Engine oil -- what weight and brand do others use?

[mark walk]

i know it calls for 0/20 but what weight and brand do others use do you want mpg or engine protection

Sponsored

 

[Maximus Gladius]

I want warranty.

 

[sharpsicle]

i know it calls for 0/20

Think you answered yourself there. No real reason to use anything else. Brand doesn't matter, just use the right weight with the right specs.

 

[Jason Oliver]

Please search the site for this question. It has been discussed without end or conclusion other than use what the factory recommends.

 

[cb4017]

i know it calls for 0/20 but what weight and brand do others use do you want mpg or engine protection

The manual "RECOMMENDS" 0w-20 and you would likely be fine with it. That said I'm currently running 5w-30 synthetic in mine for the summer. 100 degree days are not unusual here and when I see oil temps of 230-240 degrees while off-road or hauling my trailer up a long grade I just feel a little better with a slightly thicker oil.

I've noticed no difference in drivability, economy, oil pressure, etc.

When I change it at 5,000 miles I plan on getting a UOA done.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

5w30 for this vehicle and I base my choices in part on ratings and tests "out there" and the rankings of an engineer who tests oil.
That's one way I've chosen the oil used in my performance vehicles over the years.

As long as you use oil that the manufacturer recommends, you can't get into much trouble with warranty. Change intervals based on your use and factory recommendations keep you out of trouble as well.

Asking about oil is like asking about the best pizza, the best spark plugs, the best truck, the best religion...........

do you want mpg or engine protection

Why is that a choice or mutually exclusive??

 

[DAVECS1]

Well, after my engine problems and now being extremely sensitive to all valvetrain sounds, I could hear the valvetrain loud and clear during cold starts. So I decided to switch to 5W-30, and I may switch it up to something with more protection. My cold starts are much quieter, and I just returned from a couple thousand mile trip and the truck ran great! I don't care what the manual states, the high lift cams are not roller and they need friction protection.

 

[kevman65]

Quality synthetic oil of your choice, 5W30.

Keep in mind not all oil manufacturers pay the extortion the car manufacturers want to get the "Special" certification. Doesn't mean it's not a quality oil.

Also keep in mind, the oil weight in the manual IS a recommendation and is the minimum, not a required weight. That is the weight of oil they settled on to get their MPG rating.

 

[jac04]

If you poke around on BITOG, there is a person on there who was a Pentastar design engineer, screen name OIL_UDDER. They state that the heavier weight oil leads to accelerated wear of the cams and in the head at cold start.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/626-000-mile-pentastar-teardown.329423/#post-5474366

 

[BLK HOLE]

I use what it calls for....no need not to.

Amsoil.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Can't see how that's even possible because the only difference is a SLIGHT difference in viscosity. The sheer under extreme pressure and temperature will be better, giving better protection.
Sometimes I'm leery of such posts as there's a lot of "former engineers" out there - and a lot of differences in oil quality. Can't tell me that little viscosity will kill cams. Hell, if that was the case then all of us with high performance engines running extreme cams, heavy valve springs and flat tappets would be destroying cams because we run 10w40!

 

[Hootbro]

You started an oil thread. Does not matter what you do, someone is going to say you are doing it wrong.

 

[DanW]

The manual "RECOMMENDS" 0w-20 and you would likely be fine with it. That said I'm currently running 5w-30 synthetic in mine for the summer. 100 degree days are not unusual here and when I see oil temps of 230-240 degrees while off-road or hauling my trailer up a long grade I just feel a little better with a slightly thicker oil.

I've noticed no difference in drivability, economy, oil pressure, etc.

When I change it at 5,000 miles I plan on getting a UOA done.

Take a look at Mobil 1 EP 0w20. It has a higher flash point than any store bought oil out there, including every 5w30. So whatever 5w30 you are using, including Mobil 1 EP 5w30, will oxidize and break down at a lower temperature.

So how does it do this? It has a base stock that is 70%-80% PAO, which is a group IV synthetic, meaning it isn't highly processed ground product. Its properties include higher temperature tolerance and will flow at lower temps, too.

This 3.6 version was designed from the outset to run on 0w20 oil. For example, passages in the valve train are narrower than the previous version.

Also, many 5w30 oils will shear down to a 20 weight in a few thousand miles. I've had UOA's in other vehicles (that specified 5w30). I've done a UOA after all but one change on my 2018 and never has a 0w20 sheared down out of grade. Even after my longest interval, which was 8k miles. But I've had 5w30's do it many times.

Last comment on it: My 2008 Wranler 3.8, which was designed orignially with 5w30 in mind, has been run 90% of the time on 5w20 or 0w20. It's seen everything from rock crawling to looooong highway drives pulling a trailer (snowmobile, boat, etc.). It has 170k miles on it now and runs like new. I've not even felt a drop in power.

So I'd recommend sticking with 0w20. It'll handle anything you throw at it, including 100 degree plus temps. Any of the major brands will. Heck, even Walmart Supertech 0w20 will. (That's actually a better oil than people think). But if you are worried about the heat, then I'd go with the Mobil 1 EP 0w20. You can drive it hard and not worry about it.

Flash point for M1 EP 0w20 is 455 degrees (F)

Mobil 1 EP 5w30 flash point is 446 degrees. M1 EP 10w30 is 449.6, so it even beats that! For curiosity, the 15w50 Mobil 1 is also 449.6. So it even beats that. Again, the reason is more PAO or Group IV base stock. That M1 EP 0w20 is a stout oil!

You probably won't hurt anything running 5w30, but it is not recommended and you certainly won't hurt anything running a good 0w20.

Flash point is only one measure, but it certainly indicates ability to withstand high temps. A healthy engine's oil will never see anything close to 455 degrees. Especially one equipped with an oil cooler, as the Pentastar is.

What will prematurely wear your engine, no matter what weight of oil you use, is using the ESS. It is hard on bearings. That's straight from an FCA powertrain engineer. He has adamantly told me not to use it. So I don't.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Keep in mind not all oil manufacturers pay the extortion the car manufacturers want to get the "Special" certification. Doesn't mean it's not a quality oil.

Seriously?
ILSAC and API are the certifications to look for anyway.. but a quality oil maker won't be shy about getting OEM numbers, either - it costs them not to.

I don't care what the manual states, the high lift cams are not roller and they need friction protection.

While studying the latest oil certification numbers, such as the ILSAC 6A and 6B for example, I ran across something that made me laugh, and I see this constantly anyway and have for years - they said "since all modern engines have a fully roller valve train........." and I'm like -huh? What idiot wrote that? MOPAR is not the only company not using a full roller valve train! I don't get these people. Millions of engines out there, all built in the last decade, don't have a fully roller valve train.

Anywho, I go by real world testing, real world experience, I've seen some pretty bad info out there, even on "Bob's" forum - even they get into it now and then disagreeing - it's a forum, not a gathering of the greatest minds in engineering.
I also go by onset of thermal breakdown (the point at which oil BEGINS to break down), not just flashpoint.............there are some things that cause pause in some of the accepted testing methods.

 

[DanW]

Can't see how that's even possible because the only difference is a SLIGHT difference in viscosity. The sheer under extreme pressure and temperature will be better, giving better protection.
Sometimes I'm leery of such posts as there's a lot of "former engineers" out there - and a lot of differences in oil quality. Can't tell me that little viscosity will kill cams. Hell, if that was the case then all of us with high performance engines running extreme cams, heavy valve springs and flat tappets would be destroying cams because we run 10w40!

Many 5w30's are in the thin part of the range (Pennzoil Platinum, for one), so you are right that it is not a huge difference. But 5w30's shear more than any 0w20 I've seen, so they wind up thinning into 20w territory pretty quickly anyway. I've never seen a 0w20 shear out of grade, but I've seen 5w30 do it nearly every UOA I ever did with it. That's been my experience, according to UOA's.

As for high performance engines, yeah, many specify heavier oil for track time. But these Pentastars aren't track engines. They have very tight tolerances and the version in our Jeeps has tighter oil journals, again, because they were designed for 0w20 from the outset. And racing engines have moved to thinner oils. Indycars, for example, run straight 0 weight oil for qualifying. Yes, straight 0 weight. Even I was shocked to learn that.

Remember, too, the infamous Promaster with a Pentastar that did 625k miles did it all on 5w20 oil. It was mostly Mobil 1 with some runs of Valvoline in there. He did 7k oil changes with a few going longer. Hard to see any disadvantage of a 20 weight there. And that Pentastar was a Gen 1 which was originally designed with 5w30 in mind.

I really doubt a 5w30 will harm anything, but why bother with it? It really has no advantage if you choose a good 0w20. Any GM Dexos 1 Gen 2 rated oil will do perfectly well in these engines.

Sponsored