ShinobiOfLegends

well i've seen that Mobil1 now has a sythetic 0W-20 and 0W-30 oil out that supposed to offer better fuel economy. is it really worth it? and will it be ok to use in a georgia mustang? year-round or just the summer?

35thAnni99GT

Honestly it probably wouldnt hurt anything although any benefits/gains would be minimal. People sometimes forget that the way these motors were designed they were supposed to use a thinner oil than say a OHV motor. The oil has to work against gravity and get up to the valvetrain where as in a pushrod motor the lifters are basically in the middle of the block. The main problem I could forsee would be maybe a minimal effect towards decreased engine life, but its better than going to the other end of the scale and trying to use a heavy oil which could result in lash adjuster pump up issues at high RPM.

ShinobiOfLegends

how would i get decreased engine life?

35thAnni99GT

Under heavy load or acceleration the increased combustion pressure and frequency puts immense load on bearing and components. The oil is the only protective measure between moving parts. By going to a slightly thinner oil you may see decreased protection, but thats why I said any decrease in engine life is going to be minimal.

However, on the flipside, I really doubt going to a lighter oil is going to net more than 1 or maybe 2% in increased mileage or even any kind of performance benefit. Ill continue to use 5w-30 in my 03 Cobra motor.

swarthyfellow

Yeah, I would be alittle uneasy about putting a thinner oil in my car. I have a feeling the people who designed it know what they were taking about when oil is basically what keeps your car running and not turning into a solid block of steel. I would say what little gain wouldn't be worth the risk.

ChucksBullitt

5-30 will work best. ive used all diffrent types of oil combos in my vehicles over the years. and 5-30 is still what i go back to. not all 5-30's are the same so shop around. some companies have more additives than others. ive always used mobil 1, castrol or redline.

simmy8

the "W" in an oil rating stands for winter, not wieght which most people think. With that being said, that rating stands for its viscosity at very low temeratures, or how well it flows during cold temps. So, a 0w-30 will flow better, and will be thinner, under low temperatures than a 5w-30. That is pretty much the main difference, so it really depends on where you live as to if you can use it or not. Since you live in georgia, go ahead and go for it, but like someone else said do not go any higher than a 5w viscosity for ohc applications.

35thAnni99GT

Right, but as a result the average viscosity under operating temp is also reduced. I guarantee at operating temp a 10w-30 is still more viscous than a 0w-30.