Can I just use synthetic 5w-20 instead of 0w-20?

lots of stupid question or else there ju

stupidty 0 cold 20 hot can you figure

 

How much money are you really trying to save? Per oil change? Multiple that difference over the estimated times of oil changes you expect for the duration of your ownership, and reanalyze if it will be a down payment on a home, new car, put the kids through college, or support you in retirement. The lifetime savings won’t do any of that? Then not expensive. Even more so, the 5 quart jug at Walmart or even Walmart online averages about $25...if that’s still expensive to you then I’d wait for someone to post a Groupon on 5W-30 then buy them all, but wouldn’t hold my breath on that.

 

Can afford a $35k truck, can’t afford to buy the right oil smh

 

I'm always impressed by the rocket surgeons that relate higher viscosity to higher quality/better performance/longivity while ignoring every other variable.

Anyone that designs internal combustion engines is keenly aware that the most wear/damage happens when starting an engine. Thinner viscosity (at ambient temperature) oils while create the pressurized film on the plain bearings of the crankshaft and rods sooner than thicker (at ambient temperature) oils. Better engineered base oil/additives will maintain sufficient viscosity at operating temps without relaying on thicker (at ambient temperature) viscosity oils that rely on sludge producing compounds to maintain viscosity at higher temps.

There is absolutely no reason why 0w0 wouldn't work if the right additives were available to stabilize the oil film and not breakdown at temp.

Trust PhD engineers or Billy Joe Jim Bob at Qwiky Lube

 

Here is your weight and preferred oil. Plus in the 2 mins of searching I found a 10 dollar rebate going on for 5 qts. Brings it to about 15 dollars for a jug.

 

Got a pro so probably 45k. And knowing the market in SoCal. He is probably looking at 50k

 

Whoa, wait a minute. NEVER EVER introduce logic and actual facts into a TW discussion. Way too many keyboard engineers and attorneys here to ever dispute a post. LOL!

Toyota specs 0W-20. That's what you should use. Period.

It's not unobtanium. Too lazy to drive to Walmart? They'll drop it off at your door.

 

Idemitsu brand 0W-20 SN/GF-5 is same as Toyota spec, as far as I can tell from research. I'm using it. I got 2 free changes from the dealership, bought filters, funnel and filter wrench, plus enough oil for 4 changes. First fill with Idemitsu at 15K, at 22K now. I'm going to trust the 10K mile recommendation and see how that goes this time till 25K, but may go back to 5K or 7.5K depending on how the drained oil looks after 10K. Oil looks good as gold on the dipstick after 7K miles.

 

if anything you should go 0w30. modern engines run hot and 20 weight gets real thin at temp. if you're in any type of colder climate, run 0. if you're always in a warmer climate, 5 is fine.

 

There's a lot to finding the Sommerfeld number. You know a 0 weight oil would not necessarily always work, it depends on the too many variables to say that for all cases. The "right" starting and running viscosities sit at the balance between unstable thin film (boundary) and stable thick film (hydrodynamic) and depend on the bearing load, angular speed, surface finish, eccentricity and clearance at the intended flow rate, pressure and temperature.

One example of why film and clearance cannot be too thin & small in real world engines is that the oil is not perfectly filtered so debris may block the flow through the bearing. The designer has to assume filter efficiencies or may even have to assume complete filter failure and the engine is bypassing it completely. Internal clearance tolerance must be limited larger than their process capability, otherwise they'd have to specify an exact filter, interval and oil brand and viscosity for the use and environment. Requirements are tightening, but they haven't yet gotten that restrictive.

They know not everyone is a little old lady that never pushes the throttle or an incessant maintenance freak that changes his oil the moment it is no longer vaguely honey colored and that some people live in Phoenix and some in Fairbanks. So they have to build in margin for the real range of owners and conditions.

I also don't think oil weight is a purely engineering decision. You have lawyers and regulators countermanding their decisions in the name of fuel economy. It's not just Toyota, either. We have a Subaru with a FB25 engine that gets 0w20 for U.S. but everywhere else 5w30 (and in Germany they do actually specify the brand - 5w30 Motul). Also keep in mind that a manufacturer only needs the engine to last to the end of the warranty, another non-engineering variable.

That's why I factor in what oil is specified around the world, different regulations are enforced and different expectations for the life of the car. For example, in many places people don't trade in a leased car every 3 years so they will expect it to last. If an engine uses 0w20 in Europe, Australia and Asia and everywhere else then I would feel more comfortable about it. That they don't and even say in our U.S. books that 0w20 is recommended but 5w30 is acceptable until the next change implies to me it's probably designed for the characteristics of the lesser of the two, which would be likely a conventional 5w30 made to whatever API spec they used. If that wan't the case then leaving this "inferior" oil for a whole interval would certainly cause damage.

So I think it's ultimately up to you to decide. If your worry is only until the warranty expires, then follow the recommendations to the word. But that's not necessarily a technical decision but a legal and liability one (not voiding your warranty). If you're gonna keep the vehicle beyond that then it's not as clear IMO. You need to factor several things and be doing oil analysis. The problem is if you follow the manual you can't know until 10 years after the warranty expired if that was right or not.

 

I would say do what you want. But its always good to have another oil thread here on TW. Got to atleast have one per day.

 

Costco sells it too.

https://www.costco.com/Mobil-1-Full-Synthetic-Motor-Oil-0W-20.product.100169812.html

 

***

 

Do your pro a favor and use the appropriate oil. At the very least it will save you MPGs by keeping the engine efficient. Why risk damaging a $45k truck to save a few bucks?

This is why I stopped buying used cars.

 

Thats if he uses Royal Purple. There's way cheaper options. It'd be a $50 with Royal Purple anyhow.

 

if he is to lazy to find proper oil he to lazy to change it just ignore the dumb ass

 

You guys are some judgmental mofos...lighten the f up.

 

The lawyer I used to sue Subaru agreed up front that if we lost, he wouldn't charge me. If we won, he'd be paid. Subaru ended up paying over $23K to him. They had to buy back my vehicle, pay for all of my rentals (18+ mos), and some other stuff, etc. It was blatant that Subaru was wrong right from the beginning, so that might have helped the lawyer decide to risk no payment. The quote above is true though - you have to prove innocence!

 

Pretty easy to find here lol

 

Walmart has supertech hd 30 for $2.78 a quart. Since we aren't following manufacturer recommendations, let's use that!