Abi o

I stopped using 5w20 after i learnt my lesson when using it to maintain a Rav4. I bought a 2010 model of rav4 in 2014. I only maintained it with 5w20 oil, after 3yrs of using the car i starting hearing a slight grinding noise from the engine whenever I accelerate. The car works fine but the engine noise wouldn't go away, until an expert told me that it was caused by the engine oil and i should change to 5w30. I continued servicing the car with 5w20 for two years thereafter before I sold it. The new owner still rides the car till date.
Now i only use 5w30 for oil change and don't really care about fuel economy.
All the oils i use are imported from America

kollykolly:

Bross you are right oh. Imagine resorting to Mobil xhp for a new toks. Nothing can take me near naija used car again.

My cousin knows nothing about oils and has been using 20W50 instead of the recommended 5w20 for his Acura MDX 2003 Model which he bought and started using in 2014. This is 2020 and that car is still on the road running interstate (Onitsha to Jos at least three times a month and Onitsha to Aba, Onitsha to Enugu etc. regularly). I use an Acura too and bought mine last year. I stuck to the recommended oil of 5w20 but I keep wondering why my cousin who is obviously not using the recommended oil has never had any issue. Nothing don ever spoil for the engine na only break pads and tires the guy dey change. This made me believe what someone else wrote in another page that 20W50 is better for Nigerian environment.

Note: my own MDX that is barely one year old is already experience shortage of oil. I drove it to Onitsha from Lagos two weeks ago and by the time I got to Onitsha, the oil had gone down. I topped it up with 1 Litre of Mobil 5w30 and drove back to Lagos and have been using it for over one week but when I checked it this morning, it didn't go down. With my experiences, I believe using a thicker oil in Nigeria is better due to our high temperature.

drpossibilities:


My cousin knows nothing about oils and has been using 20W50 instead of the recommended 5w20 for his Acura MDX 2003 Model which he bought and started using in 2014. This is 2020 and that car is still on the road running interstate (Onitsha to Jos at least three times a month and Onitsha to Aba, Onitsha to Enugu etc. regularly). I use an Acura too and bought mine last year. I stuck to the recommended oil of 5w20 but I keep wondering why my cousin who is obviously not using the recommended oil has never had any issue. Nothing don ever spoil for the engine na only break pads and tires the guy dey change. This made me believe what someone else wrote in another page that 20W50 is better for Nigerian environment.

Note: my own MDX that is barely one year old is already experience shortage of oil. I drove it to Onitsha from Lagos two weeks ago and by the time I got to Onitsha, the oil had gone down. I topped it up with 1 Litre of Mobil 5w30 and drove back to Lagos and have been using it for over one week but when I checked it this morning, it didn't go down. With my experiences, I believe using a thicker oil in Nigeria is better due to our high temperature.

That's nice.
Feel free to use 20W50 on your car.

kollykolly:

Bross you are right oh. Imagine resorting to Mobil xhp for a new toks. Nothing can take me near naija used car again.

First, I'll explain what the numbers in 5w20 and 5w40 mean. The 5 means that the oil will flow at zero Celsius the same way a 5-weight oil would. The 20 and 40 mean that the oil will flow like a 20 and 40-weight respectively at engine operating temperature (180-195C usually). The actual viscosity of the oil is therefore the SECOND number. The first number just indicates how resistant it is to cold. Remember that even 50-weight oil is thinner at engine temperature than 0-weight is when cold. As a result, 5w30 and 10w30 are essentially equal unless it's the dead of winter in which case a small difference might exist.

I would be hesitant to use 5w40 if not specified unless it was summertime. All manufacturers specify different weights for different temperatures. Having said that, the Volkswagen Routan (which is just a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country) specifies 5w40 with VW spec 502 00 while Chrysler specifies 5w20 despite them both having the SAME DAMN ENGINE! This is very good evidence that the differences between grades are exaggerated at best and completely disingenuous at worst.

Now, I would NEVER put 20 weight oil in ANY engine. The only reason that 20-weight oil exists is because the US Government fines automakers for going above the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) limit. The further they go, the more they are fined. Thinner oils like 0w20 and 5w20 are less protective of vital engine parts but they are also less resistant to motion because of their reduced viscosity.

There were some Ford Mustang enthusiasts in the states that did some tests using two mustangs with 4.6L V8 engines. In one car they used 5w20 and in the other they used 5w30. Their findings were that the Mustang with 5w20 did experience a fuel economy increase of 1% but reduced the total lifetime of the engine by 30%. To me, that's just not worth it.

Keep in mind also that 20-weight oil does NOT EXIST outside of Canada and the USA so if your engine was designed outside of those countries which is essentially all automakers except for Chrysler, Ford and GM (but even they use some European and Japanese engines) then your engine was NOT designed to use a 20-weight oil but at least a 30-weight. The automakers don't mind if your engine dies sooner, it means more auto sales for them. That 1% increase in fuel economy means millions in savings for the automakers with regard to CAFE fines. I even had a head tech at a Hyundai dealership admit it to me. My Veloster gets 5w40 in summer and 5w30 in the other three seasons and it works great.

HeavenlyBang:


That's nice.
Feel free to use 20W50 on your car.

First, I'll explain what the numbers in 5w20 and 5w40 mean. The 5 means that the oil will flow at zero Celsius the same way a 5-weight oil would. The 20 and 40 mean that the oil will flow like a 20 and 40-weight respectively at engine operating temperature (180-195C usually). The actual viscosity of the oil is therefore the SECOND number. The first number just indicates how resistant it is to cold. Remember that even 50-weight oil is thinner at engine temperature than 0-weight is when cold. As a result, 5w30 and 10w30 are essentially equal unless it's the dead of winter in which case a small difference might exist.

I would be hesitant to use 5w40 if not specified unless it was summertime. All manufacturers specify different weights for different temperatures. Having said that, the Volkswagen Routan (which is just a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country) specifies 5w40 with VW spec 502 00 while Chrysler specifies 5w20 despite them both having the SAME DAMN ENGINE! This is very good evidence that the differences between grades are exaggerated at best and completely disingenuous at worst.

Now, I would NEVER put 20 weight oil in ANY engine. The only reason that 20-weight oil exists is because the US Government fines automakers for going above the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) limit. The further they go, the more they are fined. Thinner oils like 0w20 and 5w20 are less protective of vital engine parts but they are also less resistant to motion because of their reduced viscosity.

There were some Ford Mustang enthusiasts in the states that did some tests using two mustangs with 4.6L V8 engines. In one car they used 5w20 and in the other they used 5w30. Their findings were that the Mustang with 5w20 did experience a fuel economy increase of 1% but reduced the total lifetime of the engine by 30%. To me, that's just not worth it.

Keep in mind also that 20-weight oil does NOT EXIST outside of Canada and the USA so if your engine was designed outside of those countries which is essentially all automakers except for Chrysler, Ford and GM (but even they use some European and Japanese engines) then your engine was NOT designed to use a 20-weight oil but at least a 30-weight. The automakers don't mind if your engine dies sooner, it means more auto sales for them. That 1% increase in fuel economy means millions in savings for the automakers with regard to CAFE fines. I even had a head tech at a Hyundai dealership admit it to me. My Veloster gets 5w40 in summer and 5w30 in the other three seasons and it works great.

HeavenlyBang:


That's nice.
Feel free to use 20W50 on your car.

I won't use 20w50 because for me that will be too different from the manufacturers specification, I'll rather stick to 5w30 or 5w40 but 5w20? Mbanu!

drpossibilities:


I won't use 20w50 because for me that will be too different from the manufacturers specification, I'll rather stick to 5w30 or 5w40 but 5w20? Mbanu!

You know what you're talking about. Good man.

I think oil recommendations are a bit overrated, tbh, and most cars can survive just fine with anything up to a W40 oil. W50 is terrible, though.

It's probably fine to go from a W20 to a W30. Or from a W30 to W40, depending on local climate and engine wear. However, I would never recommend going to a lighter oil.

The screen shots from your mechanic.com are self-explanatory.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/why-are-5w-30-and-5w-20-oils-so-common

I use 5w-30.. So you can either use 20 or 30 mobil 1 and I drive 2011 mdx

aylagos:
waiting for auto gurus

cosycee:
I use 5w-30.. So you can either use 20 or 30 mobil 1 and I drive 2011 mdx

lol 😂………thanks all the same