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During the previous blizzard blast, there was a story that said that with temperatures staying in the sub-zero range, engine oil gets too thick to circulate and lubricate. How true is this and if it is true, what engine oil grade should someone have in their car for such conditions and how to overcome such problems? I'm born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana (southern part of the state) so we never see such freeze blast. Generally, most vehicles here do well with 10W-30 and all season tires.
If you're terribly concerned about this, use a low-viscosity synthetic oil. It flows better in extreme cold.
That said, living in Louisiana, you have absolutely nothing to worry about in regard to oil being too thick to flow. Just don't rev your engine high & hard when you first start it (something you should never do anyway).
If you're terribly concerned about this, use a low-viscosity synthetic oil. It flows better in extreme cold.
That said, living in Louisiana, you have absolutely nothing to worry about in regard to oil being too thick to flow. Just don't rev your engine high & hard when you first start it (something you should never do anyway).
Not really concerned, just curious. Never know if one day I might live in or visit such cold northern climate. Just wondering if it's true that the oil can get very thick in such climate.
With so many cars recommending 0w-30 or 5w-30 oils already for better efficiency, I wonder if changing oil types with climate is as much of an issue as it used to be?
With so many cars recommending 0w-30 or 5w-30 oils already for better efficiency, I wonder if changing oil types with climate is as much of an issue as it used to be?
I do consulting and fleet management work for large national and regional fleets and the topic of "what oil viscosity should we run because of the climate" is never mentioned. It's pretty much a non-issue unless we are talking Alaska or Northern Canada. Even then, most modern vehicles can be taken off the assembly line and dropped into a place like Kotzebue Sound and be perfectly fine.
With so many cars recommending 0w-30 or 5w-30 oils already for better efficiency, I wonder if changing oil types with climate is as much of an issue as it used to be?
No, it isn't. You can't get much thinner than 0w30 unless you go with sewing machine oil.
Even so, this whole viscosity/cold weather thing is not the crisis that people seem to be making it. Unless the temperature drops way below zero, normal cars that are in good condition are going to start just fine.
you'll have issues with your battery long before your oil. We would always follow the guidelines posted above, 5w30 in winter and 10w40 in summer. Synthetic oils make a dramatic difference.
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I'm born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana (southern part of the state) so we never see such freeze blast. Generally, most vehicles here do well with 10W-30 and all season tires.
