Isn't 5W-20 Wt. oil a little too light for a Turbocharged Engine?

[GoHack]

I was just curious, but isn't 5W-20 weight oil a little too light for a turbocharged engine, especially when it comes to the turbo itself, and the temperature and RPM's it runs at?

Most turbocharged engines require at least 5W-30.

What weight oil do European Fiesta ST's require?

What about in warmer environments like Arizona?

Thanks.

 

[miguel.in.az]

I think the big thing is if you run full synthetic vs. a synthetic blend or even conventional dino oil. Before this last oil change I did I ran motorcraft 5w20 synthetic blend, and every change that oil came out dark brown and dirty. Hoping to see better things now that it's on full syn (castrol magnatec).

IIRC even the ST supplement manual says 5w20 is suitable for all climates, not sure if it's different for the Euro guys however.

 

[GoHack]

I think the big thing is if you run full synthetic vs. a synthetic blend or even conventional dino oil. Before this last oil change I did I ran motorcraft 5w20 synthetic blend, and every change that oil came out dark brown and dirty. Hoping to see better things now that it's on full syn (castrol magnatec).

IIRC even the ST supplement manual says 5w20 is suitable for all climates, not sure if it's different for the Euro guys however.

If you check on the same cars sold in both the US and Europe, the ones in the US tend to run the lighter oil for fuel mileage ratings here.

 

[STjake]

I just switched to Pennzoil Platnium 5w30 500 miles ago. No ill effects to speak of yet, and it actually seems to idle just slightly quieter (less ticking and clicking) but that could easily be from just changing out old oil. Either way, I plan to keep running it!

 

[Capri to ST]

This old thread from BITOG quotes the justifications for 5w-20 from Ford engineers, which are better flow through the tighter tolerances of a modern engine, and better flow at start-up, where most wear occurs. It says the assumption that thinner oils are spec'd to increase fuel economy was incorrect-

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=printthread&Board=1&main=13888&type=thread

I believe these reasons still hold true. There were some dissenting opinions, but I feel more comfortable using the recommended 5w-20, I just find it hard to believe it was spec'd for a frivolous reason like a tiny increase in fuel economy.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Some of the people in that thread are no longer 'with us'.

Others I remember well. even though I was not in that thread at all.

The one thing that was NOT mentioned in the Ford release was whether or not the Blue Oval VVT system, cam phasers, etc. REQUIRE the thinner oil spec in order to function properly/survive, as some of the Bimmer and Mopar ones do.

ANYONE on here know this for sure?

 

[Capri to ST]

^^^Some of the people in that thread are no longer 'with us'.

Others I remember well. even though I was not in that thread at all.

The one thing that was NOT mentioned in the Ford release was whether or not the Blue Oval VVT system, cam phasers, etc. REQUIRE the thinner oil spec in order to function properly/survive, as some of the Bimmer and Mopar ones do.

ANYONE on here know this for sure?

That's a good point. It seems to me that if you're not sure then that would be another reason to use the 5w-20

 

[Sekred]

Euro spec is 5w-30, in Australia anyway. I think these lightweight viscosity oils are aimed at improving fuel economy more than anything else, including the transmission oil spec.

 

[OffTheWall503]

The oil debate, which is around in almost every car community, never seems to end and no one ever wins.

Oil weight as dictated by the manufacturer will meet 90% of the criteria for their consumers. The other 10% may track their vehicle, drive it hard, or live in an area with severe weather conditions (extreme heat or cold). When that occurs, you may need to switch to a 5W-30 or 5W-40, even go down to 0W-20, 0W-30 and etc. to meet the demands you're putting on the car. But the only way to truly determine your engines needs is to have a used oil analysis performed to see if any additional wear is occuring. When that happens, step up/down one grade of oil.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Some would also (correctly) suggest another way is to install very accurate oil temp and pressure gauges, monitor them under ALL of your use conditions, and then choose an (HTHSV number, NOT API 'grade') viscosity based on "as thick as necessary, and as thin as possible".

Again, IF a given manufacturer's valve train component requires a specific viscosity in order to function properly (or at all), than ALL of the above is out the window if your engine is so equipped.

 

[neeqness]

Another option could be using a good brand as certain oils lubricate better than others even when at the same specs.

Secondly, one person said their oil came out dirty during change. I don't think this is bad at all but rather a sign that your oil is doing it's job. If it is dirty, it means you should probably change it out more frequently. Oils do not just lubricate to prevent wear from metal on metal contact but also to keep the engine clean. Air and oil filters clean dirt out of the engine, so another possibility could be your filters...

 

[FMIC The Mr.Kapoo]

Personally I've switched to Rotella T6 - no more turbo burning the oil and the engine seems to like it fine.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Personally I've switched to Rotella T6 - no more turbo burning the oil and the engine seems to like it fine.

That was/is the 'go to' Scoobie oil, but there ARE some 5W-20s with VERY low volatility rates, like Amsoil's Signature Series with a 6.3% volatility, and any other oil which BEATS the HTO-06 test standards.

 

[OffTheWall503]

Another option could be using a good brand as certain oils lubricate better than others even when at the same specs.

Secondly, one person said their oil came out dirty during change. I don't think this is bad at all but rather a sign that your oil is doing it's job. If it is dirty, it means you should probably change it out more frequently. Oils do not just lubricate to prevent wear from metal on metal contact but also to keep the engine clean. Air and oil filters clean dirt out of the engine, so another possibility could be your filters...

Exactly. Oil is a detergent, so being dirty means it's cleaning well. Oil color isn't an indicator of wear or life remaning in the oil, only a UOA can determine that.

 

[FMIC The Mr.Kapoo]

That was/is the 'go to' Scoobie oil, but there ARE some 5W-20s with VERY low volatility rates, like Amsoil's Signature Series with a 6.3% volatility, and any other oil which BEATS the HTO-06 test standards.

Oh yeah Amsoil would be exactly what I ran if I was determined to stick with a 20 weight oil, however I believe in the other benefits of a good 40 weight and the Rotella T6 in particular is a very proven compound of the highest quality. Fact is ford reccomends 5W-40 in good old Europa as a premium oil while telling us in the states to use 5W-20 which I simply don't trust is HTHS situations. Especially with the lack of winter in SoCal I see no reason to run anything but - when I move back up north I'll have to weight my options again.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Keep in mind that the thicker the oil the harder it becomes for the engine to dissipate heat and it runs hotter as strange as it sounds. Believe it or Dont.....

 

[STjake]

Just found out today that the 1.4 turbo darts require 5w40. Not to compare chrysler to a ford but interesting none the less.

 

[Joker328]

The oil debate, which is around in almost every car community, never seems to end and no one ever wins.

Oil weight as dictated by the manufacturer will meet 90% of the criteria for their consumers. The other 10% may track their vehicle, drive it hard, or live in an area with severe weather conditions (extreme heat or cold). When that occurs, you may need to switch to a 5W-30 or 5W-40, even go down to 0W-20, 0W-30 and etc. to meet the demands you're putting on the car. But the only way to truly determine your engines needs is to have a used oil analysis performed to see if any additional wear is occuring. When that happens, step up/down one grade of oil.

This is the correct take. All oils change viscosity throughout the entire range of temperatures an engine will operate in. Ford's recommendations are made to balance protection and fuel economy across the range of temperatures experienced by the vast majority of users. So if you consider your driving habits typical of the average user (i.e., temperate climate, short to medium distance commute, occasional high performance driving), the manufacturer specs are probably just fine. If you live in a particularly hot climate and track the car regularly or do a lot of highway cruising, you may spend more time at or above operating temp, so a thicker oil may provide better protection. However, you'd have to weigh that against the possibility of a dealer fighting a warranty claim if something were to go wrong.

 

[FMIC The Mr.Kapoo]

All oils change viscosity throughout the entire range of temperatures an engine will operate in.

After warm-up engine temperature is a constant - most modern engine are happy at 212F or 100C and then stay within 5 degrees of that.

BMW for example rather recently upgraded their performance engines from 5W40 synth to 10W60 and Mercedes did the same because of the better wear characteristics.

 

[OffTheWall503]

While those engines have 10W-60 oil, I wouldn't recommend using that if you live in a cold climate.