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0w-20 synthetic mobile 1

8K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  raitchison 
#1 ·
On my next oil change i want to change to a fully synthetic oil. Since 5w-20 in a synthetic is so hard to find, would it be ok if i just switched to 0w-20 year round. I live on ontario so we have some bad winters here. I dont know a lot about oils, so knowledgable people please answer. If your not sure (LIKE ME), dont post wrong information...

Thanks
-LUKE
 
#2 ·
I'm running Mobil1 0w20 until I get to 10k miles, after which I will do a comparison (with Used Oil Analysis testing) of Mobil1 0w20 and 5w30 (& possibly 10w30).

In the cold 0w20 is almost certianly the best oil to use. The only question (IMO) is if you live where it gets very hot and /or you are an exceptionally hard driver where you may want to consider a thicker oil. I like where it regularly gets over 100f in the summer, I race and tow every month so conditions don't get much harsher than mine.

In short, I would definitely recommend the Mobil1 0w20 for you.

BTW, most manufacturers "synthetic" oils aren't real synthetic oils, this includes Castrol Syntec, Penzoil, Quaker State and pretty much everything but Mobil1, Amsoil & Redline (German market Castrol also but that's way hard to find)

Most (quite possibly all) 5w20 oils are at least semi-sytnetics though, generally pretty good oils. This includes the Motorcraft 5w20 that the dealer uses (is supposed to use anyways)

Edit: also this is going to get moved to maintennace & care
 
#4 ·
ryanazarko,

There a variety of used oil analysis's indicating that for the 6i/3s, heavy weight oil is not necessary to protect the engine.

Heavier weight viscosity oils are not necessarily better, and can in fact be far worse for engine wear.

If you weren't running a synthetic equivilant 20 wt oil, then I'd consider running a 10w-30 synthetic instead. Most of the pour points for the 10w-30 syn's are equivilant to 20 wt dino oils, so shouldn't cause any significant increase in wear. 10w-30 is also very similar to a 5w-20 in its amount of viscosity improvers, which are very little. Because the viscosity spread is close, less of the additive package has to be spent maintaining viscosity.

However since your in canada, you might want to take a look at your average yearly temps. It would probably be in your best interest to stick with 20 wt oils, just due to your temperature range. (Especially since most people in the hotter areas of the US are racing and running 20 wt's without issue).

If you HAD to run a 50wt oil (which is highly NOT recommended), I'd go with a 15w50 mobil1 supersyn...which is argubly one of their best oils. You'll get a rather large hp reduction and mileage reduction from doing so however, and possibly increase engine wear.

Regardless if you want to know if the oil is aiding/harming your engine, run a UOA.

www.blackstone-labs.com
 
#5 ·
well, wouldnt 5w50 be better than 15w50?
also, it seems to be that 0w30 would cover the temperature changes here best, and be a little more suitable for the way i drive. 0w20 fully synthetic is what most people are using right? so wouldnt 0w30 just be a little bit more thick/viscous so it would better suit my hard driving style, right?
 
#7 ·
[QOUTE=ryanazarko]
well, wouldnt 5w50 be better than 15w50?
also, it seems to be that 0w30 would cover the temperature changes here best, and be a little more suitable for the way i drive. 0w20 fully synthetic is what most people are using right? so wouldnt 0w30 just be a little bit more thick/viscous so it would better suit my hard driving style, right?[/QUOTE]

My dad has a xpress lube and he said to me that it is good to stay with what the manufacturer recomend no matter the situation. For example if you are going to put 5w20 (semi-synthetic) that is what the manufacturer recommends YOU HAVE TO STAY IN THAT RANGE(if this make any sense) like 0w20 (synthetic).
 
#8 ·
well, wouldnt 5w50 be better than 15w50?

No. 5w50 has a wider viscosity spread. When dealing with a wide range of viscosity, the less spread means the less improvers needed to maintain said viscosity (within the range) over time.

This is generally why mobil1 10w-30 is superior to 5w-30 in extended drains, as is 15w50 vs 5w50, etc. The oil's maintain their proper viscosity levels better then oil's with wider ranges.
 
#9 ·
ryanazarko said:
what about 0w30? im a hard driver, so would that be better for me? or should i go to like 5w50 since i drive it so hard?
Well crossbow beat me to the viscosity spread issue, but yeah, what he said.

I know Edmonton get super cold sometimes, so if you want a 0w30 I would check out some local Wal-Marts for the Made in Germany (this part is important) Castrol Syntec 0w30. IIRC, this oil has a pretty darn low pour point, and it meets European specs requiring extended drain intervals. Overall, an excellent oil from most reports, with the only caveat being that it is a tad on the "thick" side at room temperature for an oil of this type (but not excessively by any means). $6.66 a litre and seems pretty common across the country by now.

Incidentally I just changed my Nissan with this oil again last week. :)

Or you could go with M1 0w20, but you probably can't extend drain intervals with that...
 
#10 ·
Raitchison....thank you for your answer. i will try 0w-20 on my upcoming oil change. You helped me out a lot.

Just one more thing is there a big difference is i used 5w-30 instead of 0w-20. But Moblil 1 synthetic is my choice of oil. I it a good oil, or is there better say at a canadian tire or wal-mart...

thanks in advnace
 
#11 ·
I did my first change today. I was at 4500 miles and the old oil looked just fine. I probably could have gone the whole 7500 interval but I got antsy. I put a Mobil 1 M1-102 filter (I have an i model) on and put in 4.5 quarts of 0W-20 Mobil 1 supersyn. I'm gonna pull it at 6000 mile intervals unless it looks really good after the the first interval. I'm also going to use Purolator Pure-One filters after this because they are 1/2 the price of the Mobil 1 filter.

I just started using Mobil 1 in both of my cars. Previously I used whatever 10W-30 dino-oil was cheap, usually that meant Pennzoil. I'm hoping the Mobil 1 will be more forgiving of greater length change intervals. I'm very comfortable with the posts I read on http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

:)
 
#12 ·
0W-20 OR 5W-30

OK, so if I decide to go with Mobil 1 when I do my oil change, it is better to get 0W-20 instead of 5W-30? What is the main reason I should use one over the other?

Also, it was mentioned that Castrol is not a full Synthetic??? I saw 2 different Castrols at the Auto parts store -- One said Synthetic and the other Synthetic blend. Is it the believe that the one that just says Synthetic is not fully Synthetic.???? By the way, the one that just said Synthetic on it came in a 5W-20 weight so if I got it I could use the exact oil type that Mazda recommends. Why should I use the Mobil 1 over the Castrol?? (There seems to be some strong Mobil 1 supporters out there!!)

I love this car, but the simple act of performing your own oil change looks to be more of a hassle than your average car at this point. Hard to find 5W-20 oil (syn or dino), have to get the filter (and rings) at the dealership.......

At least on the plus side, I noticed that Purolator is listing a cartridge filter for the 2.3 L Engine in their catalog. None of the Auto parts stores I have been at in the last week (Advance Auto Parts, Autozone, and PepBoys) actually have the part in stock though. I'm guessing it is just a matter of time. Hopefully the package will come with the O-rings included.
 
#13 ·
Re: 0W-20 OR 5W-30

speedracer007 said:
Is it the believe that the one that just says Synthetic is not fully Synthetic.????
Exactly, it used to be that Syntec & Mobil1 were roughly equivalent, but Castrol switched their formula to what is essentially a highly refined dino oil to save cost. Mobil tried to stop them but Castrol won by claiming that the term "Synthetic" was more a marketing gimmick than anything else and that they could slap a synthetic label on it (and charge more) if they wanted to.
 
#14 ·
Dealer won't do synth.

So my dealer owes me two oil changes, but they won't do a synthetic fill. If I want synthetic, I have to supply it myself. I don't mind doing this, but if i bring in a jug of Mobil 1 0w20, will they refuse to do it or try to claim it will void my warranty, since they recommend 5w20?

I looked into Motorcraft Synth 5w20, but it costs $14.78CDN per litre! That's almost $75 for a whole fill!

~Bart~
 
#15 ·
There is a great deal of debate over the use of synthetic oils. Generally, those people who regularly use synthetic oils regularly swear by them, and those who use conventional oils swear by them. For most driving conditions, if you use a conventional oil and change it at the proper intervals, it will properly protect your engine. If your vehicle is subject to extreme conditions, such as sustained high speeds or high loads, extremely dusty conditions, racing, towing, use of a turbocharger, etc., the use of a conventional oil may not adequately protect your engine. The key is to use the proper oil change interval for your situation. Synthetic oils claim to allow a longer interval between changes. This claim is countered by those who point out that regardless of the condition of the oil, contamination from outside sources such as blow-by and moisture cannot be removed by filtering, and regardless of the lubricating properties of the oil, when contamination reaches unacceptable conditions, the oil and filter should be changed.
The main attractions of synthetic oil are its improved lubricating properties and extended oil change intervals. The trade-off for this is cost. Synthetic oils can cost as much as 4-5 times more than conventional oils. This cost increase can nullify the savings gained by the increased change intervals.

Another factor to consider is overall maintenance. If you have a repair facility doing your conventional oil changes for you every 3,000 miles, a trained technician is inspecting your car for potential problems. Your mechanic will be checking things like fluid levels, belts, hoses, tire wear patterns, under-car oil or transmission fluid leaks and other items that can help prevent breakdowns or expensive repairs. For example, replacing a weak coolant hose can prevent having that hose burst in traffic, with resultant overheating and engine damage. This type of preventive maintenance can greatly extend the life of your car. If you use a synthetic oil and only change it every 10,000 miles or more, then you are not getting your car inspected by that mechanic anywhere near as frequently, and problems may be more likely to develop between inspections.

If you are doing your own oil changes, then you need to be aware of these types of inspections and perform them yourself. If you do these inspections regularly every 3,000 miles, then you can possibly extend your oil change intervals by using a synthetic oil; however, keep in mind the problem of moisture and blow-by contamination.

Synthetic oils do lubricate better. However, given the high quality of today's conventional oils, the high cost of synthetic oils, and the other factors involved in determining oil change intervals (and therefore cost-per-mile), there may not be an advantage in using synthetic oils for normal operation. If you are putting a lot of stress on your oil, however, you might consider a change to synthetic oil and staying with a short change interval. This will provide the protection of synthetic oil, although your costs will increase. Those costs should be balanced against the possible cost of premature engine repairs due to excessive wear from harsh operating conditions.

There is no easy answer to the question of conventional vs. synthetic oils. The answer depends on your driving, your maintenance, and your personal preferences. Generally though, if your vehicle is subject to extreme conditions, synthetic oils might well be worth looking at
 
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