Mar 4, 2011

Update on running 10w30 instead of 5W30

  So it's been a few weeks since I had the oil changed in my car from 5w30 to 10w30.  The technician in the oil change shop recommended I try to see if it helped cut down on the amount of oil that burnt up between oil changes.  While I don't know if it has helped because I haven't hit the 5000 km mark to change the oil again it did notice a few performance issues.
  What I noticed first was that the car was harder to start on cold days because the cold temp viscosity is higher so it is more viscous than the 5w30.  This was a bit of a concern because it was a little more rough on the engine after it first started to run but it smooths out quickly.
  So far this is the only difference that I have noticed and to alleviate the issue I have been making sure that I ALWAYS plug my car in on cold nights.  As long as I plug it in it starts just fine.  I suspect that this starting issue will be even less in the spring and summer because the temperatures aren't as low so it should start easier.  I think what I'll do in the future is run 5w30 in the winter time so it starts easier and run 10w30 in the spring, summer and fall.  I will post again on this subject after I have had the next oil change.

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