5.0Flareside
GingaNinja
This is going to be a quick explaination on why, its ok to run a 0w20/30/40 in an older vehicle and why thicker is not better.
I've heard alot over past couple of years, "oh i aint gonna run no 5w30 instead of 10w30, that stuffs junk!" or "yeah right your crazy if you think im gonna run 5w20 in my truck, that stuff is like water!"
lets break down a 0w30. the 0w part of the multi-weight listing. The W stands for Winter. AKA cold flow rate. a 0w will ALWAYS FLOW BETTER than 5w, 10w, 15w etc. No if ands or buts about it. The weight designation is determined by Kinematic Viscosity. Which is basically the resistance to flow at a specific temperature. the only time the oil will act as a 0w is at cold start up, which will allow it to protect better at start ups. now on a engine with leaky valve seals, it may cause some start up smoke, but thats only due to the leaky valve seals, not the oil. Oils never cause smoking or leaks, they only expose them.
Now when people think that a 0w30 is to thin for my engine that calls for a 10w30, thats absurd. as said above the 0w is only noticable at cold starts. the oil will be the same viscosity at opperating temp as a 10w30, which is where the engine will be at the majority of its life. By using a thinner cold flow oil, your just protecting the engine better at startup.
The W viscosities are tested and determined at 40*C. the opperating temp, the 30 in 0w30, are determined at 100*C. These tests are of the Kinematic Viscosity of the oil at those temperatures. then they have a scale and the place the rating on the oil.
Now down to why people think a 15w40 is better than a 0/5/10w30 oil in an engine calling for the 30. Its a VERY old school way of thinking. back in the 70's lots of people thought thicker is better. makes everything quieter so it must be lubricating it better. Back then this may have very well been true. but my oh my... 40 years has definitely changed oils. But people are still thinking the same way lots of times.
People want that extra 5lbs of oil pressure to make them feel good. when in reality, they may be doing more harm than good. Extra oil pressure just means the oil is having to work harder to get into areas between bearings, in lifters, through pushrods, and back down again. this is putting more strain on a oil pump. thus causing more drag through the entire system. Heck you can see a couple pounds of oil pressure drop by going from a conventional oil to a Synthetic, simply due to the fact of the way the Synthetics are much better at reducing friction due the molecular make-up of them.
Im sure i may have missed something, if so ask it... im tired.. and going to bed now.. lol.
I've heard alot over past couple of years, "oh i aint gonna run no 5w30 instead of 10w30, that stuffs junk!" or "yeah right your crazy if you think im gonna run 5w20 in my truck, that stuff is like water!"
lets break down a 0w30. the 0w part of the multi-weight listing. The W stands for Winter. AKA cold flow rate. a 0w will ALWAYS FLOW BETTER than 5w, 10w, 15w etc. No if ands or buts about it. The weight designation is determined by Kinematic Viscosity. Which is basically the resistance to flow at a specific temperature. the only time the oil will act as a 0w is at cold start up, which will allow it to protect better at start ups. now on a engine with leaky valve seals, it may cause some start up smoke, but thats only due to the leaky valve seals, not the oil. Oils never cause smoking or leaks, they only expose them.
Now when people think that a 0w30 is to thin for my engine that calls for a 10w30, thats absurd. as said above the 0w is only noticable at cold starts. the oil will be the same viscosity at opperating temp as a 10w30, which is where the engine will be at the majority of its life. By using a thinner cold flow oil, your just protecting the engine better at startup.
The W viscosities are tested and determined at 40*C. the opperating temp, the 30 in 0w30, are determined at 100*C. These tests are of the Kinematic Viscosity of the oil at those temperatures. then they have a scale and the place the rating on the oil.
Now down to why people think a 15w40 is better than a 0/5/10w30 oil in an engine calling for the 30. Its a VERY old school way of thinking. back in the 70's lots of people thought thicker is better. makes everything quieter so it must be lubricating it better. Back then this may have very well been true. but my oh my... 40 years has definitely changed oils. But people are still thinking the same way lots of times.
People want that extra 5lbs of oil pressure to make them feel good. when in reality, they may be doing more harm than good. Extra oil pressure just means the oil is having to work harder to get into areas between bearings, in lifters, through pushrods, and back down again. this is putting more strain on a oil pump. thus causing more drag through the entire system. Heck you can see a couple pounds of oil pressure drop by going from a conventional oil to a Synthetic, simply due to the fact of the way the Synthetics are much better at reducing friction due the molecular make-up of them.
Im sure i may have missed something, if so ask it... im tired.. and going to bed now.. lol.