I have been comparing popular synthetic 5w30 (ILSAC GF-5) road going motor oils. I thought that the comparison might be interesting for the guys on the forum.

I currently use my 2011 coupe for my short commute each day - 15 minutes one way, 10 miles. I have yet to break 5k miles in the first 8 months. I am considering following a summer/winter schedule which would work out as a "medium duty cycle" of 6 months with maybe 4k miles max.

Right now, I am leaning towards trying PU or M1 AFE 0w30. I currently run PP, so it is also in the running to help use up the remaining quart and save about $8.

An interesting point that I can't seem to explain is that the 0w30 M1 has higher 40c/100c viscosity than the Pennzoil products. In Texas, winter has a very liberal definition, so I don't expect to gain much.

*Disclaimers - I know that all of them would work fine, especially with my easy use. My Acura usually asks for an oil change about once a year, so I wouldn't consider our driving to be severe conditions.

 

dealership said 0w30 is too thin

I used German Castrol 0w30 in my 2010 G37x for one of my oil changes...the GC 0w30 does very well in Audi/VW but my G37x ate it up...had to add oil at 1500 miles...switched back to 5w30 (Castrol Edge with Syntec) and it's doing perfectly...not sure what happened...but I'm staying away from 0w30

 

I think that I'll go with the AFE but have a jug of PP on standby.

 

The dealership is wrong. Whether or not 0w-30 is an appropriate choice is another matter, but there are plenty of 0w-30s that aren't "too thin." GC, with HTHS at 3.5, is decidedly not too thin. M1 0w-30 AFE is thicker at operating temperatures than 5w-30 PP, PU, QSUD, and Edge.

The dealership should stick to selling Nissan Ester 5w-30 at inflated prices, rather than providing information that is clearly wrong. Incidentally, Nissan Ester 5w-30 is thinner, too, at operating temperatures than is M1 0w-30 AFE.

Remind the dealer that the 0w or 5w in an oil refers to cold pumping and cranking characteristics, and has absolutely nothing to do with the thickness of the oil under operating temperatures.

 

Where did you get that chart? Some of the information in it doesn't quite seem right.

 

I compiled the product data sheets. Anything in particular that looks wrong?

 

There are numerous holes through the chart, and some of the quantities are "ok". What is an ok viscosity, and flash point? And why include flash point and pour point? Are you worried about your oil flashing? If your engine is hot enough to flash the oil, you've got bigger problems on your hands than running with burned oil.

I'm also curious as to why you put the emphasis on viscosity.

 

I posted a short OCI of M1 AFE. Check it out. I was not impressed.
I have had no experience with PU but from a decidedly small sampling of UOAs of PU people seem to feel that PU performs well in our engine.
My current fill is M1 0W40 and I will post a UOA shortly, although 0W40 may be more than necessary for your style of driving and environment.

 

No emphasis at all. Most of the PDS started by stating viscosity. The "ok" is a direct quote. The holes are due to inconsistent data reporting by various companies. I'll post the individual files from my laptop this weekend as supporting evidence.

Something about an oil publicized as "ok" makes me a bit nervous.

I've already bought the AFE and I'm not worried about the oci, as I am not trying to stretch it. I'l try PU sometime in the next few changes, but feel no particular rush.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I dunno...I'm just the messenger...GC 0w30 has always done well for me in the past prior to Infiniti

just curious...what would cause excessive oil consumption using 0w30 but no excessive consumption using 5w30?

 

assuming the same kind of oil, and additive package in each, the increased flow of the 0w. They are identical at operating temperatures and only very slightly different when cold. The 0w will flow a little better when cold, so you could have more oil getting to whatever your problematic area is, therefore being consumed. If you're getting some consumption because poorly sealing piston ring that seals better once the engine is warmed up and everything has expanded to it's normal size, that could cause excessive oil consumption when cold.

If you're talking about a 0w-30 group 4 vs a 5w-30 group 1, well, there's your difference. Run dino oil, not synthetics.

 

Here's some of the interesting stuff that gets published...

 

If you look through these sheets, you'll see that each company reports some of the basics but the rest will vary by company. Only the certifications like GF-5, Dexos and API-SN even hint at the unpublished properties.

I could include the GC 0w-30 if anyone has the data sheet. I haven't seen it for sale around my area, so it was high on my search list.

 

I'm not sure. Sometimes, a different oil will consume a bit in a vehicle, until it settles in after a couple OCIs. It depends on the vehicle and the oil, I guess, and is hard to predict. It's certainly not from being too thin, since you'd be hard pressed to find a thicker 30 weight.

Some vehicles seem to "like" certain oils and "dislike" others. Sometimes there's consumption, sometimes things don't "sound right" either. Personally, I don't like excess consumption. I did have a vehicle that consumed GC, but that vehicle specified 40 weight and 50 weight oils, so in that situation, GC might have been too thin.

 

Where are you finding Group I conventional oils? I'd have a hard time believing they'd meeting even SL/GF-3, let alone what's currently specified.