5W-20 Oil

[RedFRZ]

I got a great deal on some 5w-20 oil. I was wondering what are the outcomes/consequences of using this oil vs the 0w-20. Most threads strictly talk about 5w-30 and not so much about 5w-20. Under what conditions should I use 5W-20? Should I not use it? What are the pros and cons of using 5w-20 vs the others?

Keep in mind I live in LA, so I'm always in LA traffic. And SoCal weather is always on the warmer side. Our winter is pretty much over here. It's starting to slowly warm up.

Thanks.

(Yes I have already searched but I didn't feel I gained enough knowledge so ill ask and try to educate myself more)

[bluesubie]

5W-20 is fine. The only thing that you'll gain from a 0W-20 is .25 better mpg's during the first 5 minutes of driving.

-Dennis

[RedFRZ]

Originally Posted by bluesubie

5W-20 is fine. The only thing that you'll gain from a 0W-20 is .25 better mpg's during the first 5 minutes of driving.

-Dennis

Thanks for the answer. I wish someone could chime in with more info

[serialk11r]

Don't worry about it, especially not in LA where it's hot year round.

[PradiG]

Would like more info as well! Bump.

[Jared0934]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPMRiYN0Odk&list=PL8ECB7E33297483F9&index= 1"]2013 Subaru BRZ - First Oil Change with Torco 100% Synthetic SR-1 - YouTube[/ame]

These guys talk about 5 dub 20 giving your better on track performance and the 0 dub 20 is more geared towards economy

[PradiG]

Originally Posted by Jared0934

These guys talk about 5 dub 20 giving your better on track performance and the 0 dub 20 is more geared towards economy

i watched the vid but the guys only talked about 0w-20 and 10w-30. Can you specify which part in the video (time frame) they talk about 5w-20 incase i missed it? Thanks

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by RedFRZ

I got a great deal on some 5w-20 oil. I was wondering what are the outcomes/consequences of using this oil vs the 0w-20. Most threads strictly talk about 5w-30 and not so much about 5w-20. Under what conditions should I use 5W-20? Should I not use it? What are the pros and cons of using 5w-20 vs the others?

Keep in mind I live in LA, so I'm always in LA traffic. And SoCal weather is always on the warmer side. Our winter is pretty much over here. It's starting to slowly warm up.

Thanks.

(Yes I have already searched but I didn't feel I gained enough knowledge so ill ask and try to educate myself more)

Researching engine oil is a self defeating act unless you know what you're looking for to begin with. Asking for opinions is going to get you nowhere.

Comparing 0w20 vs 5w20, the only real difference is that the 0w20 is very slightly thinner when it's cold (w = winter). More specifically, this refers to the oil's flow characteristics when the oil itself is cold. So, if you never really deal with starting the engine in freezing/below freezing temps, being a 0 or 5 doesn't mean much, because both ratings can be used in WAY colder temps than your oil will ever see. The "20" is the rating when the oil itself is hot and at operating temp, and both have the same rating. Although the actual specs are very slightly different, they're virtually the same for all intents and purposes.

5w30 is more discussed because most notably, it's slightly thicker at operating temp. This is more hotly debated because several schools of thought exist when it comes to oil. There's the "it's thicker, so it protects better at high temp", or "thicker means it can handle more abuse", or "the engine was designed for 0w20 and should use it no matter what". There's more to it than this, dealing with engine design, oil temps, pressure, blah blah. Oh, and fuel economy; thinner oils are easier to squirt around inside the engine.

As far as consensus is concerned, 0w20 (or 5w20 in your case) is perfectly fine for daily driving, spirited driving, and even a track day here or there. If you drive your engine hard a lot (this even includes cold engine short trips, and stop and go traffic, especially on hot days), then swapping oil a little more frequently is typically sufficient. If you drive your engine really hard, do longer or more frequent track days or driving events, oil temps are likely to be higher than normal, so you can run a slightly thicker oil or install an oil cooler, and again, swap more frequently.

In the end, 5w20 and 5w30 are both in the manual as perfectly OK, but the increased viscosity will have a small impact on mileage. Just stick with a good brand full synthetic and you'll be perfectly fine. Send it out for oil analysis if you're curious.

Just for an example, here's a copy/paste from Redlineoils.com comparing their 0w20, 5w20, and 5w30. Each oil brand will have slightly different specs for the same viscosity, and different secret-sauce additives, so make sense of what you can and research if you find this stuff interesting.

0w20:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity Grade SAE 0W20
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 8.2
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 43
Viscosity Index 166
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 55@-35
Pour Point, °C -60
Pour Point, °F -76
Flash Point, °C 216
Flash Point, °F 421
NOACK Evaporation Loss,
1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 9
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C,
ASTM D4741 2.7

5w20:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity Grade SAE 5W20
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 9.1
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 55
Viscosity Index 145
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 50@-30
Pour Point, °C -45
Pour Point, °F -49
Flash Point, °C 251
Flash Point, °F 484
NOACK Evaporation Loss,
1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 8
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C,
ASTM D4741 3.3

5w30:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity GradeSAE 5W30
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 10.6
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 62
Viscosity Index 162
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 60@-30
Pour Point, °C -45
Pour Point, °F -49
Flash Point, °C 252
lash Point, °F 486
NOACK Evaporation Loss,1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 6
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C, ASTM D4741 3.8

[PradiG]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

Researching engine oil is a self defeating act unless you know what you're looking for to begin with. Asking for opinions is going to get you nowhere.

Comparing 0w20 vs 5w20, the only real difference is that the 0w20 is very slightly thinner when it's cold (w = winter). More specifically, this refers to the oil's flow characteristics when the oil itself is cold. So, if you never really deal with starting the engine in freezing/below freezing temps, being a 0 or 5 doesn't mean much, because both ratings can be used in WAY colder temps than your oil will ever see. The "20" is the rating when the oil itself is hot and at operating temp, and both have the same rating. Although the actual specs are very slightly different, they're virtually the same for all intents and purposes.

5w30 is more discussed because most notably, it's slightly thicker at operating temp. This is more hotly debated because several schools of thought exist when it comes to oil. There's the "it's thicker, so it protects better at high temp", or "thicker means it can handle more abuse", or "the engine was designed for 0w20 and should use it no matter what". There's more to it than this, dealing with engine design, oil temps, pressure, blah blah. Oh, and fuel economy; thinner oils are easier to squirt around inside the engine.

As far as consensus is concerned, 0w20 (or 5w20 in your case) is perfectly fine for daily driving, spirited driving, and even a track day here or there. If you drive your engine hard a lot (this even includes cold engine short trips, and stop and go traffic, especially on hot days), then swapping oil a little more frequently is typically sufficient. If you drive your engine really hard, do longer or more frequent track days or driving events, oil temps are likely to be higher than normal, so you can run a slightly thicker oil or install an oil cooler, and again, swap more frequently.

In the end, 5w20 and 5w30 are both in the manual as perfectly OK, but the increased viscosity will have a small impact on mileage. Just stick with a good brand full synthetic and you'll be perfectly fine. Send it out for oil analysis if you're curious.

Just for an example, here's a copy/paste from Redlineoils.com comparing their 0w20, 5w20, and 5w30. Each oil brand will have slightly different specs for the same viscosity, and different secret-sauce additives, so make sense of what you can and research if you find this stuff interesting.

0w20:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity Grade SAE 0W20
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 8.2
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 43
Viscosity Index 166
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 55@-35
Pour Point, °C -60
Pour Point, °F -76
Flash Point, °C 216
Flash Point, °F 421
NOACK Evaporation Loss,
1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 9
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C,
ASTM D4741 2.7

5w20:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity Grade SAE 5W20
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 9.1
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 55
Viscosity Index 145
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 50@-30
Pour Point, °C -45
Pour Point, °F -49
Flash Point, °C 251
Flash Point, °F 484
NOACK Evaporation Loss,
1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 8
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C,
ASTM D4741 3.3

5w30:

API Service Class SN/SM/SL/SG/CF
Viscosity GradeSAE 5W30
Vis @ 100°C, cSt 10.6
Vis @ 40°C, cSt 62
Viscosity Index 162
CCS Viscosity, Poise, @*C 60@-30
Pour Point, °C -45
Pour Point, °F -49
Flash Point, °C 252
lash Point, °F 486
NOACK Evaporation Loss,1hr @ 482°F (250°C), % 6
HTHS Vis, cP @150°C, ASTM D4741 3.8

Exactly what i was looking for!