Trying out 0w-16 oil for more MPG

[2016 Versa]

I'm not convinced lighter weight oil is better for an engine or MPG. I've got a 2016 Nissan Versa SV 1.6L with CVT. In about 13 months of driving and 10527.8 miles tracked my overall average is 47.082 MPG using old school conventional 10w40. I suspect with use of some of these light weight oils the engine may not be getting lubricated properly and may actually cause more wear and more friction. I'm almost 400 miles into the current tank on the Versa and according to the Ultra Gauge I'm in line for my best ever tank at somewhere around 52 MPG.

I ran 10w40 in my old '88 Ford Escort too, when I retired it a few years ago it had 518K miles and hadn't never been rebuilt.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by 2016 Versa

I'm not convinced lighter weight oil is better for an engine or MPG. I've got a 2016 Nissan Versa SV 1.6L with CVT. In about 13 months of driving and 10527.8 miles tracked my overall average is 47.082 MPG using old school conventional 10w40. I suspect with use of some of these light weight oils the engine may not be getting lubricated properly and may actually cause more wear and more friction. I'm almost 400 miles into the current tank on the Versa and according to the Ultra Gauge I'm in line for my best ever tank at somewhere around 52 MPG.

I ran 10w40 in my old '88 Ford Escort too, when I retired it a few years ago it had 518K miles and hadn't never been rebuilt.

My personal experience, when cold, they definitely make a difference. In Vermont, I've seen weeks where you physically could not pour 10w30 out of a bottle, nevermind pump it through tiny oil passages. I can't imagine it's lubricating very well.

There are also Honda engines I'm aware of which have been running 0w20 from day 1, and have over 600,000 miles on them - with aluminum blocks. Honda and Toyota have been running much thinner oils in Japan for decades than you can buy in the US even today.

https://www.eneos.us/blog/going-low-viscocity/

Nippon Oil & Energy USA, Inc., reports that 0W-16 showed an improvement in fuel efficiency by two percent compared to a 0W-20 when tested in the popular Honda Fit using their chassis dynamometers.

A Japanese automaker has already used 0W-8 for their factory fills in Japan since 2012 and may move on studying “super low viscosity oil,” which may be lower than 0W-8.

As for whether it's safe or worth it, I can't speak directly to that. However Honda has been filling their hybrids and L15 motors (including those with turbos I believe) with something that resembles a 0w8 for around 8 years now.

[MeteorGray]

Yeah, being an old guy growing up in the 1950s, it's hard for me to pour 0W20 in my Mazda's crankcase. When I first started changing my family's oil, we were using straight 30W or 10W30 and 10W40. Heck, I still use 15W40 in my '96 F250 diesel. So the 0W20 is a big change for me.

But it seems to work well. I regularly experience temperatures in the 90s during the summertime, topping 100F occasionally, and the Mazda seems to take it fine with the thin brew. Of course, I haven't bothered to install an oil pressure gauge, so I don't know what that's doing, but the engine seems fine and uses no oil between changes. So, what's to worry?

[2016 Versa]

Originally Posted by MeteorGray

Yeah, being an old guy growing up in the 1950s, it's hard for me to pour 0W20 in my Mazda's crankcase. When I first started changing my family's oil, we were using straight 30W or 10W30 and 10W40. Heck, I still use 15W40 in my '96 F250 diesel. So the 0W20 is a big change for me.

I guess we're both just old school. I grew up in the '60-70's. I too remember when dad used 30W in his car and changed it every 1K miles if I remember correctly. When he traded for a new Mercury Montego in 1968 I think that's when he started using multi viscosity oil. At the time the recommended fill for new Fords was Motorcraft 20w40 at 6K mile intervals. After awhile dad started using 10w40 and continued to use it for years until he finally went to 10w30 on a 1999 Grand Marquis the last car he had before his death and the one mom still owns. I bought my first car in 1977. I started using 10w40 in it and for the most part I've been running 10w40 ever since. I've used various brands over the years. Usually when I buy oil I buy it on sale and buy several cases at a time so I may run 50-100K miles on the same oil then change to another brand that I've found at a good deal. The oil I'm using in my Versa is Citgo Supergard that I bought probably 15-20 years ago at a store grand opening at 2qts./$1. I haven't done a count on it lately but I've probably still got 3-4 cases of it. At 3.2qts. per 5-6K mile change interval a case will last approximately 20-24K miles. Nissan recommends 5K mile change intervals but when I drain the oil if I get some of it on my hands it's still just a dark honey color, nowhere near black and feels like it's still got great lubrication properties. I don't do oil analysis on my oil but if I did I'd be willing to bet they wouldn't recommend an oil change no more often than 7500. Someone on another forum told me he did 9K mile intervals on 10w40 conventional and his engines outlasted the rest of the car.

[Ecky]

I can't see the harm in using a thinner winter weight. I ran 0w30 with 7500 change intervals in my 1995 F150 for years, which had Ford's 300CID, an engine which came into service in 1965. It was quiet and smooth with that viscosity of oil.

[2016 Versa]

Don't anyone take me the wrong way I'm by no means a lubrication specialist, but you can find something somewhere on the internet to back your view on about any subject. I remember reading an article a few years ago online that said 15w40 was probably the best trade off of any weight available. Just today I found this. https://www.machinerylubrication.com...518/motor-oils I guess the main reason I stick with 10w40 in my vehicles is because over a 43 year period and approx. 1M miles they've worked great for me. Living in KY our climate as a general rule falls between 0*-100*F and 10w40 specs fall within that range. I think I have either some 5w30 or 10w30 or possibly both in the garage that I bought a couple years ago that if I live long enough I'll eventually try but, at my age it's likely my son will end up using some of the oil I've purchased over the past few years. I'm still using 10w40 Exxon Superflo in my '97 Ford Escort that I bought in the '90's so I'm trying to use up the older stuff before moving on to the newer stuff. I started using the Superflo at the first oil change and have been using it ever since. I know now they say it's safe to use multi viscosity oils in small engines but for years they advised against it because of excessive oil consuption. I still use 30w in my lawn mowers.

[redneck]

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[arcosine]

.Ive run 0-w20 for 75 k miles, no ill effects.

I have a question, when does the majority of engine wear occur?

Start up.

Which oil reaches the bearings first, a thick oil or a thin oil? Well of course the oil that flows easiest. There is an pressure regulator, so when cold both oils have the same pressure. I took the regulator out of my moms 75 le mans, because it broke, and the oil filter puffed up.

My Saturn engine is designed for 100 hp at 5000 rpm, I rarely go over 3000, usually its under 2000. Like I said 75k no ill effects. I can lug it under 1000 rpm and no oil light comes on.

The Saturn will rust through before the engine wears out.


In the early 80s's I had a 68 beetle. I put a teflon oil treatment in the engine. I had to turn down the idle afterward. Is the Saturn idling faster now? Maybe, its hard to tell, but does seem faster. I have the aux air port mostly plugged.

If I had an escort with 500k id probably use 10w40 too, especially if it knocked with thinner oil. I use to use 10w-40, then 5-w30. I started 0-w20 when I first saw in at Walmart, about 20 years ago. Diesels need thicker oil, I use 0w40 in my TDI.

[Ecky]

Honda calls for 0w20 in their diesels.

[nemo]

There have been multiple change since the 70s that have effected engine longevity. The more complete combustion of fuel, with the use of EFI and high energy ignitions have significantly reduced the contamination of oil. The fuel its self has had a significant reduction in contaminates.

2012 Fiesta 5W20
2006 GP 5W30

If I had a 70s Escort that had been running 10W40 and had a garage full I would continue using it also.