Oil - Which one to use - And Oil Pressure

SD2005Dustin

SD2005Dustin

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So this is a two-part question. What oil do you all use? What Brand and what type. I used Mobile1 15w-50 and I like it? I dont have anything done to the truck other than a muffler... So Whats your take? Keep in mind I'm in a warm climate, my truck has only seen rain 2 times, sits in the 70 degree garage, and only goes out when it's 65-85 degree weather. So what would be Ideal, and best for the motor under those conditions. i.e. don't need the cold climate/startup considerations.

And What should our trucks read for oil psi at idle and while driving. I'm thinking I've been seeing it idle just above 50 and while driving I'd say at 70? Sound right? Just making sure I added enough. And I know what my Manual says for quatity of oil, but how much do you use counting the filter?
 
It is a good question although I bet it's been covered many times. My problem in Texas is I cannot find the 0-40 recommended so I usually have to use 5-30 which is factory fill in my Vette as well. I am not sure whether I should move to a 15-50 or they used to have a 20-50 that was factoryfill for Vette and Shelby GLHS? Be nice to know I am not affecting the longevity of my motor with inferior weight?:dontknow:
 
I'm pretty sure everyone has their favorite oil, but does it REALLY matter? REALLY???? I don't think so. You might make more power on the dyno with 0w because it flows better (thinner) and it also removes heat better doe to the better flow. But 50w should be fine as well
 
AWDisuzu said:
I'm pretty sure everyone has their favorite oil, but does it REALLY matter? REALLY???? I don't think so. You might make more power on the dyno with 0w because it flows better (thinner) and it also removes heat better doe to the better flow. But 50w should be fine as well
Click to expand...

So wrong.
 
Last edited:
here is an email from ARROW to me regarding oil use...

Robert,



0W – 40 is the oil recommend by the owner manual, you can run the 5W – 40, 10W – 30 or the 15W – 50 Mobile One, Arrow run’s the 10w – 30 in all our Viper/Hemi engines on the dyno and the Chief Viper Engine Engineer is running the 15W – 50 in his personal 08MY Viper. Check your hot oil pressure at idle and weather conditions to make your choice, Arrow never want less than 20 PSI of hot oil pressure at idle.
 
AWDisuzu said:
What part is wrong? I'm interested in knowing what makes one oil a better choice.
Click to expand...

Read the above post ^^^^^^^^, you cant just assume that a 0W and 50 W are going to be ok in all applications. Thats fine if you want people to destroy there motors.
 
AWDisuzu said:
I'm pretty sure everyone has their favorite oil, but does it REALLY matter? REALLY???? I don't think so. You might make more power on the dyno with 0w because it flows better (thinner) and it also removes heat better doe to the better flow. But 50w should be fine as well
Click to expand...

You have a point, but also some inaccuracy. In the end, does the weight of the oil at operating temperature matter? Well, let me ask another question: why did Dodge switch the factory fill on our engines from 10W-30 to 0W-40 in 2005 with no other internal changes to the engine?

That said, when the engine is up to operating temperature the first number (xxW-whatever) doesn't matter all that much, as at higher temperatures the oil behaves like oil of whatever weight the second number is. FWIW, the oil guy at the VCA lives in upstate New York (gets cold), uses his Gen I as a daily driver year-round, and runs 15W-40 mineral diesel oil. 10W-xx can start an engine down to around -45 C, 15W-xx down to -40 C, temperatures I doubt anyone here is starting their truck in.
 
Vman455 said:
You have a point, but also some inaccuracy. In the end, does the weight of the oil at operating temperature matter? Well, let me ask another question: why did Dodge switch the factory fill on our engines from 10W-30 to 0W-40 in 2005 with no other internal changes to the engine?

That said, when the engine is up to operating temperature the first number (xxW-whatever) doesn't matter all that much, as at higher temperatures the oil behaves like oil of whatever weight the second number is. FWIW, the oil guy at the VCA lives in upstate New York (gets cold), uses his Gen I as a daily driver year-round, and runs 15W-40 mineral diesel oil. 10W-xx can start an engine down to around -45 C, 15W-xx down to -40 C, temperatures I doubt anyone here is starting their truck in.
Click to expand...

I did once, I parked my truck outside while I was finishing the drywall in my garage. I had it parked in the lot next door and I was told to have the truck moved by the next day because they were going to dig the basement in the empty lot. It was -40 C that day. It started, but it hated me for doing that.
 
I wasn;t trying to post inaccurate information, I was really trying to ask the question. Why does one person prefer 50w and another person prefers 30w? I've tried both, and usually get whatever they have at wal-mart. If I'm putting something bad in my engine I'd really like to be better educated as to why!

I have heard that a cobra mustang will toss rods if something other than 0w oil is used. Not sure if that is true or not. I also found that 20w50 worked well in my 400WHP 4 cylinder race engine to protect my rod bearings. However, that motor was pushing 4 times the stock power that it wasn't designed for.
 
AWDisuzu said:
What part is wrong? I'm interested in knowing what makes one oil a better choice.
Click to expand...

One other thing, Joe Gibbs oil has a high Zinc content which is a crutial piece of the puzzle for lube when the oil is warm and under load.
 
TheMoparConnection said:
here is an email from ARROW to me regarding oil use...

Robert,



0W – 40 is the oil recommend by the owner manual, you can run the 5W – 40, 10W – 30 or the 15W – 50 Mobile One, Arrow run’s the 10w – 30 in all our Viper/Hemi engines on the dyno and the Chief Viper Engine Engineer is running the 15W – 50 in his personal 08MY Viper. Check your hot oil pressure at idle and weather conditions to make your choice, Arrow never want less than 20 PSI of hot oil pressure at idle.
Click to expand...

Excellent information there. :rock: I'm running 0W-40 and have an average 25 - 30 psi hot at idle and normal driving around town (2 - 3K rpm) 55 - 60 psi hot. Cold psi at startup or if I "speed things up" after reaching operating temp (200 deg F) pressure goes to 75 psi.
 
AWDisuzu said:
I wasn;t trying to post inaccurate information, I was really trying to ask the question. Why does one person prefer 50w and another person prefers 30w? I've tried both, and usually get whatever they have at wal-mart. If I'm putting something bad in my engine I'd really like to be better educated as to why!

I have heard that a cobra mustang will toss rods if something other than 0w oil is used. Not sure if that is true or not. I also found that 20w50 worked well in my 400WHP 4 cylinder race engine to protect my rod bearings. However, that motor was pushing 4 times the stock power that it wasn't designed for.
Click to expand...

No worries, Im not a oil expert either but I have been slightly educated by my builder on this because I had the same questions. The website that I posted has tons of good information on all your questions. The key things needed are oil pressure and oil temperature readings. With that information you can, through trial and error, find the perfect oil for your application. I am still using the break in oil, and am not to that stage yet. But my builder recommended using one of the Joe Gibbs Hot rod oils, the advantage to the hot rod oil is is helps protect the engine when its not running for a long period of time. Where we are we only have about 4-5 months that we can drive these kind of vehicles. Or you can take the XP oils and custom blend them to get exactly what you are after.
 
I run 5w50 and noticed a quieter valvetrain, before I was using 5w40 mobil diesel oil, one thing with the Joe Gibbs oil is you cannot have cats.
 
Ramchargerguy said:
I run 5w50 and noticed a quieter valvetrain, before I was using 5w40 mobil diesel oil, one thing with the Joe Gibbs oil is you cannot have cats.
Click to expand...

That is correct, I forgot about the cats.
 
0-40 when it's colder, 20-50 Valvoline synthetic Racing when it's hotter. I experimented with a variety of weights. IMHO 30w is too low for a racing engine and I've always treated mine as a high performance racing engine. Used to run high vis oil in all my cars built for the drags (except one). Never had an oil related problem.

The 20-50w in the summer quiets the lifters considerably over the 0-40, but I want it to start when it's cold. I've always changed the viscosity of oil in my engines from winter to summer....makes sense to me. But that's just me. As far as brands....I can't see that there's that much difference in the major brands except how much they brag. Valvoline has been around in racing for a long, long time. I trust it so that's what I use. Tried the Royal Purple but the engine just didn't run as quiet and smooth. Same with Mobil 1. Probably my imagination:D :D :D
 
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