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Anyone run 0W-30 Weight Oil?

10K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  SD_GR 
#1 ·
Anyone running Amsoil (or other brand) 0W-30 weight oil? I usually run 5/30 but I've heard that the zero weight might be a better option, especially as it begins to get colder out.
 
#3 ·
I would not recommend that light of a weight of oil. It might be good on a very small engine, that's puttin out very litte horsepower but our engines are very hard on our oil. There is a lot of friction and the oil needs to be very solid and cannot break down easily. I wouldn't run it on anything but 10W30 synthetic or higher. 10W30 is plenty good for winter....unless you live in iceland or antartica
 
#8 ·
Believe it or not, used oil analysis shows that the WRX engine is surprisingly gentle on oil. I use Amsoil 0w30 with good results in the cold.

In theory, 0w30 should protect as well as 5w30 at normal temperatures with the added benefit of cold weather pumpability. It's the second number that has more to do with viscosity than the first.. For instance, German Castrol 0w30 is said to resemble a 40 weight oil in viscosity.

The 0w30 pours just like the 5w30 out of the bottle. The only difference is that is stays fluid at slightly lower temperatures, and when you're running a turbo in extreme cold you need oil to get to the turbo as soon as possible.
 
#9 ·
45Logic said:
Believe it or not, used oil analysis shows that the WRX engine is surprisingly gentle on oil. I use Amsoil 0w30 with good results in the cold.

In theory, 0w30 should protect as well as 5w30 at normal temperatures with the added benefit of cold weather pumpability. It's the second number that has more to do with viscosity than the first.. For instance, German Castrol 0w30 is said to resemble a 40 weight oil in viscosity.

The 0w30 pours just like the 5w30 out of the bottle. The only difference is that is stays fluid at slightly lower temperatures, and when you're running a turbo in extreme cold you need oil to get to the turbo as soon as possible.

I agree 110%. It's also nice to see someone who knows about GC.
 
#11 ·
scooby24 said:
I would not recommend that light of a weight of oil. It might be good on a very small engine, that's puttin out very litte horsepower but our engines are very hard on our oil. There is a lot of friction and the oil needs to be very solid and cannot break down easily. I wouldn't run it on anything but 10W30 synthetic or higher. 10W30 is plenty good for winter....unless you live in iceland or antartica
Standard fill from the factory on ALL Porsches including the Turbo with the X51 performance option 450 plus hp, GT2 and GT3 which is normally aspirated and has 385hp. MOST engine wear occurs at start up-plus why make your oil pump work harder than it has to. PS. I am involved with a Speedchannel World Challenge team racing Porsche GT3RS and that is the oil Porsche motorsports recommends.
 
#13 ·
scooby24 said:
I would not recommend that light of a weight of oil. It might be good on a very small engine, that's puttin out very litte horsepower but our engines are very hard on our oil. There is a lot of friction and the oil needs to be very solid and cannot break down easily. I wouldn't run it on anything but 10W30 synthetic or higher. 10W30 is plenty good for winter....unless you live in iceland or antartica
There is no data I have seen to indicate that Subaru motors are hard on the oil. As a matter of fact from the data I have either seen or actually generated from my own motor, I'd say the opposite is true. Subaru 4cyls are very reasonable on their oil. For example, they do not suffer the same valvetrain-related or cam-gear related sludging problems that Toyota 5S-FE motors of certain vintages are known for, nor do they slap and react to different oil viscosities as dramatically as the GM LS1 motors do. I've posted a thread with oil analysis data from my motor, and to make a long story short I've gotten tremendously good results with a 5W oil.

A robust 0W oil can outperform a lesser 5W, 10W, or even 15W oil with respect to breakdown. Further, a 0W-30 will have the same or similar characteristics to a 5W- or 10W-30 of the same manufacturer's product line; they are all simply 30W oils when warm. The advantage of a 0W oil over a 10W-30 in cold temps is evident if one compares the cold pumping characteristics of the 0W.

If the NOVA in the original poster's sig means the car is going to be driven through winter in Canada, a 0W might be just the ticket. I'd look at a fully synthetic 0W-30 or 0W-40 with an ACEA A3 rating, and make sure it's also an API SL oil for warranty purposes (although my booklet doesn't flat out rec/permit 0Ws but oh well).

One possible drawback to a 0W oil is the potentially wide viscosity spread, implying viscosity index improvers are necessary to achieve the given weight, so the oil might be subject to breakdown as you've stated. However, a good ACEA A3 oil ought to be just fine for 3750-5000 mile intervals or longer IMO; analysis will tell of course.
 
#14 ·
i use 0w20 in my mazda, but that's recommended. 5w30 is plenty fine for your subie, but you are right to use a synthetic especially in a winter wonderland. pour a bowl of synthetic and one of dino, put them in the freezer overnight, and you'll see why :)
 
#15 ·
perfusionista said:
Yes! My local Autozone has it. The bottles are identical to the others, but only the 0W-30 is labelled - look carefully- "Made in Germany"
I've yet to see it at my local Autozone or anywhere else in SoCal! I've been looking for it sporadically too, whenever I need to shop for Castrol for my MR2. Is there still a difference between the 0W-30 bottles with the red and the yellow stripes?
 
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