Do you put a different oil weight in winter?

ZeeBabar

I have 0-20 full synthetic in my car. This coming winter looks cold even in the lower Midwest. Should I get the oil changed to a different weight?

I just read an article on "winterizing" and it suggests changing fluids. Do you guys change all fluids including oil in winter?

Chuck33079

You should run the factory recommended oil weight all year long. 0w20 is way too thin.

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SouthArk370Z

20 is probably OK if you don't push the engine hard but I agree with Chuck33079 that you will be better off running what the manual calls for.

When the oil is cold, 5W20 is as thick as straight 5 weight oil would be at that temperature. When the oil warms up, it's going to be like straight 20 weight. For winterizing, you only need to worry about the number before the "W". If you think you need a lighter oil for Winter, go to 0W30 - it will act like 0 weight oil when cold (for easier starts and faster pressure buildup) but still provide protection when the oil warms up.


BTW, changing the oil for Winter is usually done if the car is going into storage, If you are driving the car on a regular basis, there is no need to alter your change interval.

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JARblue

Why are you running 0-20 in a car that wants 5W-30?

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ZeeBabar

So, thin oil is for warmer weather and thick oil is for winters? I thought it was the other way around.

Chuck33079

No, you should run what the manual recommends all year round. Why is this a debate? There's this handy little book they give you with the car that is full of all the info you need.

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JARblue

That's not what he said at all...

Nissan recommends 5W-30. That's what you should be running. Thinner oil during the winter would be 0W-30. You ran 0W-20 during the summer

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JARblue

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SouthArk370Z

You are correct for single-viscosity lubes. If you are running a multi-vis, you can run the same stuff year-round.

https://www.google.com/#q=Oil+viscosity


Edit: To sum it all up, if you are running multi-vis oil, there is no need to change the oil weight you are using because of the season.

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Threadlocker

Link to article please.

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Mitco39

0W-40 is what I would run in my car year round. I run it in all my vehicles.

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Read T

The oil in 370Zs runs so hot anyways you should just probably stick with 5w30

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