5W20 vs. 5W30

[SHOenuf]

Long story short the dealership put in Synthetic blend 5W20 when the manual and oil filler cap call for 5W30. I don't particulary care but, should I? I remember reading a post but don't recall anyone having a definitive answer as to why they changed the oil recommendations betwee 2010 and 2011 models. What to do?

 

[mjhpadi]

I'm not sure it makes a large difference and I don't know why the change for 2011, but I have ran 5W-20 in a 2004 Explorer with a 4.6 Triton, and 2007 Lincoln Mk LT with a 5.4 Triton and now the SHO for a total of about 107,000 miles and have not experienced any oil related problems. I have always used Mobil One 5W-20 and have been pleased. I was very worried about an oil as light as 20 providing protection but so far my worries have proved to be unfounded.

 

[SHOstopper1992]

I work in a shop with the same situation. To be honest, unless it sets a light off, it doesnt matter that much.

The only difference is the viscosity (fluid thickness) of the oil. Those are the 2 standards that are put out now for manufacturers.

Bottom line, its not gonna **** your motor for 3,000 miles. So dont sweat it.

Next time just ask them to please put in the right oil.

 

[SHOenuf]

Yeah, I figured there would not be a problem. But I didn't want to overlook something that I was not even aware of. Thank you

 

[ZooYoost]

If your worried about it go back and make them change it for free and give you a credit for a free one foor your wasted time.

 

[SHOstopper1992]

IDK bout others, but whenever I bring my SHO into the Dealer for routine maintenance like oil changes, I always ask for FULL SYNTHETIC.

If you have the money do it... Remember most of the SHO's on this forum have over 100k miles so we would need High Mileage...

 

[Billm0066]

If you have the money do it... Remember most of the SHO's on this forum have over 100k miles so we would need High Mileage...

You realize this is the gen4 section right? I cant recall anyone with a gen4 with even close to 100k.

Either oil is fine for this car. Stick what the oil cap says and don't worry about it.

 

[EB_SHO]

Either 5W20 or 5W30 is fine for the SHO. Ford is going to a common oil specification for all of the EcoBoost engines. Some of the other engines require 5W30 so all of the EcoBoost line is getting that spec.

There are not any hardware changes between model years that would affect the viscosity requirement.

 

[SHOstopper1992]

You realize this is the gen4 section right? I cant recall anyone with a gen4 with even close to 100k.

ooops!

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

Some of us with 2010 EB's, wondered if we needed the 0-30. Short answer is NO. Ford is just being consistant at factory where all EB's are built.

 

[RonPorter]

I work in a shop with the same situation. To be honest, unless it sets a light off, it doesnt matter that much.

The only difference is the viscosity (fluid thickness) of the oil. Those are the 2 standards that are put out now for manufacturers.

Bottom line, its not gonna **** your motor for 3,000 miles. So dont sweat it.

Next time just ask them to please put in the right oil.

There is no viscosity difference at room temp. The bottom number (5W) determines the viscosity out of the bottle, the higher # is at the higher temp (like 180-210F, or something like that).

Ford dealer even put 5W-20 in my 194K-mile 5.4 '00 Super Duty. OK for the winter, but I was running 10w-30 in warm weather.

 

[RonPorter]

If you have the money do it... Remember most of the SHO's on this forum have over 100k miles so we would need High Mileage...

Don't necessarily need it then, either.

High Mileage is just if you have leaky main seals or valve seals. High Mileage is just overpriced regular oil with more seal sweller in it.

FWIW, years ago, I used HM oil on two Gen 2 SHOs. One had leraky mains, the other leaky valve seals. Castrol & Valvoline HM worked fine. Back then, HM was $.50 more per quart.

Now they have priced the stuff closer to Synthetic. Just buy regular oil, and a quart of the cheapest seal sweller that the parts store sells. Cheaper way to go, plus it works better with more seal swell in there.

Not something the Gen 4 guys will need to worry about for a few years, but they may have other, older vehicles!!

 

[OldSalt]

Viscosity and Wear
Thinner oils have less drag, and therefore less friction and wear...

Any abrasive particles equal to or larger than the oil film thickness will cause wear. Filters are necessary to keep contaminants small. The other side of the equation is oil film thickness. Thicker oil films can accommodate larger contaminants.

Temperature has a big effect on viscosity and film thickness. As a point of reference, one SAE grade increase in viscosity is necessary to overcome the influence of a 20°F increase in engine temperature. At a given reference point, there is approximately a 20°F. difference between viscosity grades SAE 30, 40 and 50. SAE 20 is somewhat closer to 30 than the other jumps, because SAE 30 must be 30°F higher than SAE 20 to be roughly the equivalent viscosity.

In other words, an SAE 20 at 190°F is about the same kinematic viscosity as an SAE 30 at 220°F, which is about the same viscosity as an SAE 40 at 240°F. This approximation works well in the 190°F to 260°F temperature range.

Ford is bumping up against its CAFE requirements and recommends SAE 5W-20 oil for most of its engines in the United States. It claims SAE 5W-20 is optimal for fuel efficiency and wear.

(If your engine is 20 F cooler running a thinner oil then the viscosity is the same as the next higher weight grade. Also, as wear diminishes with lesser operating temperatures then we have a benefit. Another benefit is that the thinner oil is better at startup where the majority of wear occurs.)

 

[NoSlo]

5W-20 is optimal for the best mileage, not necessarily the best engine life. If Ford can the better the mileage of their entire production by .1 mpg by using thinner oil, that's that many more bloated SUVs that can be made. Synthetics do have broader viscosity performance than dino oil, and it is winter too, so I wouldn't worry much about 5w-20 for one oil change.

Ford issued a TSB several years ago 'recommending' 5w-20 for most engines that were originally spec'd for 5w-30. Note that the Yamaha SHO engines are not on the list, a special note to older SHOwners:

http://www.ints.com/support/documents/Ford5W-20motoroil.pdf

 

[32MTX]

Don't necessarily need it then, either.

High Mileage is just if you have leaky main seals or valve seals. High Mileage is just overpriced regular oil with more seal sweller in it.

not so true

the difference between Mobil 1 10w-30 and Mobil 1 10-30HM is extreme. the HM 10w-30 is the best quality oil you can get in the 5qt jugs at walmart. It has much better temperature performance and different basestock ratios....

i would never think of using Mobil 1 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30....

but the 0w AFE oils, EP and 10w-30HM, as well as 0w-40 and 15w-50 Mobil 1's are excellent top notch oils. Its all about being an educated consumer and not just assuming

 

[RonPorter]

not so true

the difference between Mobil 1 10w-30 and Mobil 1 10-30HM is extreme. the HM 10w-30 is the best quality oil you can get in the 5qt jugs at walmart. It has much better temperature performance and different basestock ratios....

i would never think of using Mobil 1 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30....

but the 0w AFE oils, EP and 10w-30HM, as well as 0w-40 and 15w-50 Mobil 1's are excellent top notch oils. Its all about being an educated consumer and not just assuming

????

I don't see it. "Extreme"?? "Much better""?? Don't buy it. Basestock numbers are based on specs they adhere to. 10W-30 should have the same characteristics for ANY oil. The3refore the temperature performance is the same (or SHOULD be).

In general, anytime time you add additives to oil (or gasoline), you reduce the base qualities. NOWHERE in the past (when a few of us were evaluating the effects of various HM oils) did we see anything different other thasn the anti-leak additives.

IMNSHO, Mobil is just getting in marketing differences for all of the various sunth oils they produce. The only ones that matter to me for older vehicles are the ones with more zinc, and these tend to be diesel oils.

Just using a seal swell additive to my regular oil has made a difference in my 194K F-250 5.4. I now get 2000 miles/qt, versus 1500 miles/qt before. Still cheaper than HM oil. With no leaks, I have assumed that my valve seals were getting hard, just like on a couple of older SHOs I've had.

 

[blownsho94]

not so true

the difference between Mobil 1 10w-30 and Mobil 1 10-30HM is extreme. the HM 10w-30 is the best quality oil you can get in the 5qt jugs at walmart. It has much better temperature performance and different basestock ratios....

i would never think of using Mobil 1 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30....

but the 0w AFE oils, EP and 10w-30HM, as well as 0w-40 and 15w-50 Mobil 1's are excellent top notch oils. Its all about being an educated consumer and not just assuming

Okay..... But, why don't you show some links or basis for your findings. It may help others with understanding oil life and viscosity information. Myself, I stick with what Ford recommends.

 

[mjhpadi]

i would never think of using Mobil 1 5w-20, 5w-30 or 10w-30....

Why??? I have used both Mobil One 5w-20 and 5w-30 since 1995 in both GM and Ford vehicles, running well over 200,000 miles without an oil related problem. If you don't like Mobil One that's fine...just saying my experience with Mobil One has been fine.

 

[Showgun]

+1 for Mobil 1......It's always treated me right.

C.

 

[OldSalt]

Not my words but I subscribe to the following remarks;
"The gold standard is that all engines should have a pressure of 10 PSI for every 1,000 RPM of operation, not more, not less. After all, you do need some pressure to move that oil along, but only enough pressure, not more. More pressure is not better, it can only result from the impedance of oil flow. Remember that oil flow is the only thing that does the lubricating."