GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Mobil 1 0w-40 vs. Mobil 1 5w-40?

PublicEnemy

My couch pulls out.I dont
Location
Bellevue, WA
Hey guy so I ran some searches and couldn't find anything about peoples opinions on running either 5w-40 or 0w-40 Mobil 1 in their 2.0T FSI motor. I have noticed that Mobil 1 seems to be the oil of choice. I'm living in WA and am driving down to FL where I will be living for the summer. In this warmer climate should I go with the 5w-40 VW 502.00? I have heard that 0w-40 though is the absolute best for our motors. What does everyone think?:w00t:
 

PublicEnemy

My couch pulls out.I dont
Location
Bellevue, WA
0w-40 is vdub approved

Yeah I'm aware that the mobil 1 0w-40 is also VW 502.00 approved. However I'm more curious about which of the the two is better for long cross country drives/hot climates/cold climates. Perhaps both will be fine. Just wondering if I would be "better off" with one over the other.

Thanks guys!
 

TheeFT

That One Guy
Location
440, Ohio
Car(s)
Germans
a 0w is a one of the worst things to could do to your engine, the oils are too thin to properly dissipate heat and becoming even thinner at high temps, creating a terrible layer of protection between cylinder walls and pistons, if you run a 0w your just accelerating the scaring on your walls or decreasing your engine life. ya people say 0w are great because of there viscosity being low and being able to get into the cylinders quicker at start, but pros and cons are justified.
 

Eric_Cartman

New member
Location
Toronto
a 0w is a one of the worst things to could do to your engine, the oils are too thin to properly dissipate heat and becoming even thinner at high temps, creating a terrible layer of protection between cylinder walls and pistons, if you run a 0w your just accelerating the scaring on your walls or decreasing your engine life. ya people say 0w are great because of there viscosity being low and being able to get into the cylinders quicker at start, but pros and cons are justified.

^that is a common misconception about a 0wXX (0w40, 0w30, etc) oil

a 0wXX oil is really a 5wXX that has a lower pour point than 5wXX. 0wXX is able to pour at temps below -45C.

to achieve such a low pour point, Group IV and V synthetic basestocks had to be used...meaning that a 0w oil was indeed a true synthetic and not synthesized from crude oil like a Group III. Recent advancements have had Group III oils with lower pour points than -45C.

a 0wXX oil can be thicker in viscosity at 40C and 100C when compared to a 5wXX oil

Example:

Mobil 1 0W-40
SAE Grade 0W-40
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 80
cSt @ 100ºC 14.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 187
Sulfated Ash, wt%, ASTM D 874 1.2
HTHS Viscosity, mPa-s @ 150ºC, ASTM D 4683 3.6
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -54
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 236
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.855

and, compared to Mobil1's 5w30

Mobil 1 5W-30
SAE Grade 5W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 64.8
cSt @ 100ºC 11.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 169
Sulfated Ash, wt%, ASTM D 874 1.0
HTHS Viscosity, mPa-s @ 150ºC, ASTM D 4683 3.09
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -45
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 230
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.80

the supposedly thinner 0w40 has a higher viscosity at 40C than the 5w30. notice that the pour point of 0w40 is -54C and 5w30 is -45C


Comparing the Mobil1 0w40 to Motul X-Cess 5w40, the 5w40 specs are:

Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 92
cSt @ 100ºC 14.6
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 165
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -33
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 230
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.853

The Motul 5w40 has a higher viscosity at 40C but a lower pour point (-33C) when compared to Mobil1 0w40. At 100C, the 0w40 and 5w40 have very close viscosity ratings (difference of 0.3).


To summarize, 0w oils are not the worst you can do to your engine. They are not too thin to provide protection and do not become "even thinner" at higher temperatures.
 

PublicEnemy

My couch pulls out.I dont
Location
Bellevue, WA
Thanks for all the information! I will be sticking with the M1 0w-40 I just purchased. I was just concerned because I had been hearing people say that in hotter climates the 0w is too thin. Thanks for the awesome explanation. I'll be living in Pensacola, FL
 

3In2Out

Ready to race!
Location
Jacksonville, FL
^that is a common misconception about a 0wXX (0w40, 0w30, etc) oil

a 0wXX oil is really a 5wXX that has a lower pour point than 5wXX. 0wXX is able to pour at temps below -45C.

to achieve such a low pour point, Group IV and V synthetic basestocks had to be used...meaning that a 0w oil was indeed a true synthetic and not synthesized from crude oil like a Group III. Recent advancements have had Group III oils with lower pour points than -45C.

a 0wXX oil can be thicker in viscosity at 40C and 100C when compared to a 5wXX oil

Example:

Mobil 1 0W-40
SAE Grade 0W-40
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 80
cSt @ 100ºC 14.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 187
Sulfated Ash, wt%, ASTM D 874 1.2
HTHS Viscosity, mPa-s @ 150ºC, ASTM D 4683 3.6
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -54
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 236
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.855

and, compared to Mobil1's 5w30

Mobil 1 5W-30
SAE Grade 5W-30
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 64.8
cSt @ 100ºC 11.3
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 169
Sulfated Ash, wt%, ASTM D 874 1.0
HTHS Viscosity, mPa-s @ 150ºC, ASTM D 4683 3.09
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -45
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 230
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.80

the supposedly thinner 0w40 has a higher viscosity at 40C than the 5w30. notice that the pour point of 0w40 is -54C and 5w30 is -45C


Comparing the Mobil1 0w40 to Motul X-Cess 5w40, the 5w40 specs are:

Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 92
cSt @ 100ºC 14.6
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 165
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -33
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 230
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.853

The Motul 5w40 has a higher viscosity at 40C but a lower pour point (-33C) when compared to Mobil1 0w40. At 100C, the 0w40 and 5w40 have very close viscosity ratings (difference of 0.3).


To summarize, 0w oils are not the worst you can do to your engine. They are not too thin to provide protection and do not become "even thinner" at higher temperatures.

A post with actual information instead of someone spewing things they've heard...you know your not allowed to do that right? :wink:
 

3In2Out

Ready to race!
Location
Jacksonville, FL
FWIW, Im in Jacksonville, FL and run Mobil 1 0w-40. Love it.
 

Red-2009-GTI

Ready to race!
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I use Mobil 1 0w40 for the first two oil changes (3000 miles each) but am switching to Motul Specific 502/505 for the future, it just comes higher reccomended and is same price.
 

Zanxrex

New, yet old
Location
USA
Car(s)
2006 MK5 GTI
I also use Mobil 1 0/40, but in the rare 100*F+ summer days and -10*F winter nights of central PA.

Awaiting TheeFT's rebuttal... :biggrin:
 

Simmsled

Parking Garage > Tree
Location
Indianapolis
Car(s)
its not special.
Whatever synthetic you use...

1. Make sure you don't run low or out of oil.

2. Be sure to change it when it needs it.

My dad had an 87 Buick GN that went 300,000 miles and still ran 13's @ 18lbs of boost without ever having oil burning issues. Unless you guys are going to have the car for 200k miles plus, all this oil talk really is a waste of life. I am a recovering oil-nerd syndrome sufferer myself. Good luck to you all.

The GN's transmission was another deal tho... yikes.
 
Top