not really they sell the same vehicle with the same oil and ship some to Alaska and some to Death Valley all with the same oil. Owner manuals usually say change to 5 or 10wt depending temperate extremes.

With stock bearing clearances, go with a semi synthetic 10W-30.

@@TotalSeal Thanks!

As long as the outside temperature is above -10F, the 5W-40 is fine. For driving in colder weather, the 0W-40 is better.

Try Lucas Oil Stabilizer as an additive...

The 0w isn't oil weight the 40 is. The 0w is resistance on cold 0w flows better than 5w in all climates

@@DimoS... resistance to flow is viscosity..... both numbers are weights. 0w40 flows faster than 5w40 at cold temperatures (cold engine start) but has the same viscosity at operating temp (212 degrees F).

Yes. Some of the first 5.7 manuals specs all the way to 20w-50 depending on operating temps.

Go with the 0W-30 if you see the 0W-20 is not working. The way to know is via used oil analysis.

@TotalSeal Thank you Sir, for taking the time to answer my question and for the information. May God bless you.

If you drive like crazy constantly revving your engine in the red zone, then go for 0w30 or even 0w40 as the difference between 20 and 30 is not that high - again it differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, and for sportier applications 40 would be a better choice. If you drive normally, stick to 20 as the manufacturer recommends. 20 is for regular driving mode like 90% of people have going to work and from work without sporty ambitions. If you really load your engine hard revving it near red zones, you definitely have to go for thicker oil.

Thanks for sharing

Going up a grade with low tension oil rings can increase oil consumption.

I’m not sure who to recommend for that.

I'm in TX. I have found that 0w-40 is a really good solution. M1 is really thin for a a 40wt, if you want that.

@@DBravo29er I’ve been really happy with Valvoline HM 5w-30 so far, no more click tapping at start up anymore.

@@dad3562 that's a good, thick for grade oil. It's on the heavy end of the 30wt range. If we used half weight ratings, it would be a 35 weight oil all day. 👍

@@DBravo29er no way it is?! For real, I didn’t know that! Crap, now I have to Google it to confirm. I seriously did not know that!

@@dad3562 Yeah the KV100 and HTHS are pretty robust. It's good oil

That works for stock engines, but not for modified engines.

0w20 oil could have something to do with variable valve timing, I think.

I once visited Phoenix. AZ during a summer week when it was a 108-degree Fahrenheit temperature. In a newer engine, I would stick with 0W-20 regardless of the outside temperatures.Once you get to 75,000 miles, you can use 5W-30 oil full synthetic.

Yep, cold water and hot oil makes more power than hot water and cold oil.

Thanks for sharing!

Yes

See what the used oil analysis tells you. Engines don't read labels, LOL.

Well i had 698,714 KM (434,160.8 miles) on a 1991 VW Turbo Diesel and never used any additives at all. My car was totaled by an a-hole, who ran a Red light. The engine had been still running great and never touched other than timing belt(s) and a couple glow plugs. I stuck to the 8000KM oil changes recommended by VW, drove 220-230 KM per day 5 days a week to work and back. Bought an '86 VW TD with the same engine to replace my totaled VW and put over 750,000KM on it before i retired. The '91 was bought new, the '86 had 229,000KM on it when i bought it.

@@KStewart-th4sk Old ones proofed to be a better quality... sorry to hear you had an accident and had to total the car, I would be mad as H.... I just replaced valve cover gasket on my 02 Mazda and engine is mirror clear, that Lucas additive does the job along with good quality oil.... I did had VW too previously, Jetta MK4 2.0, sold it under 200k miles, some few sensors needed to be replaced but was still running good.... Drive safe ✌️

Yes, a 5W-30 is certainly a safe option.

Same 5w30

That's because, today, oil viscosity recommendations are partly based on gas mileage, rather than engine life.

@@jamesbosworth4191true… it’s about making money too

@@jamesbosworth4191 Entirely actually. Its a numbers game and longevity pays out exactly 0 dollars.

Yeah, I switched to 5w-30 at around 70k miles. I was researching and came to the conclusion 5w-30 was best for my vehicle. I had no idea that there were quite a few F-150 owners who did the same, as I wasn’t specifically searching based on the F-150, just location and the pros and cons of 5w-20 vs 5w-30. It started with my diff fluid/gear oil. Went with a slightly thicker viscosity for better protection. Sure, MPGs takes a slight hit, but I don’t think the majority of us got a truck for it’s spectacular MPGs. It was even recommended by most Ford YT mechanics to go with a thicker gear oil in the diff vs what Ford recommends.

I wish we could do that as well.

You should never try to go that long between oil changes, radical environmentalists and cheap skates be dammed.

You bet

Watch this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-48pviPLgaPQ.htmlsi=2PD023A8q9MJDFMN

@@TotalSeal ....I fully understand W is for "Winter" and not "Weight", but presenting the question this way helps for presenting the question. I viewed the details of the vid but it goes into arcane testing details and doesn't really address the core question. Let try this way---> a 5W-30 oil acts as a "5" ( lower viscosity) oil to help cold-weather flow....yet it acts as a "30" ( higher viscosity) oil, when warmed up...like a straight "30" oil...all done by using additives and viscosity improvers. A "30" oil will flow with more resistance through passages than a "5" oil.....like it was "thicker". Yet the common convention says oil get thinner when hotter. Can someone distill down the core thinking behind this ??????

Let's explain in a simple way. Oil thins out in higher temp, that's a fact. Imagine single grade oil at sae 5, it will have a viscosity of let's say 60cSt @ 40°C and 3cSt @ 100°C. Another single grade oil at sae 30 will have a visc of let's say 90cSt @ 40°C and 10cSt @ 100°C. The sae 5 oil is what you need during a cold start but at normal operating temp that oil will be too thin. In contrast, the sae 30 oil is too thick during cold start although it is at good visc for normal operating temp. This is where 5w30 multigrade oil comes in. It has sae 5 visc grade at low temp and has sae 30 visc grade at high temp i.e. 60cSt @ 40°C and 10cSt @ 100°C. I rounded cSt values to nearest integers for easier understanding.

​@@1_D333....I guess that is what I was angling for....a (say) 5W-30 is basically 5 weight "core" oil.....with lots of viscosity improvers to allow it to behave like a 30 weight when "warmed".

​@@TheWilferchbut don't forget that oil gets thinner when temp raises. Now you can google "oil viscosity graph" where Y-axis is visc (cSt) n X-axis is temp. You'll notice what I mean. And multigrade oil is just a crossing line of two single grade oils which otherwise parallel to each other.

I agree with your mechanic but I'm no mechanic. If it's hotter climate use the 30.

Good choice!

5w30 for the heat, 5w20 is thinner. Use 5w20 in the winter

@@jd646 Thank you! I'll stick with the 5w30. The winter here in Brazil is hotter than 25º C (trust me, its true)

@@magichatakeHave you tried 10W30?

@@RFJersey no buddy, the owners manual says that it must be the 5w20 or 5w30

LOL, if both engines are stock, then you can follow the viscosity recommendation as set forth by the engine manufacturer.

@@TotalSealThanks, So its 5w30 to 5w40 or 10w30 to 10w40

@@tomasnokechtesledger1786 It that case, go with the 5W-40. Great broad coverage viscosity grade.

@@TotalSeal great! Thanks.