Quote:
Originally Posted by Passingtrucker
The numbers such as 20W-40 or 5W-30 corresponds to season. In sub-zero engine start ups, "W" means winter application, so 5W is ideal for -20ºF start up while 20W is for 30ºF snow condition. The 2nd number in 10W-50 is summer heat condition. The higher the 2nd number, the more it will handle hot desert operation. 10W-50 is better to handle hot desert heat than 30 weight oil (cheapest in the market). IMO, 30 weight should only be for engines that leak oil, and make sure its has the "C" rating for diesel engines. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1309[/ATTACH]
Disagree to some extent. The first number, is correct in that it is a measure of the winter flow rate (as that is what the "w" in the specification means... winter). The second number has nothing to do with summer. It is a measure of the viscosity rating of the oil at 100cSt temperature, or better known as the normal operating temperature of the engine. A 5w40, a 15w40, or a straight 40 are all 40 weight oils with different winter flow characteristics but have the same viscosity at engine operating temperature. In other words, they would all work just fine in a summertime Death Valley type of operation in an engine designed for a 40 weight oil.
The weight of the oil (the number after the "w") has nothing to do with summer effectiveness. After all, they are measured for their viscosity rating at 100cSt or the operating temperature of the engine, not the temperature of the atmosphere. And it is conditional on what the engine was designed for. A 20 weight, in a engine designed around that viscosity will do just fine in Death Valley in the summertime as a 40 weight will in an engine that was designed around that viscosity of oil. Keep in mind, whether the outside temp is 100F or 0F, the engine is still operating at 180F or whatever the design range is. And the design of the components and the temperature range of the engine itself, along with other factors determines the proper viscosity of oil by the OEM.
And generally, you would be correct about the "C" and "S" designations. But it is also interesting that some OEM's have specified "S" designated oil for their engines. The 2.8L inline 4 cylinder diesel in my 2006 Jeep Liberty, the manual specified "SF" rated oil. So things are not always as cut and dry as they seem.