0w 20 oil, to my surprise

[JBV]

i decided to do my first oil change early, around 2000 miles and to put in Penzoil Ultra Platinum with a Napa gold filter. did some research here and elsewhere, checked the manual, bought the oil and brought it to my fav oil change place. he said that you got the wrong oil. i said pardon? impossible. i look at the filler cap and it says 0 20. i was shocked. he said this was the case more and more with newer trucks. so i called the service dept at the dealer and they confirmed, 0w 20. so thin!

despite the manual and everything else i've read, my 2022 Ram Big Horn 5.7 takes 0 20 oil. i wonder if this is a spec for northern climates and Canada? it rarely get's much below freezing where i live in BC, so not nearly as cold as many northern US states. anyways, i was very surprised, though the oil change guy (the owner, a great guy, long in the business) said he wasn't as it's more and more common, but a departure from a few years ago.

 

[SD Rebel]

Wouldn't that result in better initial lubrication regardless of weather? Once up to temp, it's the same viscosity as the normal 5W-20 that's been in use the last two decades by many manufacturers.

I'm assuming they are going to back spec the rest of the DT generation of trucks to 0W-20?

We have a Toyota that is using 0W-16 if you really want to be shocked.

 

[JBV]

i think you're right. from what i read, and what the oil guy said, it's all about cold start viscosity and even milage issues. i won't argue with Ram engineers, it will get 0 20. it's just that everything i've read here and elsewhere (if you google Ram hemi 5.7 oil, etc) everything says 5 20, including my manual!

 

[ekaz]

There isn't much flow difference between 0 and 5 until you're well below 0.

 

[SD Rebel]

i think you're right. from what i read, and what the oil guy said, it's all about cold start viscosity and even milage issues. i won't argue with Ram engineers, it will get 0 20. it's just that everything i've read here and elsewhere (if you google Ram hemi 5.7 oil, etc) everything says 5 20, including my manual!

I remember the change from 5W-30 to 5W-20, it started with Ford in the early 2000s. I had a 2000 F150 at the time, which had 5W-30 originally. For 2001, they switched to 5W-20. They stated it was for both better mpg and lubrication of the tolerances of those modular engines.

They even back-speced older 5W-30 engines to 5W-20. They stated the tolerances hadn't changed between engines, but found that 5W-20 improved the lubrication of those engines and benefitted earlier motors. Seemed like a good explanation to me at the time, and my 4.6L 2V motor lived a very long happy life.

Now, 20 years later, we still have questions about whether this is true, and has been a pretty hotly contested theory that going to 5W-30 would be better, that RAM specified 5W-20 is only for fuel economy reasons. I honestly don't know, no one has definite proof either way at the moment, but for now, while under your 5yr/60k powertrain warranty, you should stick with what the manufacturers recommends. If you have roller rocker/pin issue in the future, and some say 10% of us will, then its good insurance to keep that warranty.

 

[JBV]

i should correct my error from the first post. i was certain that the manual said 5 20, but i was wrong, upon reviewing it again it does say 0 20. i think the 5 20 was used somewhere as an example of how to read your oil label or something but in the specs pages it does say 0 20. so my hemi takes the same oil as my wife's 2017 Subie, that's hilarious.

 

[ferraiolo1]

I was shocked when I got my 21 and it said 5-20. It’s actually easier to find at a lot of shops since almost all vehicles have been running 0-20 for some time now. All my previous trucks and subis.


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[GKIII]

They started spec'ing 0w-20 for the 2022 model year.

 

[Oldphart]

What are they recommending when an engine gets to 100,000 or more miles? It used to be (for me at least) that when an engine started burning a quart between oil changes, I went from a 10/40 to 20/50 Castrol until I sold it.

 

[djevox]

What are they recommending when an engine gets to 100,000 or more miles? It used to be (for me at least) that when an engine started burning a quart between oil changes, I went from a 10/40 to 20/50 Castrol until I sold it.

When it gets a lot of hours and starts burning oil, it helps to switch to conventional.

Replying in general: I posted in a different oil thread the differences between 0w-20 and 5w-20. The cold end has 0w-20 rated at 4 or 5 degrees colder, and the top end is the same.

 

[Lit_AF]

0w20 here turns into water unfortunately.

 

[djevox]

I’ve switched over to 0w-20, and I’ll keep running that year-round

 

[Idahoktm]

I’ve switched over to 0w-20, and I’ll keep running that year-round

I have been using 0w-20 for the last 8 years. I see no reason to stop now.

 

[SD Rebel]

I think I will too, most of the cars in my household now use 0W-20, Shell Rotella Gas Truck 0W-20 synthetic meets Chrysler requirement for the Hemi.

I looked at the window sticker of 2022 trucks, the mpg rating hasn't changed, so I can only assume that this change isn't for CAFE reasons. Could it be better initial lubrication?

 

[Eighty]

Interestingly, I was reading the TRX supplement and they call for 0W-40 full synthetic on the 6.2L engine.

 

[djevox]

I have been using 0w-20 for the last 8 years. I see no reason to stop now.

Oh wow, I must be out of the loop. I was a lowly tech at the family business when 0w-20 hit the market, and I remember having a strong opinion that it was European pee. I guess ignorance is bliss, but at least I’ve seen the light.

Edit: got hit with profanity, so changed the text

 

[djevox]

I think I will too, most of the cars in my household now use 0W-20, Shell Rotella Gas Truck 0W-20 synthetic meets Chrysler requirement for the Hemi.

I looked at the window sticker of 2022 trucks, the mpg rating hasn't changed, so I can only assume that this change isn't for CAFE reasons. Could it be better initial lubrication?

I mentioned it earlier- 5w-20 and 0w-20 have the same high temp handling, and 0w-20 handles colder weather. That essentially makes 5w-20 pointless. It’s simply a matter of 0w-20 being a top performer.

 

[GKIII]

I mentioned it earlier- 5w-20 and 0w-20 have the same high temp handling, and 0w-20 handles colder weather. That essentially makes 5w-20 pointless. It’s simply a matter of 0w-20 being a top performer.

I'm betting it has more to do with fleet commonality. The pentastar has been 0w-20 for years.

I will also be buying only 0w-20, it's nice only needing one weight of oil for the daily driver fleet.

 

[Idahoktm]

Oh wow, I must be out of the loop. I was a lowly tech at the family business when 0w-20 hit the market, and I remember having a strong opinion that it was European pee. I guess ignorance is bliss, but at least I’ve seen the light.

Edit: got hit with profanity, so changed the text

My Toyota dealership introduced me to 0w-20. They got it in bulk and were able to do oil changes cheaper than I could do it myself. The service manager said that Toyota was changing the recommended oil for most Toyota powerplants to 0w-20, so that's why they were buying it in bulk.

 

[Scram1500]

I'm assuming that the engine internals haven't changed from 2018 on, will 5th gen owners with 5w-20 on the cap get a notification that 0w-20 is now recommended?