Mobil 1 5W-20

Matt,

I don't know, but I will check at other retailers. I have a brand new Super Wal-Mart only about 1 mile from my house - I will check it too.

Don

My local Wal-Mart is a super store also and I checked a local Auto Zone as well. The AutoZone didn't have ANY 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1, just dino oil. Could be that Mobil isn't yet shipping the large jugs of

5W-20 until they are selling more of it, but the shelf was nearly empty of the quart bottles of 5W-20 so I'd say sales are picking up.

Matt

Matt,

You're right . . . I checked my local Super Wal-Mart, and they don't stock the 5 quart jug of 5W-20 Mobil 1. I did find a "short case" (6 quarts) of 5W-20 at our local Blain's Farm & Fleet, but this store chain is only in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

I guess everyone will just to have to buy single quarts for the time being. BTW . . . I checked with the Service Advisor and Service Manager at the local Hyundai dealer, and they exclusively use 5W-30 weight oil. This, of course, is an OK alternative and listed as such in the manual - at least it is in my 2006 Elantra.

One item of note: The wider the range of a motor oil, the larger amount of V.I. (Viscosity Indexers) required. I was told by a petroleum engineer here at the University of Illinois a number of years ago that the greater amounts of V.I.'s used in motor oil, the greater the propensity for varnish build-up and eventual sludging. I don't know if this is a proven fact or not, but he's personally a great believer in 10W-30 weight oil. It's generally good down to 0 degrees F, and even my new Elantra Owner's Manual recommends this weight if ambient temp is above 0 degrees F. In this case, 10W-30 Mobil 1 may be just fine for most applications, especially due to its good pourability, etc. at low temps, except where severe winters are the norm. Just a thought . . .

I currently use 5W-30 in the winter (we often get well below zero here in northern PA) and 10W-30 in the summer in my other vehicles and likely will do the same with the Sonata, at least until 5W-20 is available in the larger jugs.

Thanks for checking.

Matt

If the recommended oil is 5W-20, 5W-30 would work OK, but 10W oils would not be recommended. The key is the weight of the base stock. 5W-20 and

5W-30 are made from the same 5W base stock. 10W oils are thicker and won't flow as well. If the reason that 5W-20 is recommended is due to tight clearances and small oil ports in the engine, a thicker oil could cause oil starvation, leading to excessive wear and bearing damage, especially if you live in a cold climate.

I'd have to re-check the manual, but I believe that all three weights are OK to use given the right temperature range. 5W-20 is the preferred oil, but I believe both 5W-30 and 10W-30 are acceptable.

Yes, all else being equal, 10W oils won't flow as well as 5W oils, but all else isn't always equal. Viscosity numbers are given for a given temperature (I forget the specifics now) and don't cover the behavior of the oil at other temperatures. For example, a 10W dino oil will flow the same as a 10W synthetic at only ONE temperature. At lower temperatures, the more stable viscosity of a synthetic means that the same weight synthetic will flow much more freely than the dino oil. My

10W-30 equipped minivan and truck crank much better at -10 than does my Sonata with 5W dino oil.

Matt

You'll probably find that 10W oils are recommended for warmer climates and summer use. I've never found any good reason to switch to thicker oils in summer. As long as the upper end of the viscosity range is adequate (the 30 in 5W-30) the heavier base stock isn't going to make any difference and I'd rather have the better flow characteristics.

Out of curiosity, have you ever heard of anyone having an engine failure due to oil that was insufficiently protective at higher temps (viscosity breakdown)? It seems to be the thing most people worry about, but I've never heard of such a failure. Using oils that are too heavy and cause starvation seems to be a much bigger issue, at least in modern engines.

True. That's one of the reasons I use synthetic oils in my Elantra, both in the engine and transmission. The transmission oil in particular makes a big difference when temps are 0F or below.

I only run Castrol SYNTEC* in my cars. Oil change every three months

I can't say that I've ever seen a failure that I could attribute to the oil, other than the lack of it. I run synthetics simply for the better cold starts in the winters I live in. Otherwise, I believe it is overkill for the type of driving I do the rest of the year.

Matt

Man, that is wasting a lot of good oil and filters.

Matt

Perhaps, but it depends on how much he drives. If he's doing 2500 miles/month, he's right on schedule.

Brand of oil is largely meaningless, since any oil that meets API specs is going to last longer than Hyundai's recommended 7500 mile change interval. That's doubly true of synthetics. Tests I've seen on synthetic oils indicate that there's little practical difference between them. Even Walmart's low-priced, house-brand "SuperTech" synthetic seems to be as good as the big name oils. I've used it with no problems, though lately, Pep Boys has been running specials on Pennzoil synthetic at ~$2/quart, so I've bought some of that.

I would say the same thing.

True, but few people drive exactly 7500 miles each quarter.

Matt

Can you point me to these tests. I've never seen the off-brand SuperTech tested anywhere.

Matt

Don't know where you're getting your info but it ain't right.There IS a difference between synthetics,Castrol syntec being the worst in every SAE and independent tests I've read.I've been a proponent of Synthetics since 1975 and have used Mobil 1 or Shell Rotella in every vehicle I own.Amsoil is good but WAY to EXPENSIVE.Mobil Delvac is also excellent but I can't get it around here.

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I don't it bookmarked, but IIRC, I just did a search on "Supertech synthetic oil test" or something similar and waded through the results. I found the results from a testing lab that analysed it and gave some conclusions based on what they found. Essentially, they said the base stock is the same as many other brands (not surprising since the blender makes oils for several other companies, including big name brands) and the additive package is comparable to what other oils use.

When you get right down to it, nowadays, oil is oil. The differences that companies tout in order to attract consumers are so small as to be irrelevent. Modern oils are incredibly good. Just look for the API seal and if an oil has it, it's more than good enough to put in your engine. I would avoid oils that are not API certified, unless you're willing to spend the money for Amsoil. I'm not.

If you say so, but relative to what? How much of a difference is there? Test results are great and they're certainly important, but if they're splitting hairs, they don't mean much in the real world.

Have you ever seen a test that rated a synthetic below a natural oil? If the latter is good enough to do the job according to the manufacturer of the engine, isn't it fair to assume that ANY synthetic will greatly exceed the needs of the engine?

Is there any API certified oil that won't protect an engine adequately for the 7500 miles that Hyundai specifies between changes, assuming one uses the proper viscocity? I have yet to see any data that indicates that there is. If you know of any, please post links here.

It seems to me that the quality of the oil filter one uses is probably more important than the brand of oil, but that's another debate.

OK, but what's your point?

No argument here.

I don't think I've ever seen it.

This is all good information to know, but I don't see how it's relevent. It's much like arguing about how many angels will fit on the head of a pin; it really doesn't matter in the real world.

I agree that most oils are good enough most of the time, but I disagree that oil is oil. About the only independent and fairly comprehensive test of oils that I've seen was done by MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News) magazine. They have tested oils twice in the last decade or so and the difference between the top and bottom oils is very dramatic, often 2X or more in tests such as the ability to maintain viscosity, etc. Cheap oils really are much worse than top rated oils. It may not make a difference if you drive your car only 100,000 in easy conditions and then trade it in, but if you drive 200,000 plus as I intend to (except my last two vehicles got totaled at 143K and 182K), in a variety of conditions from -20 to over 100, in the mountains, etc., then I'd rather have the good stuff.

Matt