Oil change 5w30 or 10w30 for the Evo X
I live in KC, which is 4 seasons... my car is in the garage most of the time. At startup I'm almost always going to be between 45-65 degrees year round. Hopefully the 0w will be fine. I plan on running it year round.
Evolving Member
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From: Standing at the edge of the gene pool with a flamethrower...
The industry is allowed by the governemnt to redefine what "Synthetic oil" is. Almost all inlcuding Mobile1 are synth-organic blends now.
Im not sure that even Rotella T Synth is a true synthetic oil. But it does get very good tests from the trucking industry which was its original target consumer.
My dealer doesnt care if I use 5-30 or 10-30. Most OEM recomend 5-30 for MPG, not protection.
Truth is, most oils these days (to include organics) are of such high quality it doesnt really matter what you use.
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: 11050
Whether you choose 0W30, 5W30, 10W30 ... they are all 30 weight and will perform the SAME when your engine warms to 212+ degree operating temps.
THE KEY ISSUE is how thick are they when the engine is cold and you start up -- this is where MOST engine wear occurs. WHY, because the oil is too thick to circulate properly. THE THING YOU MUST PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO IS how thick the oil becomes when it cools, NOT, how thin it becomes when it heats up.
AND GUESS WHAT, 0W30, 5W30 and 10W30 are ALL TOO THICK on cold startup. HOWEVER, the least thick of the three would be the 0W30. This is true whether it is 30-degrees outside or 75-degrees.
I live in NY, and we do not have hot enough weather to require a 10W30 oil in an EVO (unless you track it at Lime Rock on the weekends, in which case you should be looking at racing oils with higher weights). I'd argue that you will have MUCH lower engine wear by running 0W30 year-round here.
IF you're in Texas or in a hot climate, you should be using the 5W30, depends a bit on how you drive (long hot runs, track driving, etc.) whether you would go to 10W30.
THE KEY ISSUE is how thick are they when the engine is cold and you start up -- this is where MOST engine wear occurs. WHY, because the oil is too thick to circulate properly. THE THING YOU MUST PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO IS how thick the oil becomes when it cools, NOT, how thin it becomes when it heats up.
AND GUESS WHAT, 0W30, 5W30 and 10W30 are ALL TOO THICK on cold startup. HOWEVER, the least thick of the three would be the 0W30. This is true whether it is 30-degrees outside or 75-degrees.
I live in NY, and we do not have hot enough weather to require a 10W30 oil in an EVO (unless you track it at Lime Rock on the weekends, in which case you should be looking at racing oils with higher weights). I'd argue that you will have MUCH lower engine wear by running 0W30 year-round here.
IF you're in Texas or in a hot climate, you should be using the 5W30, depends a bit on how you drive (long hot runs, track driving, etc.) whether you would go to 10W30.
Last edited by Summit1; Mar 22, 2011 at 06:10 AM.
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: 11050
good info, thx. the other thing that i read recently is the importance of changing your oil not only based on mileage, BUT also on the length of time the oil has been in use. Oil thicken as it wears out, it also thickens over time just sitting around, especially in cold storage. So it means you need to change your oil in an EVO every 5-6 months or every 3000miles (conservative end of the range) whichever comes FIRST. I drive very few miles, so I used to let my oil go for a year or two until I had put 3000 miles on the car... in general that is a mistake, probably moreso with a turbo. The other obvious thing to avoid is buying 10 cases of oil and storing it in an unheated garage... so much for buying in bulk at costco or walmart.
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Joined: Jun 2010
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From: Columbus
good info, thx. the other thing that i read recently is the importance of changing your oil not only based on mileage, BUT also on the length of time the oil has been in use. Oil thicken as it wears out, it also thickens over time just sitting around, especially in cold storage. So it means you need to change your oil in an EVO every 5-6 months or every 3000miles (conservative end of the range) whichever comes FIRST. I drive very few miles, so I used to let my oil go for a year or two until I had put 3000 miles on the car... in general that is a mistake, probably moreso with a turbo. The other obvious thing to avoid is buying 10 cases of oil and storing it in an unheated garage... so much for buying in bulk at costco or walmart.
The only reason people change oil at 3k miles is because it corresponds with 3months of driving for the average person:
Avg driver drives 12k miles a year
12 months in a year
3months = 3k miles
Evolving Member
Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Standing at the edge of the gene pool with a flamethrower...
There are also arguements about changing oils too often, especially true synthetics.
My strategy: Use a high quality oil in the manufacturers recommended weights, have it changed at the recommended intervals with documentation (in case of warranty issues), and use a high quality filter (Mobie1 filters down to 8 microns and has a very high flow rate, necessary for turbo cars)-
HTH
My strategy: Use a high quality oil in the manufacturers recommended weights, have it changed at the recommended intervals with documentation (in case of warranty issues), and use a high quality filter (Mobie1 filters down to 8 microns and has a very high flow rate, necessary for turbo cars)-
HTH
Evolving Member
Joined: May 2010
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From: Canada
There are also arguements about changing oils too often, especially true synthetics.
My strategy: Use a high quality oil in the manufacturers recommended weights, have it changed at the recommended intervals with documentation (in case of warranty issues), and use a high quality filter (Mobie1 filters down to 8 microns and has a very high flow rate, necessary for turbo cars)-
HTH
My strategy: Use a high quality oil in the manufacturers recommended weights, have it changed at the recommended intervals with documentation (in case of warranty issues), and use a high quality filter (Mobie1 filters down to 8 microns and has a very high flow rate, necessary for turbo cars)-
HTH