Anybody use 0w 20 oil during winter?

[Weborific]

Curious... Let me know! THANKS!

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

I've only ever seen 0w20 used in hybrids...I don't know if I would use it in an engine not designed for it. 5w is thin enough as is...

 

[MTV]

5w30

 

[CX-7owner]

5w30

+1

 

[Weborific]

THANKS! I've read that 0W should be even better than 5W because it is thinner than the 5W when you need it to be thinner...when the car is cold. A 0W-30 and 5W-30 will both be 30 when the car is warm. Also, a 20 grade will improve fuel economy, which plummets for me in the winter. I just purchased Formula1 5W-20 but haven't put it in yet. Still debating....

 

[CX-7owner]

Why would you get 20 oil, which offers less protection for MPG gains you will barley see?

 

[MP3Performance]

Wouldn't you burn off some of the thinner oil when your engine is cold? Your pistons expand a tiny amount as you heat up the engine. If you have an engine with alot of miles on it the tiny gap lets thin oil burn off much easier. I normally use 10w30, and switch to 5w30 for Dec, Jan, and Fed.

 

[Weborific]

I really enjoy getting your input when it comes to our P5! I've got a few answers as to why I shouldn't use 0W-20 or even 5W-20, but without any concrete support against it. Does anybody have any solid response for/against these oils? Thanks boys and girls!

 

[CX-7owner]

It's common sense really, thinner oil=less protection.

And the MPG gain would be so small you wouldn't notice it.

 

[magnumP5]

Best reason: the factory manual says to use either 10W30 or 5W30. There is no reason to use any other type of oil unless there are other circumstances present.

 

[MP3Performance]

I really enjoy getting your input when it comes to our P5!

This is the P5 section???? Whoops (lurk)

At least we've got the same engine (wiggle)

 

[Weborific]

Best reason: the factory manual says to use either 10W30 or 5W30. There is no reason to use any other type of oil unless there are other circumstances present.

FACTORY MANUAL??!! HA!! I LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE FACTORY MANUAL!! hehehe, just kidding, man. These boards are loaded with non-factory manual tips and know-hows. So I was wondering if someone had an "oil secret" or something....

 

[RockerPro5]

Our cars use 5w30 especially in cold climates. The manual suggests 5w30 or 10w30 for a reason. If you want exceptional performance and good cold weather protection use MOBIL1 Synthetic FTW. Also you need to consider how much mileage you have and if you live in the Arctic.

I run mobil1 5w30 and it's -20 C here (and worse). So far I've been getting excellent mileage. Just my $0.02

 

[FSCatalyst]

Beats me... I always assume flow is better. Thinner = faster flow right (as opposed to thick heavy oils). It would lubricate your cold engine FASTER than if you had lets say 10w in it. Now I'm not so sure about putting a 20w though. I'd just go by factory manual though.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Wouldn't you burn off some of the thinner oil when your engine is cold? Your pistons expand a tiny amount as you heat up the engine. If you have an engine with alot of miles on it the tiny gap lets thin oil burn off much easier. I normally use 10w30, and switch to 5w30 for Dec, Jan, and Fed.

+1

If you have used heavier oils (5 and 10w) previously and 0w is not recommended by the manufacturer, I would think that the 0w would be more likely to slip past the seals and burn...

 

[the tortoise]

No, there isn't any "concrete proof" that using a 20 weight oil will do any damage. I don't think anyone here is going to recommend it though.

However, if you live in a cold climate running a 0W-30 might be a good idea. This is what I intend to do this winter. The reason the manual calls for a 5W-30 vs. a 0W is that you cannot buy a 0W non-synthetic oil. When Mazda was specifying a recommended oil there was no way they were going to suggest a synth oil for an economy car. Thus the 5W-30.

FWIW, the recommended oil in the ford focus is a 5W20 so I don't think you'd have any problems. Yes, I know they're two different engines.

 

[CX-7owner]

But the Ford switched over to W20 only for the MPG/CAFE, nothing else, it offers less protection for a very, very little increase in MPG.

 

[the tortoise]

Do you have any supporting documentation for the claim that it provides less protection?

 

[CX-7owner]

Do you have any supporting documentation for the claim that it provides less protection?

It's thinner oil, if that doesn't spell it out for you (google).

 

[Diehonda]

Do you have any supporting documentation for the claim that it provides less protection?

Didn't need to, I just looked at my dipstick. My wife had my brother in law change my oil while I was at work. They put 5W20 syntec blend. I blew by 3 quarts in four days.

I knew my oil had been changed so I checked it and the level was good to go. A few days later I was topping of my de-icer WW cleaner and checked my oil. I was three quarts low. I drained the rest and filled with 10W30 adn have had no blow by since.