15W-50 okay?

Not knowing how cold it get's there (though I'm sure you get something more akin to real winter than some), I would say no. Your owners manual will have a bar chart showing recommended grades for coldest expected temps.... your's would probably indicated 5W30 as the best choice.

Bill Jones opined in news:xUIrd.27154$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com:

As a driver of older cars (more than 150kmiles) and occasional "blender" of mobil 1 in those using more than 1 quart between changes... a resounding NO!

I wont use that in more than 2 to 5 in the winter even in cars that use a lot of oil. Last time I bought 15w-50 I KNEW I had worn mains.

If your car doesnt use oil, you shouldnt use it at ALL, at least until you get near 200k AND you think you may have bearing wear.

DO you have Sam's clubs around your area?

Join and buy your Mobil 1 there.

Only if you don't love your engine and it's time for a rebuild...

nope, use 5w30 in winter.

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As I was taught: The higher the number, the thicker the oil --> the thicker the oil, the less likely it is to move easily when cold. Oil which doesn't move easily when cold isn't good to lubricate an engine in a cold climate.

15W-50 might be an appropriate choice during the hot summer, but it won't do much good when the temperature drops below "Brrr..." FWIW, I use 5W-30 in my cars during the winter months here in NH.

-=RaOuL

Well, I'm not going to buy the 15W-50 based on all the negative comments here, but why do you say "only if you don't love your engine?" Would it kill my engine using Mobil 1 15W-50? Even if I went back to 10W-30 after 2 or 3 thousand miles?

(my 5.0 has 102,000 miles on it now, and I've used Mobil 1 10W-30 every

3,000 miles since the car had 24,000 miles).

-Bill J.

95 GT

Think about it - hte higher the first number, the higher the viscosity (thickness) of the oil - your owners manual probably calls for a 5W-30 or a

10W-30. If you put 15W-50 in your engine, you're already putting oil that doesn't meet the manufacturer's specs. Next, you probably have some freezing cold winters, and cold oil is difficult to move - once again, the higher the number, the thicker the oil.

Now, during the summer, you can probably get away with the 15W-50 because your engine have over 100K miles on it and the bearing have some wear on them, but I wouldn't use it for winter.

When I lived in SC and had a Camaro with 200K on its 350 engine, I put straight 50W in it - because it leaked around the main seal, the engine wheezed and knocked and it burned oil - then engine was at the end of life, so I just put cheap 50W in it so it would leak and burn so much.

Bill J.,

Hell no! Even in synthetic form, 15W in the cold Connecticut winter will be like syrup (at least more so than a 10W). And the 35 split (between 15 and 50) takes a lot of additive... more additive, equals less lubricant. And the thick 50W, when the oil is warm, will only rob horsepower and fuel economy.

The best thing to do is stick to what your owners manual recommends. Gotta listen to what the engineers who built your motor say, which is for your 5.0, good ol' 10W-30, or 5W-30 if it's really cold out.

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

And why wouldn't you use it year round?

Patrick opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

The split isnt quite the same in true syn's as in dino, Patrick!

BUT, 15 is too thick as is 50 in a good shape engine.

Mobil 1 has a 0w-30, IIRC

I do use 5W-30 in my wife's minivan year round. It still has a tight engine with only 30,000 miles on it. In my Escort with 122,000 miles I tend to use a thicker oil like a 10W-40 in the summer and a lighter oil in the winter. That is mostly based on preference, I haven't done any real research to backup my position, just seems to make sense to me. As for the 'Stang, it is sitting in the driveway with a crankcase full of 10W-40. Even with winter coming up. The reason behind that is just laziness. I'll be driving the Escort to work all winter and the poor ol' 'Stang will sit at the top of the driveway under its cover, all lonely. Doesn't seem to make sense to put alot of effort into maintaining a car which I'm not using. In the spring I'll take better care of the 'Stang and start to neglect the Escort.....

RaOuL '87 Mustang LX Convertible, 2.3l '93 Escort Wagon

So long as you spread your neglect out evenly... ;-)

JS