Quote:
|
Originally Posted by FlyLo
Just had the 1k service done. Dealer used Valvoline synthetic 20/50. I asked about this.
Reasoning is this: Lower weight oils are recommended by manufacturers for the purpose of getting a better CAFE rating, whereas 20/50 has yielded a better experience in engine wear. Note, this is in an area where the temperature NEVER gets below 20 degrees F. His recommendation would be different for colder climes.
His experience is that the higher weight oils prevented a lot of otherwise common problems with his Aston Martins which were later determined to be caused by lubrication failure. After reading the Toyota engine service manual, he decided to stick with it for the Elise.
In colder climates, 5-40 synthetic makes a lot of sense.
|
I've owned a Ford that called for 5w-20 and now have a Dodge that specs 5w-20. There's no way in hell I'm running something that thin in this hot of a climate. Ford, Dodge and the others are all specifying thin oils for CAFE numbers. I'm running Mobil1 5w-30 in the Dodge.
I'm running Mobil1 15w-50 in my Elise and changing my oil every 3k miles since the coolers aren't drained. If I remember correctly, we can run a 10w-60 per Lotus if running the car hard on the track.