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Anyone ACTUALLY running 5w-30 or even 10w-30? Thoughts? Experience? Any REAL TRUTH to throwing a code running higher weight oil (no conjecture please)

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brian42 said:
The extra moly helps the tick.

I went to 5w-30 for one oil change and didn't notice any difference in MPG, tick, etc.

I'll stick with my PUP 5w-20 since I've got a MOPAR ESP through 2026. If the tick starts to become pronounced (more than a few seconds on cold startup) then I'll shell out the extra donuts for Redline. Looking at the cost to get some moly additive (ZDDP) it's about the same if not cheaper to just get it premixed in Redline.

Even though there's truth in everything you also have to take things with a grain of salt. What the engineers recommend is not always what makes it to print. There are a lot of fingers in the pie and it doesn't always look the same as the initial picture when it hits the shelf (how many concept vehicles went to mass production unchanged). It may not be the end all/be all that's in the owner's manual but FCA Stellantis has to honor it if they wrote it.

My last truck was an older Ford diesel that came out in the pre-emissions days and when Low Sulfur Diesel fuel was the standard. Fast forward a few years and Big Brother mandates Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel dropping the sulfur content from 500ppb to 15 ppb. No big deal except sulfur provides lubricity to diesel engines and Ford came out and said "it's okay, your engine is fine". How can it be fine if I just lost over 95% of the lubricating properties of my fuel that the engineers were counting on??!?!! Add to that the transmission fluid was discontinued and what was taboo prior to that (Ford said don't use XXX fluid ever in your transmission) was okay to use when "the good stuff" was no longer available.

I knew one of the engineers that designed transmissions for Ford and he said that the specs they put out did not always make it to production (or print) after it ran through the corporate filters.
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It really is nuts that so many people think FCA has our best interests in mind. These are the guys (FCA) that gave us a "lifetime interval" on our ZF 8 speed transmissions, whereas ZF (the real manufacturer) has a service interval of around 80k miles IIRC (in any case, it's NOT lifetime).

So in addition to running a properly speced oil (5w-30), I will also be getting my transmission oil serviced at 100,000 KM.

As you said; the engineers recommendations are completely separate thing from what makes it into the user manual. Sometimes you need to do a little digging/research.
 
Thanks to all that replied. Even those that didn't actually answer the question. It's still valuable info to someone who stumbles on this thread and doesn't know about the MDS or the Warranty etc.

I've decided to stick with the "ditch water" (very apropos - thanks Silver Billet for that term) they call 5w-20 oil. It pains me to my core..but eh.. I've got the extended warranty. If it grenades itself and makes glitter oil, it'll be on them. I'm only averaging 7000 miles per year, so I'll run out of warranty time before miles. We'll see if 5w-20 holds up.
 
My dealership put 10-30 in my truck without advising me. I read the invoice and had them re do the oil change. Two oil changes later they did the same thing!!!!! Now my name in their computer is MR 10w 20!!! Use what the owners manual and oil cap say. And eat your peas and carrots. And if you Google the Twitter to much you will go blind in the one eye!
 
GKIII said:
Run whatever you want, however the manufacturer doesn't spec 0/5w-20 just for ****s and giggles. If you have a lifter issue, which is still fairly common, expect to be on the hook for the replacement engine when they test the oil.
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Yes, they do it for ONE reason ... and that is to slightly improve their reported mpg (CAFE). Nothing (okay, much less) to do with "what's best for the engine". They're probably giggling at how successful they've been at fooling so many people. Remember, these are the same people that chose where to mount the oil filter on the 5.7L hemi.
 
AV8OR said:
When I was a kid we used to go on a yearly father / son weekend dove hunt on a ranch west of Uvald, Texas that belonged to a friend of my dad’s.

At night wasn’t unusual to see a string of three or four headlights bumper to bumper out on the little two lane county asphalt road hauling ***.

The guy who owned the ranch told us kids we were looking at test cars racking up the mileage for endurance testing.

Unless you are willing to buy four Ram trucks and run them bumper to bumper for say 25,000 miles and then do engine tear downs to see the wear patterns with different oils you’ll never know if you have really done any good by using oil beyond what the manufacture recommends.
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But it feels good knowing that you're trying your best to do the right thing ....
 
I ate my peas and carrots to avoid being beat unmerciful. Depression era folks don't play. Bought a bunch of this stuff cus the carton looks cool.
 

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schmidja said:
Yes, they do it for ONE reason ... and that is to slightly improve their reported mpg (CAFE). Nothing (okay, much less) to do with "what's best for the engine". They're probably giggling at how successful they've been at fooling so many people. Remember, these are the same people that chose where to mount the oil filter on the 5.7L hemi.
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....and you have facts to back up this statement, right?

Unfortunately, the Hemi oil filter location was decided years before the 5th Gen trucks were even a thought.
 
schmidja said:
Yes, they do it for ONE reason ... and that is to slightly improve their reported mpg (CAFE). Nothing (okay, much less) to do with "what's best for the engine". They're probably giggling at how successful they've been at fooling so many people. Remember, these are the same people that chose where to mount the oil filter on the 5.7L hemi.
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I have no doubt that came into play to a degree, but I'm not convinced that's the main reason for spec'ing that weight oil. No tin foil hat for me...on this issue at least LOL.

I've owned vehicles with way worse oil filter locations (1991 Honda Prelude just to name one). I may grumble every time I change my oil on this truck, but in the grand scheme of things it's pretty insignificant.
 
mikeru82 said:
I have no doubt that came into play to a degree, but I'm not convinced that's the main reason for spec'ing that weight oil. No tin foil hat for me...on this issue at least LOL.

I've owned vehicles with way worse oil filter locations (1991 Honda Prelude just to name one). I may grumble every time I change my oil on this truck, but in the grand scheme of things it's pretty insignificant.
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My '02 Toyota Tercel had the filter inverted and near the exhaust manifold. If you didn't burn yourself on the manifold you were probably caught in the oil shower streaming down the block.

Even with my 4x4 I have very little spillage as I have revised my process over my 6 oil changes. I use two quart-sized freezer bags with a paper towel (or two) inside when I remove the filter. The paper towel absorbs a lot and "stabilizes" the oil in there so it doesn't squeeze out when I pull the filter down past the axle.

I installed a ValvoMax drain on my pan last time. This oil change (about a week ago) was my first time getting to use it: how did I live without this!!! It doesn't make the oil change any faster but it makes it 1000% easier with absolutely no mess and my sway bar stays clean.
 
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I run the 30 weight in the summer when it's hot, pulling the camper. In the winter, this last change, I went back to 20. I've had no issues, but it's early. Only 2 changes and I'm now at 11k, so I have no real evidence to offer. I always stepped the weight up in my mustang by 10, too (only summer driven). I'm a believer of tailoring your oil to your needs, not just what the book says.

In my opinion (take it for what it's worth), it's far more important to use a good quality synthetic and change it at proper intervals than it is to worry about 10 points in oil weight. No engine issues in my life, so far, as I knock vigorously on my wooden desk.
 
Idahoktm said:
....and you have facts to back up this statement, right?

Unfortunately, the Hemi oil filter location was decided years before the 5th Gen trucks were even a thought.
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They should have redesigned the oil filter location like on the new Grand Cherokees. Super easy to get at.
 
Idahoktm said:
....and you have facts to back up this statement, right?
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Unfortunately there are no facts to support either opinion. The only facts are what the user manual says you need to use.

What's up for debate, is why they chose the current weight. There are no facts to support that a thinner weight is actually better (durability/longevity) for the hemi either. It's all speculation either way.

And as I pointed out a few comments ahead: we do have facts that prove FCA does/specs things that are not in our best interest. If ZF says "change your transmission oil every 100,000 km's" (or whatever it is) and FCA says "lifetime oil, no change necessary"... are we really going to take their word on engine oil too?

Don't want to argue about it forever but maybe it's good to think about that as well.

I also can't speak highly enough of RL oil (even the 5w-20); the reduction in engine "clatter" over the factory oil just showed me how much a difference oil selection can make, and how following manufacturers spec is not always the best option (within reason of course, I'm not suggesting we run 10w-50).
 
SpookyWatcher said:
Thanks to all that replied. Even those that didn't actually answer the question. It's still valuable info to someone who stumbles on this thread and doesn't know about the MDS or the Warranty etc.

I've decided to stick with the "ditch water" (very apropos - thanks Silver Billet for that term) they call 5w-20 oil. It pains me to my core..but eh.. I've got the extended warranty. If it grenades itself and makes glitter oil, it'll be on them. I'm only averaging 7000 miles per year, so I'll run out of warranty time before miles. We'll see if 5w-20 holds up.
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To the OP. Have the dealer install the proper oil (5w20) in your pre 2022 Hemi. Hundreds of thousands Hemi owners do the very same without problems.

My 2011 Hemi Ram 1500 with 179,000 miles, towed a 7,000# enclosed car hauler 84,000 miles in 20* to 100* weather, and towed over the Appellation MT’s numerous times. I used nothing but 5w20 semi-synthetic oil that I changed myself.

In my new 2022 (10-21) I just changed the oil first time last month after putting the initial 1000+ brake-in miles, then making that same 1800 mile round trip tow to NC in November. I put the proper 0w20 synthetic oil in as listed in the service manual along with a factory oil filter. This new 2022 Hemi will be towing more miles than the 2011 Ram it replaced in a shorter time period. I expect it to be an equal in engine reliability to the old 2011 Hemi.

I read all the comments from others (5-10w30) in this thread and ask, how many miles do you have on that Hemi driving empty (most of time) or towing? How many???
 
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