Anyone use 5W30 instead?

[heefageLA]

Would you run fresh oil that is towards the light side of 20 weight? Would you run it for an extended period and have it shear down, still be a 20 weight, but just barely?

Or would you run a light 30 weight that, when it shears, becomes a heavy 20 weight, therefore protecting better for longer?

I like your way of thinking. At our shop when running a tape measure we like to use "heavy 16ths" or "light 16ths"

 

[ramsare4real]

I like your way of thinking. At our shop when running a tape measure we like to use "heavy 16ths" or "light 16ths"

"Let There Be 32nds"

 

[heefageLA]

"Let There Be 32nds"

 

[CYSTemrebel]

The bearings tolerance are a lot closer now than in the past . I think using a higher viscosity than is called for could lead to unnecessary bearing wear, i think i will stick to 5w20 like the owner manual calls for.

My 2008 5.7 Hemi has over 300,000 km on it and runs great. I expect the wear factor to be sufficient to accommodate even 10W30 and will be switching next oil change from 5W20 I run my oil long past the recommended change intervals but replace the filter at the halfway point. Oil pressure gauge indicates no decrease and I have had no problems with this vehicle even though it is also used as a work truck. I have run hi grade synthetic since 100,000 km. My truck is not run over 1000 rpm until operating temp gauge gets to the first mark and then I run it no faster than 50 mph until it hits normal operating temperature. I am convinced this inputs a longevity factor superior to how most vehicles are driven from start, and results in a less wear factor. I have done this on every vehicle I owned including motorcycles. Never had a blown engine nor any other serious problem and all have had to be taken off the road due to rust deterioration and not from engine/mechanical wear factor.

 

[Polarisman]

I've read here and there that 5W20 is just too thin, that they only use it to maximize MPG, and that 5W30 protects better.

Might just be internet lore, but I was curious.

 

[Polarisman]

Rotella t6 0w40 synthetic

 

[PJ Snyder]

You really need a 30wt oil given your climate. The thing to remember is a 20wt oil is only a 20wt at 210*. If your oil temp goes over 210 your oil is thiner than a 20wt. Last summer my oil temp got up to 255* while towing my camper. Thankfully I have a 30wt oil that might have been in the high 20wt at that temp. A 20wt oil at 255 is probably 10wt or less. Not good.

Personally I would switch to Quaker State Ultimate Durability (QSUD) 5w30 if you're looking for an off the shelf oil. Still carries the MS6395 spec for warranty, has a good amount of moly, and you will get the extra protection of a 30wt you need for your climate.

 

[PJ Snyder]

I agree with you. I have used 5w30 QSUD in my 2004 Ram since new. Engine runs great with no Hemi tick.

 

[Zack02]

Use 5W-20, that is what they are designed for. Anyone using anything else are just fooling themselves into false expectations. Had 5W-30 put in by mistake about a year ago at a oil change place, could tell it was wrong within 5 miles of driving the truck, MDS was not working properly and I pay real close attention to mechanical things. Took it back immediately and they changed it out to the proper weight oil, yes it did make a difference.

0w40 has been bangin' in my 5.7. Interesting how that 30 weight got you messed up. I guess your hemi is more picky than the other dozens of members here having no issues with their MDS

 

[50BMG]

The first number is winter rating, the second number is weight, the weights are srandard cSt or operating temps.



Weight of oil is thickness at 100C, see below. If a 20 weight flows over 9.3 operating viscosity temps it becomes a 30 weight and so on.

20 5.6 <9.3
30 9.3 <12.5
40 12.5 <16.3
50 16.3 <21.9
60 21.9 <26.1

As the chart shows, it all depends on your climate.
In the summer time (no temps below @55 degrees F, even at night), I usually run 10W30 and actually get @10% better mileage vs. the spec 5w-20 (both grades being mineral oils).
The thing that chart doesn't explain is that the farther apart those 2 numbers for dual viscosity oils are, the worse that oil will perform at either end of the spectrum. 10w30 will not perform as well as straight 30 at high temps. Likewise 0-30 will not perform as well as 10-30 at higher temps.
Synthetics will always perform better and last longer than mineral types at high temps, but the same rules regarding dual viscosities apply to them as well. If it doesn't get cold where you are, an ultra low w-number really isn't doing anything for you but compromising the performance of the oil on the high-temp end.

 

[Burla]

As the chart shows, it all depends on your climate.
In the summer time (no temps below @55 degrees F, even at night), I usually run 10W30 and actually get @10% better mileage vs. the spec 5w-20 (both grades being mineral oils).
The thing that chart doesn't explain is that the farther apart those 2 numbers for dual viscosity oils are, the worse that oil will perform at either end of the spectrum. 10w30 will not perform as well as straight 30 at high temps. Likewise 0-30 will not perform as well as 10-30 at higher temps.
Synthetics will always perform better and last longer than mineral types at high temps, but the same rules regarding dual viscosities apply to them as well. If it doesn't get cold where you are, an ultra low w-number really isn't doing anything for you but compromising the performance of the oil on the high-temp end.

Depends on the base oil, many of the 0 weights are using different base oils then 5 weights even in the same brand to meet specs such as out of grade specs. Yes the larger the swing winter rating to weight traditionally meant more shear, but that is changing, especially with 0w20's. You can thank mercedes, porsche, and dexos for some of that. As a group a couple of us went to 10w30 redline because that company told us it was one of two formulas that didn't use vii's, however the 5w30 was way better at hot temps, specifically those in a hemi tick condition. My person truck ticked on 10w30 and doesn't on 5w30 as been recorded. Why? If you read specs clearly they use a different base oil in those two formulas. So things are changing constantly, hard to keep up with at times.

 

[TONY HAGER]

Isn't 5w30 mean a range of 5 hot to 30 cold? If so the difference is cold temps.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

It is actually just opposite, 5w at cold start up and then acts like a 30w when hot

 

[BarbersBlue]

I do my own oil changes--use 5w-30 and OE filters. I have the 3.6 in my Ram. Owned it for 3 months--had 2 instances where it threw a CEL code of P06DE. Truck has 24k on it--2016 Big Horn. Something to do with high oil pressure reading. One of the causes I read was using the wrong vis oil. No noticeable performance issues with this code, just cleared it and went on my way. Both times it happened was during highway cruise control driving. Any thoughts?

Greetings Ed. Fellow pstar Ram owner here coming up on my first oil change. Considering whether to switch to 5w30. When your truck threw those codes, how long had the engine been running? Was it warmed up? Based on your post, I decided to watch my oil pressure today. On startup in ran in the high 50's to mid 80's depending on how hard it was running. Once warmed up it ran in the 30's to 50's and idled in the 20's. I'm curious to see what numbers you are seeing.

 

[gfh77665]

Many vehicle owners do not understand that viscosities are not based on maximum protection, but instead it is based on government mandated CAFE requirements. The automotive engineers are constrained in what oil viscosity they can recommend.

 

[BarbersBlue]

Many vehicle owners do not understand that viscosities are not based on maximum protection, but instead it is based on government mandated CAFE requirements. The automotive engineers are constrained in what oil viscosity they can recommend.

I don't doubt this, but another concern is engine systems such as VVT that use oil pressure to actuate. Presumably, at a high enough viscosity, a thicker oil will slow the response time of the system.

 

[NCRaineman]

Many vehicle owners do not understand that viscosities are not based on maximum protection, but instead it is based on government mandated CAFE requirements. The automotive engineers are constrained in what oil viscosity they can recommend.

There it is!

This is EXACTLY what happens when government meddles in business. The product being offered is tailored to meet some government requirement, which is NOT necessarily in the best interest of the consumer.

 

[50BMG]

There it is!

This is EXACTLY what happens when government meddles in business. The product being offered is tailored to meet some government requirement, which is NOT necessarily in the best interest of the consumer.

As Reagan said once: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"







LoL...

 

[Harley Harrold]

I wouldn't have changed from 5w20 engine oil to my current 5w30 engine oil because some owners of trucks with MDS have had problems. In 2016 I disabled the MDS on my 07' quad cab 1500, rwd, 5.7L Hemi. I switched early this year, I am giving AMSOIL 5W30XL Synthetic engine oil a try. If I don't see a benefit, in 5,000 miles using the 5W30 engine oil, I may switch back to AMSOIL 5W20XL Synthetic engine oil.

IMG_0678

• Harley Harrold
• Oct 30, 2018