5 v 30 vs 10 x 30?

[aldive]

Has anyone compared the gas mileage when using 10 x 30 vs 5 w 30? And, of course I am referring to synthetic motor oil.

I am soon to embark on another 1500-mile voyage and will be trying 5 w 30 ( Mobil 1 ) for the first time

 

[tbomb]

i think 5w30 is the thicker one, right? well, whatever, whichever one is the thicker one, i would think would give worse gas mileage, but i cant imagine changing oil weight would yield noticeable results. and either way, synthetic is thinner to begin with, too; besides, gas is getting pretty cheap anyway, so no worries

 

[ok89]

In Florida (and other Southern States) the 5w30 shouldnt make a difference compared to 10w30. The first number is the weight that it gets down to when its cold. But it doesn't really get cold in the south, so I think that they should perform equally well.

 

[aldive]

Cold in Florida? You got to be kidding.... when its below 60 F, we break out the full winter stuff ( even long britches ).

My driving is not limited to Florida by the way.

 

[LOGJOCKY]

I agree with OK. You probably dont need 5W30 unless you live in a cold climate, or your owners manual calls for it. I use 10W30 year round and we regularly get below -25. Oil has naver been a problem for me. For gas milage I dont think it will make any difference, but you can always try. Let me know if it does.

 

[ok89]

Originally posted by aldive
Cold in Florida? You got to be kidding.... when its below 60 F, we break out the full winter stuff ( even long britches ).

Hehehe. We do that too here in Houston.

 

[RFR2212]

Somethin tells me that it doesn't really matter.
Pete

 

[RTStork]

Originally posted by RFR2212
Somethin tells me that it doesn't really matter.
Pete

I agree. After the engine warms up, the 5W30 and the 10W30 are the same weight, 30 weight.

 

[Robert]

Ford is probably the only one that has done any extensive mileage tests on the Explorer using 5W30 vs. 10W30. In their conclusion, they recommend 5W30 for the best mileage. It's true that both would perform the same at operating temperature so you probably won't see any mileage difference. The 5W30 will flow slightly better when the engine is cold though. As I just posted in an earler post, the 5 is the viscosity of the oil at 0 degreec C, the 30 is the viscosity at 100 degrees C.

By the way TBomb, a 5W30 synthetic oil is the same viscosity (thickness) as a 5W30 conventional oil. It just doesn't break down as easily.