It's been over a month now since I switched to 5w30 in my car. It's hard to tell the difference really, but it seems to be a little quieter overall. Less clattering noise, especially on cold starts. I doubt I'll go back to 0w20.
It's called the dumbing down of America!This’s a different era we need to get used to it. Even the car salesman who took the deposit from my daughter for any available Toyota Corolla non-hybrid model almost never responded our texts or phone calls during her 6-month waiting period. The same after she picked up a Corolla Hatchback XSE in late September.
Ha ha. It's called selling to the masses and keeping it simple, or as wlong01 said, the dumbing down in America (and everywhere else).Interesting thread. I'm surprised they haven't come out with a thinner oil for cold temperature like -5W20 or -10W20. I used 0W30 semi synth way back in 1980! I also find it hard to believe that the same 0W20 oil can be used in Death Valley and Anchorage all year long...
I've been happy running 5w30 in Colorado for 2 solid years now, both hot and cold. Runs great.Interesting subject. Never really payed attention to what type of oil my dealer uses but I've checked the last invoice and it's 0W20. Now, I live in a warmer part of the US, snow maybe once every 10 years, few inches... below freezing temperature, maybe few days a year, and that's barely below freezing. So, question for you guys: should I go for 5W? Maybe even 5W30 in the summer, when the temperatures goes frequently above 100℉/40℃ ?
Interesting subject. Never really payed attention to what type of oil my dealer uses but I've checked the last invoice and it's 0W20. Now, I live in a warmer part of the US, snow maybe once every 10 years, few inches... below freezing temperature, maybe few days a year, and that's barely below freezing. So, question for you guys: should I go for 5W? Maybe even 5W30 in the summer, when the temperatures goes frequently above 100℉/40℃ ?
I've compared Mazda manuals from Europe vs USA. In the Europe's manual it says that the 5W30 oil can be used on non-turbo models, while in the USA's manual it says that it can be used only on turbo. So I decided to screw the CAFE requirements and I will ask the dealer to put 5W30 at the next oil service. I understand the requirement to make a car to achieve a certain mpg but that's not realistic. Each one of us has a different driving style, different mpg. I don't see how the CAFE thing applies to someone's car once the person bought it.I drove for 4 years with 0w20 in Arizona. No problems even in warmer climates.
For warranty purposes its good to stick with 0w20. I have to agree though that 5w30 is better fit probably but Mazda uses 0w20 in US due to CAFE requirements. Thats for the non-turbo
I've compared Mazda manuals from Europe vs USA. In the Europe's manual it says that the 5W30 oil can be used on non-turbo models, while in the USA's manual it says that it can be used only on turbo. So I decided to screw the CAFE requirements and I will ask the dealer to put 5W30 at the next oil service. I understand the requirement to make a car to achieve a certain mpg but that's not realistic. Each one of us has a different driving style, different mpg. I don't see how the CAFE thing applies to someone's car once the person bought it.
The only thing you want to make sure is you ask your Mazda dealer to put in full synthetic 5W-30 oil for you and put it in writing on the invoice. There’re plenty of conventional 5W-30 oils on the market but not on 0W-20. Even Mazda’s OEM 5W-30 oil isn’t a full synthetic.⋯ So I decided to screw the CAFE requirements and I will ask the dealer to put 5W30 at the next oil service.
Thanks for the tip!The only thing you want to make sure is...
See post #30 above.
FYI, in simple terms:Interesting subject. Never really payed attention to what type of oil my dealer uses but I've checked the last invoice and it's 0W20. Now, I live in a warmer part of the US, snow maybe once every 10 years, few inches... below freezing temperature, maybe few days a year, and that's barely below freezing. So, question for you guys: should I go for 5W? Maybe even 5W30 in the summer, when the temperatures goes frequently above 100℉/40℃ ?
Honestly those numbers don't mean much, you need to look at the Technical specs for each oil, that will give you the real properties, for example Amsoil signature series oil, the difference between 0w30 and 5w30 is literally nothing. More for making people feel warm and fuzzy about buying oil that matches what the oil cap says on the engine.FYI, in simple terms:
Example 5W30: The W stands for winter, whereby 5W is the low temperature viscosity and 30 is the high temperature viscosity at 100 degrees Celsius. The lower the number before the W, the better the oil will flow at low temperatures.