SpitfireS

This is about oil.
Engine oil.

Last weekend I changed my oil (& filter) from 5W-40 to 0W-40.
Same brand, same specifications (apart from SAE )

Monday & Tuesday weren't as cold, around +2C.
This morning it was -2.7C and the thermometer in the garagebox told me it was between -1 and -2 C.

Here are the differences I noticed since the oil change.

1- much better running when cold, less noise, less "protest" from the engine while going up to 3500-4000 in traffic.

2 - it reached 3 bars on the temp gauge much sooner. Daily driven to work its easy to know the time/place it takes to reach 3 bars.

I'm not trying to start yet another oil discussion.
I just posted my personal experience.
Feel free to use this information to make up your mind.
Feel free to ignore it.

Have a nice day


--- END OF NEWSFALSH --- END OF NEWSFLASH ---

jah

i dont doubt the difference.

but consider:
-the temperature -2.7C is not that cold (~27F)
-not alot of difference between 5W-40 and 0W-40 and some doubt that the manufacturer can hold to the spec since there is no need other than marketing.

the effect you got may be that the old oil had changed its viscosity due to usage and or the filter was less efficient. the battery may also have been left in a better state from previous usage and required less charging current

DrDre1443

so your engine got hotter much sooner than usual....so that's a good thing?

the difference between 3 and 4 bars is likesome 50-60 degrees F.....not very reliable.......

please post why you were running 5w40 in the first place and why you thought you should be using 0w40.

RACER

Poindexter

Popeye

Ah.......

SpitfireS

My car is a daily driver, the battery is/was good.

The 5W-40 & filter was 10000km old and it was an original Honda S2000 filter, the updated one.

On colder outside temperatures the difference would be even greater.
The 5W would be thicker.

The specs are the same, the manufacturer would not print them if they could not prove that.
Those specs say that the viscosity of the 0W at 100C is actually 2,3% thicker then the 5W (measured according to ISO 3104)
The viscosity index is greater, 187 for the 0W against 179 for the 5W.
They do say it is a full syntetic oil with premiun additives.
They dont specify additives.


The engine got to operating temperature much sooner.
As far as I know the F20C is an internal combustion engine.
When its burning fuel it generates heat.
The oil is also used to distribute that heat around to where it can be extracted out.
I would like that heat to be extracted out rather then to stay in my pistons.

The extracted heat may be used to or make

I used the 5W-40 because I could not find the 0W-40 at the service station when the service before this one was due and appointment made.
The dealer just has 5W-40 oil.
I use a different brand, not dealer brand.

I'm confident to use the 0W-40 from now on, summer or winter.
Thinner oil will be easyer pumped trough the cold engine reaching parts that need to be lubricated and cooled as soon as the engine is running. At the same time it is just as thick as 5W-40 oil at operating temp.
Reason enough for me.

DISCLAIMER : some of the text in this reply is "IMO", some of it are facts taken from manufacturers PDF files. This is NOT AN OIL DISCUSSION

xman03

jah

0W-40
should work ok in the summer, 0w-60 would work better.

how much of this is only marketing tho

Emil St-Hilaire

Use Penzoil 20W50 Racing.