Mobil 1 5W-20

Does anyone know if Mobil 1 is yet available in the large 5 quart jugs
in 5W-20 weight? My local Wally World only has 5W-20 in quart bottles.
They have 5W-30 and 10W-30 in the large jugs, but not the lighter weight.

I don't know if this is a Mobil issue or a Wally World just not yet
stocking it issue.


Matt

 

Matt,

I don't know, but I will check at other retailers. I have a brand new
Super Wal-Mart only about 1 mile from my house - I will check it too.

Don

 

My local Wal-Mart is a super store also and I checked a local Auto Zone
as well. The AutoZone didn't have ANY 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1, just
dino oil. Could be that Mobil isn't yet shipping the large jugs of
5W-20 until they are selling more of it, but the shelf was nearly empty
of the quart bottles of 5W-20 so I'd say sales are picking up.


Matt

 

Matt,

You're right . . . I checked my local Super Wal-Mart, and they don't
stock the 5 quart jug of 5W-20 Mobil 1. I did find a "short case" (6
quarts) of 5W-20 at our local Blain's Farm & Fleet, but this store
chain is only in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

I guess everyone will just to have to buy single quarts for the time
being. BTW . . . I checked with the Service Advisor and Service
Manager at the local Hyundai dealer, and they exclusively use 5W-30
weight oil. This, of course, is an OK alternative and listed as such
in the manual - at least it is in my 2006 Elantra.

One item of note: The wider the range of a motor oil, the larger
amount of V.I. (Viscosity Indexers) required. I was told by a
petroleum engineer here at the University of Illinois a number of years
ago that the greater amounts of V.I.'s used in motor oil, the greater
the propensity for varnish build-up and eventual sludging. I don't
know if this is a proven fact or not, but he's personally a great
believer in 10W-30 weight oil. It's generally good down to 0 degrees
F, and even my new Elantra Owner's Manual recommends this weight if
ambient temp is above 0 degrees F. In this case, 10W-30 Mobil 1 may be
just fine for most applications, especially due to its good
pourability, etc. at low temps, except where severe winters are the
norm. Just a thought . . .

 

I currently use 5W-30 in the winter (we often get well below zero here
in northern PA) and 10W-30 in the summer in my other vehicles and likely
will do the same with the Sonata, at least until 5W-20 is available in
the larger jugs.

Thanks for checking.

Matt

 

If the recommended oil is 5W-20, 5W-30 would work OK, but 10W oils would
not be recommended. The key is the weight of the base stock. 5W-20 and
5W-30 are made from the same 5W base stock. 10W oils are thicker and
won't flow as well. If the reason that 5W-20 is recommended is due to
tight clearances and small oil ports in the engine, a thicker oil could
cause oil starvation, leading to excessive wear and bearing damage,
especially if you live in a cold climate.

 

I'd have to re-check the manual, but I believe that all three weights
are OK to use given the right temperature range. 5W-20 is the preferred
oil, but I believe both 5W-30 and 10W-30 are acceptable.

Yes, all else being equal, 10W oils won't flow as well as 5W oils, but
all else isn't always equal. Viscosity numbers are given for a given
temperature (I forget the specifics now) and don't cover the behavior of
the oil at other temperatures. For example, a 10W dino oil will flow
the same as a 10W synthetic at only ONE temperature. At lower
temperatures, the more stable viscosity of a synthetic means that the
same weight synthetic will flow much more freely than the dino oil. My
10W-30 equipped minivan and truck crank much better at -10 than does my
Sonata with 5W dino oil.


Matt

 

You'll probably find that 10W oils are recommended for warmer climates
and summer use. I've never found any good reason to switch to thicker
oils in summer. As long as the upper end of the viscosity range is
adequate (the 30 in 5W-30) the heavier base stock isn't going to make
any difference and I'd rather have the better flow characteristics.

Out of curiosity, have you ever heard of anyone having an engine failure
due to oil that was insufficiently protective at higher temps (viscosity
breakdown)? It seems to be the thing most people worry about, but I've
never heard of such a failure. Using oils that are too heavy and cause
starvation seems to be a much bigger issue, at least in modern engines.

True. That's one of the reasons I use synthetic oils in my Elantra, both
in the engine and transmission. The transmission oil in particular makes
a big difference when temps are 0F or below.

 

I only run Castrol SYNTEC* in my cars.
Oil change every three months

 

I can't say that I've ever seen a failure that I could attribute to the
oil, other than the lack of it. I run synthetics simply for the better
cold starts in the winters I live in. Otherwise, I believe it is
overkill for the type of driving I do the rest of the year.


Matt

 

Man, that is wasting a lot of good oil and filters.

Matt

 

Perhaps, but it depends on how much he drives. If he's doing 2500
miles/month, he's right on schedule.

 

Brand of oil is largely meaningless, since any oil that meets API specs
is going to last longer than Hyundai's recommended 7500 mile change
interval. That's doubly true of synthetics. Tests I've seen on synthetic
oils indicate that there's little practical difference between them.
Even Walmart's low-priced, house-brand "SuperTech" synthetic seems to be
as good as the big name oils. I've used it with no problems, though
lately, Pep Boys has been running specials on Pennzoil synthetic at
~$2/quart, so I've bought some of that.

 

I would say the same thing.

 

True, but few people drive exactly 7500 miles each quarter.

Matt

 

Can you point me to these tests. I've never seen the off-brand
SuperTech tested anywhere.

Matt

 

Don't know where you're getting your info but it ain't right.There IS a
difference between synthetics,Castrol syntec being the worst in every
SAE and independent tests I've read.I've been a proponent of Synthetics
since 1975 and have used Mobil 1 or Shell Rotella in every vehicle I
own.Amsoil is good but WAY to EXPENSIVE.Mobil Delvac is also excellent
but I can't get it around here.

RIPPER
FREEDOM WILL NEVER BE FREE!
BOYCOTT CALIFORNIA SPORT TOURING!

 

I don't it bookmarked, but IIRC, I just did a search on "Supertech
synthetic oil test" or something similar and waded through the results.
I found the results from a testing lab that analysed it and gave some
conclusions based on what they found. Essentially, they said the base
stock is the same as many other brands (not surprising since the blender
makes oils for several other companies, including big name brands) and
the additive package is comparable to what other oils use.

When you get right down to it, nowadays, oil is oil. The differences
that companies tout in order to attract consumers are so small as to be
irrelevent. Modern oils are incredibly good. Just look for the API seal
and if an oil has it, it's more than good enough to put in your engine.
I would avoid oils that are not API certified, unless you're willing to
spend the money for Amsoil. I'm not.

 

If you say so, but relative to what? How much of a difference is there?
Test results are great and they're certainly important, but if they're
splitting hairs, they don't mean much in the real world.

Have you ever seen a test that rated a synthetic below a natural oil? If
the latter is good enough to do the job according to the manufacturer
of the engine, isn't it fair to assume that ANY synthetic will greatly
exceed the needs of the engine?

Is there any API certified oil that won't protect an engine adequately
for the 7500 miles that Hyundai specifies between changes, assuming one
uses the proper viscocity? I have yet to see any data that indicates
that there is. If you know of any, please post links here.

It seems to me that the quality of the oil filter one uses is probably
more important than the brand of oil, but that's another debate.

OK, but what's your point?

No argument here.

I don't think I've ever seen it.

This is all good information to know, but I don't see how it's relevent.
It's much like arguing about how many angels will fit on the head of a
pin; it really doesn't matter in the real world.

 

I agree that most oils are good enough most of the time, but I disagree
that oil is oil. About the only independent and fairly comprehensive
test of oils that I've seen was done by MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News)
magazine. They have tested oils twice in the last decade or so and the
difference between the top and bottom oils is very dramatic, often 2X or
more in tests such as the ability to maintain viscosity, etc. Cheap
oils really are much worse than top rated oils. It may not make a
difference if you drive your car only 100,000 in easy conditions and
then trade it in, but if you drive 200,000 plus as I intend to (except
my last two vehicles got totaled at 143K and 182K), in a variety of
conditions from -20 to over 100, in the mountains, etc., then I'd rather
have the good stuff.


Matt