0W-16 is here!
 

So I've been using Walmart's Super tech 0w-20 Synthetic since it came out a couple years ago, but this crap is always sold out and I end up having to check the other Walmart's in town or order on line (also Amazon basic oil has the same bottling company). Low and behold, that didn't happen this time, but look what I found. 0w-16 for $15.98 for 5 quarts. You can't beat the prices of either of these which is why the 20w is usually sold out. But the 0w-16 sparked my interest as before now it was only available for $40/5qt in the USA from either (2010 insight uses 0w-16 oil, 3019+ camry as well) Toyota/Honda/Ravenol/autozone recycled bottles which makes no sense cost wise. Excited to test this stuff. Anybody have any ideas for testing fuel economy vs 20w? It's hard to think of ways to quantify a 1-2% gain. I know that I will use this and a oem filter and send in the analysis at 10k and see if the doctor recommends it. Either way if the wear looks good the swap from 16w cost me 0$ over 20w which is nice.

There is only about a 1% difference between that thin stuff and what you are supposed to be using.
According to Cummins there is only about a 3% difference between 15w-40 and 0-20 oil, for fuel economy.

%3 in viscosity at temperature or fuel consumption?

Almost of my cars call for xw30 oils of some type, would love to test but not willing to risk it

3% fuel economy in their mixed driving testing.

I can confirm that with thinner oils it takes my engine a lot longer to warm up. I was looking at that same 0w-16 just a few days ago with interest.

I noticed that too. The engine has less friction when still cold, so it can maintain stationary revs more easy, so it uses less fuel, so it heats up more slowly.
Last oil change they did not use Green Oil anymore and the reverse happened.

I wouldn't go thinner on the warm grade, only on the winter grade.

So for example i'd be willing to go from 10w-30 to 0w-30 but not from 0w-30 to 0w16.

My 2006 V6 accord specced 5W-20 new, currently runnning 0W-20. I would be hesitant to switch to 0W-16 so I voted no. If my car was newer, say a 2013+ accord with the newer earth dreams engine I would say yes.

Generally speaking I feel the same. However some cars have multiple recommended oils which vary in the warm grade as well.

Take the S2000. Honda recommends either a 10w30 or 5w40 if the temperature goes below 0F / -20C.

The Acura TSX recommended 5w30 in 2004, or 10w30 if temperatures don't drop below 0F. The 2014 TSX has an extremely similar engine and calls for 0w20.

I'm going to give it a go. About due anyway. I hope the local Walmart has some! Would be nice to get some 70+ mpg tanks from commuting.

I'm sure this stuff isn't going to just grenade your engine instantly. However, it will probably wear things more quickly. An oil analysis over the next 5k miles should help out to see how much faster its wearing, but only really if you have an oil analysis of 5k from the regular oil...

Something to remember is that 0w16 is s completely different add pack and even base chemistry from a 0w20.

This means it may still provide as much wear protection as 0w20 or it may not since it’s not tested for every application. It also isn’t actually 16w oil so you can’t compare its weight apples to apples with 0w20 you would need to see the data sheet. Where the real magic happens is when we move away from SN+ to the completely incompatible next gen oils (which are all base 8 oils)

It’s also less mixable with the base 10 oils so no more random oil top offs if you follow an extended fill duration

A: 0w20 is the correct application for my car.

B: Fat Charlie is not The Oil Guy.

C: I have a large supply of cheap 0w20 and am immune to the pressures of p&a.

On a related note, oil changes are very predictable, especially synthetic ones. What any particular store has on the shelf in any given week shouldn't affect your oil change supplies. If you buy oil at Walmart, you probably go there more than once every 6 months.

The Insight calls for 0w20. If I want the engine to last for several hundred thousand more miles I'm going to go with what Honda specified, rather than risk any small chance of something bad happening by using a thinner oil, just to try and capture some probably infinitesimally small fuel savings.

1,000 miles in and the engine still turns. Warm idle is 0.22 gph vs 0.25 gph now. Interesting.

12% improvement at idle at least

In Japan and Europe Honda calls for an oil thinner than 0w20, for what it's worth.

I suspect it's safe to go thinner on the cold weight, but wouldn't go thinner on the warm. My new engine calls for 5w30 and I feel safe putting 0w30 in, but not 5w20 or 0w20.

Might use it to lube uncooperative
Semiautomatic rimfire guns that use a blow back or delayed blow back gas system and don't like thick lubes.

I interviewed for Cummins to work in their engineering department and they are so mixed up and confused I would not put full faith in any information from them.

Some of the world's best engines though. But it's an old formula they keep repeating.

Wasn't the 2010+ Honda Insight back spec'd for 0w-16 like 5 years ago?
At the time they were the only one's who sold the stuff, but it was always nationally back ordered... and was like 45$ for 4 quarts which is a no for me. Ravenol also has had a 0w-16 as well and crosses over into the 0w-20 areas but was 45$ for 5 quarts. I use ravenol ATF spec'f for the Prius CVT for a while, but figured I would wait for 0w-16 until it dropped under 20$ for 5 quarts.

Sounds like its time to get everyone here to spam Project Farm to test Walmart 0w-20 vs Walmart 0w-16 or amazon basics as they both have the same supplier.

Love that guy!

Well, my local Wally World doesn't carry the SuperTech 0W-16, but I noticed last week when I went to buy oil that they now have Mobil 1 0W-16. Looking at Mobil's specs, they have the same percentage phosphorus, but zinc isn't listed. Viscosity at 100 degrees C is 8.7 cSt for 0W-20 versus 7.2 cSt for the 0W-16.

I stuck with my usual Quaker State 0W-20 this time around (it's ~$7 cheaper per 5 quarts than the Mobil).

Wouldn't the best but gutsy idea, use the 0-16 when the motor is new, then switch to 0-20 as it ages, and finally even something thicker when it is really old and tolerances have opened up. This one size oil recommendation for life of the motor from 0 miles to 300,000 miles seems simplified for the masses.

Yeah, I didn't like having to add oil so often in my 240,000 mile Subaru, so thicker stuff was convenient.

That would be a correct assumption, but we all know Toyota's engines don't actually wear. They are just thrown away after one too many accidents with the DVDO they experience. ;)

On the subject I'm about to hit 10k on 0w-16 while towing a 1000lb quite a bit. How much y'all wanna see the results?

Also the car has 150k

what were the results?

Yeah I'm not putting 0w-8, 0w-16 in any of my stuff.

New Priuses uses 0w-16

In many markets, most new Toyotas use 0w8. The 2024 Corolla, for example, calls for 0w8.

Results: Gains must have been less than 1%. There's not a huge difference. Anything below 0w-20 whatever.

Also gen 3 prius is spec'd to run 0w-16 all the way to 20w-50.

Yeah I'm shooting for about 10 to 12cSt at operating temperature.
Maybe the oil only ever gets up to 180f and a "16 weight" oil is fine, but I doubt it.
The OEMs want us to use 0w-20 or 0w-16 and whatever because it benefits them. That way they can post higher cafe numbers and have to sell less electric and hybrid cars and it lets them sell another car that much sooner.
Chances are the Prius oil temp get up to and runs at 200 to 230f and therefore an oil that ends with the number 30 is ideal.
Then go with a 0w, 5w or 10w depending on your winter conditions.

Wouldn’t 0w help with all the starts and stops that a hybrid has? So 0w-30 would be ideal?

I’ve been running 0w-20 the life of my ioniq hybrid and switched to 5w-30 and the engine seems to run smoothers and almost feels like it has more horsepower and push. Perfect oil for highway but I’m a bit concerned about city driving in Portland area

Yes the 0w is great for winter. Unless you regularly are starting at below 0f or -10f you don't really need a 0w. The 0w are more for -20 and -30f starts.
I switched my wife's hybrid from 5w-20 to 5w-30 a while ago and on those warn restarts it doesn't sound so much like a diesel engine. I should have switched to 5w-30 the first time I changed the oil.