0w 20 oil, to my surprise

[HoosierTrooper]

I didn’t realize that was spec’d for our hemi. Thanks for posting that link!

Well, Mobil says it’s recommended for vehicles that require MS-6395 so I’m not sure if it has actually went through the certification process or not.

 

[RAM Patriot]

The less viscous synthetic oil is at low temperatures, the lower number you’ll see at the beginning.

The 0 in 0W-20 means that the viscosity equals 0 in cold temperature, so, as you might have guessed, 0W-20 will flow better at lower temperatures than 5W20.

Although both oils are intended for use in cold-weather regions, 0W-20 is a better option for those who live in colder regions, where the temperature falls beyond -25°. In extremely cold temperatures 0W-20 also gives slightly less wear at cold startup, as it flows freely at -30°/-40°.

5W-20, in its turn, resists shear under heavy loads better than 0W-20 thanks to its higher viscosity. So in the battle of 2 synthetic motor oils with very similar properties 0W-20 receives “Better low temperatures performance” award and 5W-20 wins “Better heavy-duty performance” trophy.

Since I live in the South I will stick with 5W-20 but if I lived up North I would switch to 0W-20, especially in the winter.

 

[Buz]

So for someone like me who does their own oil changes and lives in a warmer climate that almost never sees freezing temperatures, why would I want to change to 0W-20?

Seems like the change is being done for two reasons:
-Convenience for dealer network. "One oil fits all'
-Very cold weather startups.

For someone living in warmer climates, it would seem better to stay with 5W-20 and have more 'heavy duty' protection, no?

 

[Richard320]

So for someone like me who does their own oil changes and lives in a warmer climate that almost never sees freezing temperatures, why would I want to change to 0W-20?

Seems like the change is being done for two reasons:
-Convenience for dealer network. "One oil fits all'
-Very cold weather startups.

For someone living in warmer climates, it would seem better to stay with 5W-20 and have more 'heavy duty' protection, no?

No. You'll have a 20 viscosity oil no matter what. No more 'heavy duty' protection either way.

 

[Buz]

No. You'll have a 20 viscosity oil no matter what. No more 'heavy duty' protection either way.

So then what is the argument for switching to 0W-20 in areas that never see freezing temperatures?
For a person who does their own oil changes, is there any reason?

 

[HoosierTrooper]

To be labeled as a 0W the oil has to pass the cold cranking simulator (CCS) test at -35C and the mini-rotary viscometer (MRV) test at -40C, a 5W has to pass the tests at -30C and -35C respectively. Since there is such a small difference in the test temperatures between the two winter ratings it’s obvious that the difference in low temperature viscosity between the two is very small and only important at extremely low temperatures around -30F.

At operating temperatures, which the SAE defines as 100C, both are 20 grades which has a range of kinematic viscosity between 6.9 and 9.29 centistokes. Depending on how the blender built the product it’s possible that a 0W-20 could be slightly thicker at operating temperature than a 5W-20.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

No. You'll have a 20 viscosity oil no matter what. No more 'heavy duty' protection either way.

Exactly.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

So then what is the argument for switching to 0W-20 in areas that never see freezing temperatures?
For a person who does their own oil changes, is there any reason?

There's no real argument for one over the other unless you're starting a vehicle in temperatures around-30F or colder. At those temps the 0W-20 has a slight advantage by being able to resist becoming too thick to be pumped by the oil pump or allowing the engine to turn over. If you look at the M1 EP data sheet I linked to earlier you'll notice that at 100C (212F) the 0W-20 has a KV of 8.6 cSt while the 5W-20 is 9 cSt, a difference so small that the engine will never know a difference. Plus, those are averages so one batch may be a bit thicker or thinner than a different batch.

What's really interesting is the KV at 40C (104F). The M1 EP 0W-20 is 55 cSt, while the 5W-20 is 50 cSt, so if you live in a hot climate the 0W-20 is actually a little thicker than the 5W-20 is if you start the vehicle when the ambient temp is around 100F, and both are still around 6-7 times thicker than what they are at operating temperature. The KV at 40C is basically identical when comparing 0W-20 to 5W-20 oils on the various oil company data sheets. Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic shows 44 cSt vs 45 cSt and Pennzoil Platinum is 43.4 cSt vs 45.9 cSt. So much for 0W-20 being "water thin" in hot climates.

 

[IvoryHemi]

0w30 would be a nice compromise

 

[Lufty]

Gotta love a good oil thread! And cold air intake threads are interesting too.

We run Redline 0w-30 in both our 5.7s. Which is on the thick side for a 30 weight with a hths of 3.4 and 11.7 cts @ 100C. Run what’s approved or what makes you sleep better but our hemis are very smooth and very quiet.

 

[Buz]

There's no real argument for one over the other unless you're starting a vehicle in temperatures around-30F or colder. At those temps the 0W-20 has a slight advantage by being able to resist becoming too thick to be pumped by the oil pump or allowing the engine to turn over. If you look at the M1 EP data sheet I linked to earlier you'll notice that at 100C (212F) the 0W-20 has a KV of 8.6 cSt while the 5W-20 is 9 cSt, a difference so small that the engine will never know a difference. Plus, those are averages so one batch may be a bit thicker or thinner than a different batch.

What's really interesting is the KV at 40C (104F). The M1 EP 0W-20 is 55 cSt, while the 5W-20 is 50 cSt, so if you live in a hot climate the 0W-20 is actually a little thicker than the 5W-20 is if you start the vehicle when the ambient temp is around 100F, and both are still around 6-7 times thicker than what they are at operating temperature. The KV at 40C is basically identical when comparing 0W-20 to 5W-20 oils on the various oil company data sheets. Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic shows 44 cSt vs 45 cSt and Pennzoil Platinum is 43.4 cSt vs 45.9 cSt. So much for 0W-20 being "water thin" in hot climates.

Thank you for that explanation.
I have to say with all of this information that it's pointing more and more to the fact that FCA was primarily looking for more 'economies of scale' on their motor oil purchasing.
Likely its cheaper if they order 1 million quarts of 0W-20 versus 500,000 quarts of 5W-20 and 500,000 quarts of 0W-20.

Regarding the change to 0W-20 I'm going to say "There's nothing to see here."

 

[GKIII]

So then what is the argument for switching to 0W-20 in areas that never see freezing temperatures?
For a person who does their own oil changes, is there any reason?

For someone like me, with other vehicles that use 0w-20... I could just buy a single grade in bulk.

 

[RamMe]

Who is currently running 0W-20 in their 2019+ trucks? Any issues or improvements in fuel economy? Ski season is right around the corner in the PacNW so I'm planning on changing over to 0W next week.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Everyone with a 2021+ truck is


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[ram813ltd]

my manual
We recommend you use API Certified SAE 5W-20 engine oil, meeting the requirements of the manufacturer Material Standard MS-6395 such as Mopar®, Pennzoil, and Shell Helix. Refer to your engine oil filler cap for correct SAE grade

odd if the filler cap says different than the 1st sentence. and my cap coincides with the manual 5.7 etorque

 

[mikeru82]

Everyone with a 2021+ truck is


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I wonder when they made the switch on the 2021 models? The oil cap on my 2021 Hemi says to use 5w-20. It was built at the end of March 2021.

 

[IvoryHemi]

5.7L’s 0w20 oil recommendation started with 2022MY not 2021MY

 

[ferraiolo1]

Sorry you are correct. I was getting my other vehicles mixed up. My 21 still says 5-20


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[mikeru82]

5.7L’s 0w20 oil recommendation started with 2022MY not 2021MY

That was my understanding too. I just wasn't sure if my info was a little off. Thanks for confirming.

 

[fishslayer]

I find that if you want best MPG and dont tow heavy trailers in hot climate , 0W20 or 5W20 is fine for the VVT HEMI ..