Motor Oil Explain / Discussion

Hanko_ said:
I agree, use the Dexos at whatever cost, to keep GM happy.
But it's not just "a couple of bucks a liter". I was getting 5 quart jugs of the 0W-40 Supercar European formula for my Hellcat at Walmart, in Buffalo for $28 usd, ~$40 cad a few years ago. OK, not really relevant.
On Amazon, it's currently $77 cad for the same 5 quart jug.
The Dexos is $61 for a single quart, $179.99 for a box of 6 singles.
It works out to $15.40 compared to $30 per quart.

So far, GM has given me 2 free oil changes, (5k & 12k), and, because of the hassle of the cost of a DCT filter change, they sent me a letter for a 3rd free oil change sometime in the next 12 months. All are using dealer supplied Dexos, of course.
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The price of the super car oil on Amazon is all over the place. I have seen it, and bought it, at $97.00 for 6 but yesterday as you said it was $179.00 . It’s being scalped just like the PS5 during the COVID gouging days , lol. Use Camel Camel Camel and set the price you want to see and wait for a notification from them.
 
Jack Raccoon! said:
This has been a paid promotional post by Camel Camel Camel...
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It has saved me lots of dough. When you copy the product URL from Amazon into the Camel it shows the one year price history of the product. Absolutely amazing how much the price of a lot of products can change in even a couple of days. I have seen ones that went from say $100 to $40.00 and back to $80.00 in the space of a week. They will email you when it hits the price you enter.
 
1st Vette said:
All oil regardless of rating will be thicker when cold and thinner when hot obviously but for cold extremes like -40c you should be using a 0 weight is what I took from the explanation. I had a 1989 GMC that called for 10w30 conventional oil and when I simply changed to synthetic oil the difference in how it would crank at -40 was pretty significant. The synthetic was also 10w30 . Was with a friend who had to move an old van from where it was stored one February day back in the eighties and he remembered that the oil was low and wanted to add a quart which he had in the box of his pickup. Took the cap off , turned it upside down and nada , lol . So imagine that oil sitting in the oil pan when you go to fire the engine. It was about-46c that day. Ambient.
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That's not what I said. His example is not good and explains nothing!
 
Jack Raccoon! said:
Ok I'm a convert, I'll give it a shot....
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Here is a good example. Notice it climbed big time during peak wildfire smoke season.
IMG_4019.webp
 
Murray20c8 said:
That ball bearing test doesn't make sense to me.
If 5w30 oil cold acts like a 5w it is supposed to act like a thinner oil and the ball should drop quicker, not slower.
I know cold oil should be thicker and should do what it did, but that's not what he was trying to prove.
What am I missing?
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What 1st Vette said above. The oil is still going to be thicker at cold temps than hot, but a 5W will thicken less at cold temps than a 10W or 15W oil. (The W stands for Winter, not weight.)
 
cdnz said:
It is interesting that Lingenfelter fill with AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-40 100% Synthetic Motor Oil with their builds? Perhaps that's another option if you are out of warranty. I would go with Redline but they are even more expensive than Super Car.
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Interesting. Found this….
Lingenfelter uses Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP oil, which is Dexos2 certified, for their C8 Corvette engines. This oil is recommended for the C8 Corvette LT2 engines and is consistent with what Lingenfelter’s upgraded 7.0L LT2 naturally aspirated engines would require to maintain performance and protection.
Lingenfelter’s official guidelines for their C8 Corvette engines emphasize using high-quality synthetic oils that meet or exceed GM’s Dexos2 specification, consistent with factory recommendations. While specific Lingenfelter documents do not explicitly list a unique oil brand or type, the general consensus aligns with using Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP oil or other Dexos2-certified full synthetic oils suitable for the LT2 engine. This ensures proper lubrication and protection for both stock and Lingenfelter’s upgraded 7.0L LT2 engines, which retain factory oiling systems and require oil compatible with the engine’s design and performance demands.
In summary, Lingenfelter advises following GM’s factory oil standards—Dexos2-certified synthetic oils like Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP—for their C8 Corvette engines, including their high-performance modifications.
 
meyerweb said:
What 1st Vette said above. The oil is still going to be thicker at cold temps than hot, but a 5W will thicken less at cold temps than a 10W or 15W oil. (The W stands for Winter, not weight.)
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Exactly.
The “W” in 0W-40 stands for “Winter.” It indicates the oil’s viscosity or flow characteristics at low (cold) temperatures, specifically how easily the oil flows during cold starts in winter conditions. The “0” before the “W” means the oil flows as easily as a 0-weight oil in winter temperatures, making it suitable for very cold climates. The “40” after the “W” refers to the oil’s viscosity at normal engine operating temperatures, meaning it behaves like a 40-weight oil when the engine is warm.
 
meyerweb said:
What 1st Vette said above. The oil is still going to be thicker at cold temps than hot, but a 5W will thicken less at cold temps than a 10W or 15W oil. (The W stands for Winter, not weight.)
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I understood the w is for winter, so then the 5 doesn't mean it acts like a 5 weight when cold? It's just a reference to other w's?
It's still misleading. He's comparing cold oil to warm oil to try and prove that the w is doing something. He should have compared cold 5w30 to a cold 15w30. His test shows nothing.
 
1st Vette said:
Exactly.
The “W” in 0W-40 stands for “Winter.” It indicates the oil’s viscosity or flow characteristics at low (cold) temperatures, specifically how easily the oil flows during cold starts in winter conditions. The “0” before the “W” means the oil flows as easily as a 0-weight oil in winter temperatures, making it suitable for very cold climates. The “40” after the “W” refers to the oil’s viscosity at normal engine operating temperatures, meaning it behaves like a 40-weight oil when the engine is warm.
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No, I understood Meyerweb to say that the 0 doesn't mean 0 weight. It's just a reference to other W's
 
Murray20c8 said:
No, I understood Meyerweb to say that the 0 doesn't mean 0 weight. It's just a reference to other W's
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Actually the number before the w has nothing to do with the number after the w
The number before the w (The winter number) is the relative flow rates to other w numbers.
The number after the W (The warm or summer number) is relative to the other warm numbers.
One has nothing to do with the other and are separate characteristics.
 
Murray20c8 said:
I understood the w is for winter, so then the 5 doesn't mean it acts like a 5 weight when cold? It's just a reference to other w's?
It's still misleading. He's comparing cold oil to warm oil to try and prove that the w is doing something. He should have compared cold 5w30 to a cold 15w30. His test shows nothing.
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The 5 indicates the viscosity of the oil at normal engine operating temperature which in the case of the LT2 is about 80c I would say. Because you have to have a baseline due to operating temperature and ambient air temperature changes the standard reference is engine operating temperature.
 
1st Vette said:
The 5 indicates the viscosity of the oil at normal engine operating temperature which in the case of the LT2 is about 80c I would say. Because you have to have a baseline due to operating temperature and ambient air temperature changes the standard reference is engine operating temperature.
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No, read what I wrote just before you answered. the 5w is only relative to other w numbers and has nothing to do with viscosity. It's the cold flow rating.
Here's a decent explanation.
www.uslube.com

What Does 5W-30 Mean? Engine Oil Grades Explained - U.S. Lubricants

February 3, 2023 - Let’s dive deeper into the meaning behind the naming system of engine oil grades and their unique properties to make choosing the correct engine oils a bit easier.
www.uslube.com www.uslube.com
 
Murray20c8 said:
I understood the w is for winter, so then the 5 doesn't mean it acts like a 5 weight when cold? It's just a reference to other w's?
It's still misleading. He's comparing cold oil to warm oil to try and prove that the w is doing something. He should have compared cold 5w30 to a cold 15w30. His test shows nothing.
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I would say that the 5 does mean that it flows like 5 weight in the cold when you see it before a W .
 
1st Vette said:
I would say that the 5 does mean that it flows like 5 weight in the cold when you see it before a W .
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No, not true. as you could see in brainiacs video demo. It flows a lot slower and thicker than a 5 viscosity oil.
 

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