0w-20... to do or not to do

[GasSavers_NickF829]

I just bought a 92 Vx, and Ive read a few places where people run 0w-20 syn. oils, does this really make a difference? i understand the less friction=better, but does it adequately lubricate the engine and protect it over the life of the car? I live in Va, and it doesn't get bone chilling cold, but maybe the 5 coldest nights of the year it will get in the low teens maybe even 8 or 9, but thats very very rare, should I be concerned about this thin of an oil if it gets that cold outside?

Thanks

Nick

[MetroMPG]

Thin oil is good when it gets cold out. Where it's potentiall a problem is if it gets super hot out.

The FE benefit of going to a lower viscosity is small. If you're running 5w30 now, you probably wouldn't even notice it.

PS - I asked myself the same question. At first I mixed 5w30 and 0w20. Last oil change I just went to straight 0w20.

[tdh1283]

Civic Vx; a good choice for an fe car. I have a '98 civic dx and I'm running Castrol Syntec 0w-30 down here in Austin, Tx. I think you'll be fine running a lighter oil year-round whereas, I will probably have to run 5w-30 sometime in April when it starts to get hot. In the summer we have weeks where the highs never drop below 100.

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by tdh1283

Civic Vx; a good choice for an fe car. I have a '98 civic dx and I'm running Castrol Syntec 0w-30 down here in Austin, Tx. I think you'll be fine running a lighter oil year-round whereas, I will probably have to run 5w-30 sometime in April when it starts to get hot. In the summer we have weeks where the highs never drop below 100.

I agree with Metro. I don't think you would see any difference in FE between the two.

Yea, our summer is your winter as far as FE goes. It's hard not to run the AC when the temp is 110.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

but is 20 weight oil thick enough? I don't think the vx sugests going as light as 20 weight at any point, does it?
I had some 0w-30 in my tranny for a while in it's last year of life, and when I switched to 10w-30, the horble bearing grinding sound lessened, both oils were synthetic, so that seemed like very clear proof that the 0w-30 wasn't offering enough cushening between old parts.
Is there any good way to tell if an oil is to thin? I meen, if thiner is better, why not run light weight oil year round? why would they sugest running 10w-40 or 20w-50 in hot climets?

[honda4me]

UOA (used oil analysis) is helpful to determine how well a particular oil/weight works in a particular application. a UOA will show amount of wear metals in oil, condition of oil, etc.. Here's a couple places to get UOA done:
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html
http://www.oaitesting.com/

Here's a good place to find UOA's posted by other people:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/ubbthreads.php
Also, note that as an Amsoil "preferred customer" you can get UOA's done by Oil Analyzers for apprx $15, incl TBN (indicates life left in oil).

[psyshack]

I wouldnt worry about 0w-20 in a well kept VX. I think dan ran it in his. I run 0w-20 in my Civic and a mix of 0w-20 and 5w-20 M1 in the Accord. The only reason Accord has any 5w-20 in it is 0w-20 is hard to find in redneck Oklahoma. I even have 5w-20 in my Ranger. It would seem the lighter oils are getting better and better additive packages than the thicker so called normal oils people have become use to using.

[MetroMPG]

I think JanGeo once said the way to tell if your oil is too light is that your oil pressure will be too low. Seems logical. (But do you have a gauge for it?)

[diamondlarry]

I am currently running 0W-20 in my '99 Saturn with the DOHC 1.9L. I put it in when the car had 95,000 miles and have since racked up 5,000 miles and the car hasn't used a drop of oil during that time. I haven't noticed any rattles either.

[lovemysan]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

I am currently running 0W-20 in my '99 Saturn with the DOHC 1.9L. I put it in when the car had 95,000 miles and have since racked up 5,000 miles and the car hasn't used a drop of oil during that time. I haven't noticed any rattles either.

Did you notice any change FE going to this oil over the spec 5w30?