Greetings everyone,
I hope your engines are revving well!
I have a question about high viscosity engine oils'!
I live in LIBYA where we have this MYTH that has been going for ages about 20W50 oil!!
We tend to use this oil (20w50) with passion for almost every road going vehicle!
The myth says its a good viscosity for our region and country as we usually have hot weather and sunny days!...... And the other viscosity are not good for our climate even if they were recommended by the vehicle manufacturers themselves!
FOR EXAMPLE,
I own a 2007 Hyundai Accent ( American import) the oil cap says 5w20 or 5w30 and the manual adds 10w30 as another option!
Mechanics always try to sell me 20W50 for my Hyundai Accent and I keep going with manufacturer's recommendation!
I kept using 5w20 for years ( I own the car since 2013) and now it has 111k miles, but few years ago I noticed that 5w20 burns (no smoke) fast and I lose ½ Liter between oil changes (3k) So I looked the manual and wanted to switch to a thicker oil but 10w30 isn't available in the market! So I started to pour 10w40 and since the the amount of the oil that I lose was reduced to normal!
So what I oil viscosity should I use?
Note: high Millage oils aren't available in the market? 😭😭
More information about the weather in Libya 🇱🇾: in winter it's between 9-19 C degrees ( mountain and desert areas get below that) and in the summer it's between 27-38 C degrees, and at some places it gets higher to above 40+ C degrees where it's possible to reach 50!
Even the local Hyundai dealer wouldn't give a perfect answer for what oil should I use!!!
Note: I had used 20w50 once and it was awful! The car makes a lot of noise when it starts and had a slower acceleration!
The car felt heavier in response
Yeah I would agree that 20w-50 is way too heavy for cold starts and for normal operation. The heavier the oil, the more drag it creates on the moving parts inside the engine, which will make the engine feel slower. You want a lighter oil for cold starts, but since you don't have really cold winters there I would suggest 5w for the first part. As for the weight at normal operating temperatures, I would go with 30 OR 40 because of how hot it gets there. Generally, you want a heavier weight oil in regions that are super hot to compensate for hotter engine operation.
So 5w-30 or 5w-40 should be a good oil weight for you. Don't go any higher than that.
Thanks
20W50 is the recommended oil for my 1975 Triumph TR6...not something I would put in a modern car.
Thanks