mmcpeck

I just did an oil change and put some Castrol 5w-30 in since it's getting colder here in NY and I'd like to have a 5w for the winter months and cold starts.

I've been using 10w-30 since about April. Just wondering if 5w-30 is a good choice for a 3VZ-E for winter and if anybody has used it. It doesn't get crazy cold here, so a 10w would probably be fine, but figured the 5w couldn't hurt, maybe a little better flow when it gets down to like 10 degrees.

Just looking for opinions really or discussion.

Thanks.

JBHoren

.....

JBHoren

I'm in Fairbanks, AK, and I just had the oil in my 1988 4Runner (22RE) changed this afternoon, at a local Jiffy-Lube. According to their online data, 10W-30 is rated to -23*F, but it was that today! and it's only getting colder; so I went with the 5W-30 oil in my rig. If I were you, I'd stick with 10W-30, unless your winter temperatures are like ours

Tubbyfatty

I would never run 5w 30....Id say drain it out and put 10w 30 but since you JUST put it in, run it for a week or so then change it.

5W 30 is too light. Have you noticed any drop in your pressure?

yoda84

10-40

Teuf

Nothing wrong with 5/30. Even 5 is prob to heavy for a start up. I am going to that soon, in a syn, prob valvoline. Good Luck.

the_ocho

i run 5w-30 in mine winter and summer no oil pressure problems.

WatsonToyota

Brad Penn 10w-30 is what i run all year. it gets pretty cold here -30Farenheit being the lowest extreme....and i ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS let my vehicles warm up regardless of temperature

limon32

I run 5w30 in all my vehicles here in AK. It will be fine, notice on a chart it has nearly the same temp range as 10w30, just a slightly colder bottom end.

Your better off doing some research on various websites to confirm your choice for yourself. All you will get here is opinion.

Marc

There would be no drop in pressure.

It's still a 30 weight oil when warm.
Go with the 5w30.

clydehatchet

nothing wrong with runnin 5w-30, i say keep what you have been puttin in before, unless you like thinner. not really a big jump, unless you have some bad leakage, that could make it worse. I ran 5w-30 for years, then i started leaking so i got a little crazy and switched to rotella-t 15w-40. little slower on the start up but cut my leaks in half plus im runnin much cleaner and smoother. call me crazy and stupid but it was one of the best things i've done for the ol girl.

JigsN Rigs

is a frogs ass water-tight?

tc

Only people who follow the owner's manual use it.

Toyota specifies 5W-30 for temps <50F. Not a whole lot to discuss.

MaK92-4RnR

I've ran 5w 30 in my truck for 30k miles now, combined with extremely tedious about going over that 3k mile mark. My truck runs great

Teuf

Google this, sorry no link, (Ferrarichat/Dr. Ali E. Haas). good oil info.

bugs1961

Here is a picture of the recommended viscosity chart from my '89 FSM (paper copy). This if for dino oil and synthetics will flow much better in low temperatures. I use Mobil 1 15w-50 in the summer and 10w-30 in the winter in Anchorage.

I have been out of town for three weeks, getting back this morning, and the truck started right up and oil pressure was up right away. Temp this morning was 11 deg F.

When I used to live in Fairbanks in the '80s and early '90s I ran 5w-30 in the winter. I wouldn't use it (assuming synthetic) unless the temp will be below -15 deg F or so.

Every engine I've maintained runs great and shows virtually no wear in the cylinders when the heads are removed for rebuild. I always use the heaviest oil I can, based on temps, to give the strongest film in the main and rod bearings. Worked well for 25 years so far. Just one man's opinion, of course!

jays92

20w 50 year round here ''VA'' holds good oil pressure and theres much more oil left on moving parts after its shutdown for cold starts

tc

My '93 owners manual doesn't have the 15-W40 line - just the bottom 2

erk1983

I have been running 5w-30 mobil one for 12k miles now and it runs great with good oil pressure.

sb5walker

As several have mentioned, 5W-30 and 10W-30 are (theoretically) the same viscosity at operating temp. The 5W will flow better below 10 deg F, so will probably be a better choice for those cold northeast winters. However, that assumes that your truck does okay with 30 weight at operating temp.

My veezy likes 10W-40 in the summer - the 40 weight at operating temp gives better pressure with my high mile bearings, so when I finally get off my butt to do an oil change, I plan on trying 5W-40 this winter. It will flow better than the 10W-40 (or the 10W-30 for that matter) at startup, and will have about the viscosity as the 10W-40 when the motor reaches operating temp. I'm leaning toward Rotella T since I like that it has a good amount of zinc zddp anti-wear additive.

Basically, choose the first number based on the expected lowest temp of the motor at startup; choose the second weight based on motor mileage/bearing clearances/oil pressure/noise.

When using a startup weight lower than 10W, it is much better to use a synthetic oil since they don't have much if any viscosity extenders (which break down). Dino oils will shear down much more than synthetics, and a dino 5W-30 after 4k miles may very well shear down to a 20 weight or even lower. Fortunately, most 5W-30s are syn, as are all or virtually all 5W-40s and 0W-anything.

The other factor is that not all oils of a given weight are the same viscosity - there's a surprising amount of variation and you really need to compare the specs. The oil known as German Castrol (which is labeled 'Syntec 0W-30'), for example, has viscosity at operating temp nearly the same as a typical 10W40. Unlike other Syntec products which are petroleum-derived Group IIIs, German Castrol is a Group IV PAO true synthetic oil, and suffers very little breakdown, so it may be a very good choice for folks in Canada or other areas with very cold winters. The bobistheoilguy forum is a great source of info on the performance of different oils.