[ABCGarage!]

I use the recommended 0w-20, but I have seen a few people running different blends. I'm not too informed on the different oil weights and their specific uses so if anyone can shed some light on this I'd appreciate it!

 

[tickerguy]

Pennzoil Pure Platinum 0w20 since I drained the factory fill -- UOAs keep coming back excellent so I have no reason to tamper with what's working.

This assumes the non-turbo engine of course.

 

[ABCGarage!]

Pennzoil Pure Platinum 0w20 since I drained the factory fill -- UOAs keep coming back excellent so I have no reason to tamper with what's working.

This assumes the non-turbo engine of course.

Have you observed any differences between different oil brands? I'm not loyal to any oil brand I usually just buy a mid-tier oil.

 

[bulwnkl]

5w20 when I first got my ‘15 Touring, then a 0w20 crankcase. I’m going back to 5w20 next time. Depending upon some things, I may give 5w30 a try soon.

I like certain things about Red Line oil, but price isn’t one of them.
I’ve also been happy with Lubrication Engineers’ products. Recently I’ve used off-the-shelf stuff from the local auto parts store.

 

[tickerguy]

Have you observed any differences between different oil brands? I'm not loyal to any oil brand I usually just buy a mid-tier oil.

Not really. The Pennzoil Pure Platinum is available at MOST (but not all) Wally World's, it's nicely-priced, and it has served the vehicle well. I have run a Castrol 0w20 once when it wasn't available and I needed to change the oil and didn't notice any difference, but if it's working well why screw with it?

 

[MazdaMoisturization]

Actually It was this very website that convinced me to stop using 0w20 after i decided to do a bit of digging. My go -to brands are typically Motul and Redline oils (the two most expensive by far, but very good quality) But Pennzoil Platinum is another good one from what i've heard. I also like Liqui-Moly because of its direct injection friendly additive package. Depending on what I find in the store at the time or whether I have the time to order exactly what I want from amazon I will use 5W40, 5W50, even 10W40 oil if it's a hot summer. I park in a garage during the winter otherwise I would definetely use 5W30 when it is cold outside. From my experience the oil weight doesn't make a huge difference with oil life- the additive package does. With that being said I recall the engine sounding much smoother and happier with the hood up right after I did make the switch to 5W40 for the first time, and I won't ever go back to 0w20. It's too thin and allows for more valvetrain clatter than I'm used to.

 

[Mad Myche]

Over the last 40k miles I started with using 5/30 Valvoline Advanced Full Syn and switched to Castrol GTX MagnaTech about 15k ago, same weight, and no noticeable change over the next 10k.
Last OC saw me switch again to Castrol Edge 5/20 and I have noticed an increase of about 0.5MPG. No apparent changes in consumption, leakage, or clarity.

Vehicle notes: my 6 is an '03 with the 2.3L and recommends 5/20. Previous owner was a non-maintainer and did run the engine out of oil with no significant damage. It also does have some leaks which I accept as normal with the age and mileage of the vehicle.

 

[Byakuya]

Actually It was this very website that convinced me to stop using 0w20 after i decided to do a bit of digging. My go -to brands are typically Motul and Redline oils (the two most expensive by far, but very good quality) But Pennzoil Platinum is another good one from what i've heard. I also like Liqui-Moly because of its direct injection friendly additive package. Depending on what I find in the store at the time or whether I have the time to order exactly what I want from amazon I will use 5W40, 5W50, even 10W40 oil if it's a hot summer. I park in a garage during the winter otherwise I would definetely use 5W30 when it is cold outside. From my experience the oil weight doesn't make a huge difference with oil life- the additive package does. With that being said I recall the engine sounding much smoother and happier with the hood up right after I did make the switch to 5W40 for the first time, and I won't ever go back to 0w20. It's too thin and allows for more valvetrain clatter than I'm used to.

Odd, it was this thread, and tons of digging, that further convinced me that 0w20 is perfectly fine for our cars in any environment. I run Castrol as it's Mazda's recommended if you can't get something with Moly in it and it's available just about everywhere (though my local Wally World has stopped carrying JUST 0w20 and it annoys me).

But seriously, if ya'll have time to read a good back and forth, I highly recommend that thread. Tons of info in there.

 

[ABCGarage!]

Actually It was this very website that convinced me to stop using 0w20 after i decided to do a bit of digging. My go -to brands are typically Motul and Redline oils (the two most expensive by far, but very good quality) But Pennzoil Platinum is another good one from what i've heard. I also like Liqui-Moly because of its direct injection friendly additive package. Depending on what I find in the store at the time or whether I have the time to order exactly what I want from amazon I will use 5W40, 5W50, even 10W40 oil if it's a hot summer. I park in a garage during the winter otherwise I would definetely use 5W30 when it is cold outside. From my experience the oil weight doesn't make a huge difference with oil life- the additive package does. With that being said I recall the engine sounding much smoother and happier with the hood up right after I did make the switch to 5W40 for the first time, and I won't ever go back to 0w20. It's too thin and allows for more valvetrain clatter than I'm used to.

This was very informative, so if I were to switch from 0w20 you suggest 5w40 with an additive package?

 

[bulwnkl]

The main reason I don’t prefer to run 0w20 (that grade specifically) is that API & ILSAC standards for that grade, and that grade only, have no limit on the amount of deposit allowed on one of their certification tests. Too, the publicly-available test data I’ve found shows significantly higher deposits in the TEOST MHT-4 test (piston ring deposits) from 0w20 than from the 5w20 grade of the exact same fluid.

Here’s an example:

https://www.schaefferoil.com/documents/278-9005-td.pdf

vs

https://www.schaefferoil.com/documents/254-9004-td.pdf

 

[DrFeelGood]

Do we have another good old oil thread starting here... ? I'm so excited.

 

[CYANiDE]

All I would say is to take a look at the OUA that @tickerguy posted a few weeks ago - https://www.mazda6club.com/threads/uoa-on-the-150-000-mile-roll.437170/post-5054647

That should be evidence enough. I probably wouldn't hit 190k on my car for a long time but excellent results from that oil. I'm still depleting my supply of ZEPO 0w20.

 

[MazdaMoisturization]

This was very informative, so if I were to switch from 0w20 you suggest 5w40 with an additive package?

The additive package isn't necessary as long as the oil you are choosing has a solid blend from the get-go. Give 5w40 a try if you want - absolutely nothing wrong in doing so. Oils which I think have the best additives I've already mentioned.

Just make sure you change your oil on time and there's no need to worry. 5000 miles is a tad excessive unless you see a lot of highway driving.

 

[MazdaMetalhead]

The additive package isn't necessary as long as the oil you are choosing has a solid blend from the get-go. Give 5w40 a try if you want - absolutely nothing wrong in doing so. Oils which I think have the best additives I've already mentioned.

Just make sure you change your oil on time and there's no need to worry. 5000 miles is a tad excessive unless you see a lot of highway driving.

Please don't listen to this guy. His previous screen name was GetInline and he was suspended then banned for giving out terrible advice and generally being a turd.

There's utterly no reason to using such a heavy weight in these cars. All it's doing is giving you worse gas mileage and making your engine work harder than it needs to.

 

[Mad Myche]

Back to the original question...

Unless there is a legitimate reason why the recommended oil weight is not enough for your engine, stay with it.

For oil change intervals stick with what is suggested as well; and check the oil level every 1000 or so miles. Really no need for concern if you need to add a quart or so over 5000 miles.

Branding... I have no particular loyalty to any given brand- while I am not going to use some discount store's house brand, I am also not going to spend 10/qt on super premium oil either.

If you really want to know how well your oil is standing up to your engine and driving style, consider getting an Oil Composition Analysis ( talk to @tickerguy ).

 

[MazdaMoisturization]

Back to the original question...

Unless there is a legitimate reason why the recommended oil weight is not enough for your engine, stay with it.

For oil change intervals stick with what is suggested as well; and check the oil level every 1000 or so miles. Really no need for concern if you need to add a quart or so over 5000 miles.

Branding... I have no particular loyalty to any given brand- while I am not going to use some discount store's house brand, I am also not going to spend 10/qt on super premium oil either.

If you really want to know how well your oil is standing up to your engine and driving style, consider getting an Oil Composition Analysis ( talk to @tickerguy ).

How often you change your oil is perhaps the most important factor over a long-term..

Please don't listen to this guy. His previous screen name was GetInline and he was suspended then banned for giving out terrible advice and generally being a turd.

There's utterly no reason to using such a heavy weight in these cars. All it's doing is giving you worse gas mileage and making your engine work harder than it needs to.

My friend, nobody is asking you to switch to a different oil weight and certainly no one asked nor cares for your opinion. You can use whichever oil you want in your car, and the best part is, that it's your decision to do. The .2 MPG decrease or so is negligible to the point where idling your car 5 seconds less every cold start will easily account for such a small penalty in MPG. Considering that you think 5W40 is "such a heavy weight," we are definitely done here. Back to being an asshole to strangers on the internet for you.

 

[Archerfish]

Please don't listen to this guy. His previous screen name was GetInline and he was suspended then banned for giving out terrible advice and generally being a turd.

There's utterly no reason to using such a heavy weight in these cars. All it's doing is giving you worse gas mileage and making your engine work harder than it needs to.

I was suspecting but not that username, I was thinking of Mazda6Suspension.

 

[MazdaMetalhead]

How often you change your oil is perhaps the most important factor over a long-term..



My friend, nobody is asking you to switch to a different oil weight and certainly no one asked nor cares for your opinion. You can use whichever oil you want in your car, and the best part is, that it's your decision to do. The .2 MPG decrease or so is negligible to the point where idling your car 5 seconds less every cold start will easily account for such a small penalty in MPG. Considering that you think 5W40 is "such a heavy weight," we are definitely done here. Back to being an asshole to strangers on the internet for you.

GetInline, why on Earth do you think people care about YOUR opinion on the matter, especially when it runs contrary to every single manufacturer's recommendation? Not to mention the fact that if your 6 is still under warranty and you have engine problems, using 5w40 will void your warranty faster than you can say "oil sample"? You're as delusional as ever.

 

[MazdaMetalhead]

I was suspecting but not that username, I was thinking of Mazda6Suspension.

I'm sure he'll be back too, but this isn't him because the grammar is too good and he's not complaining about the price of anything, haha.

 

[MazdaMoisturization]

GetInline, why on Earth do you think people care about YOUR opinion on the matter, especially when it runs contrary to every single manufacturer's recommendation? Not to mention the fact that if your 6 is still under warranty and you have engine problems, using 5w40 will void your warranty faster than you can say "oil sample"? You're as delusional as ever.

I have no idea why you keep referring me to GetInline... but anyways...

5W40 has been around and widely used for longer than you have been alive. You're out of your mind if you think there is something wrong with it, and let me just say again that it is NOT a very thick oil. It's the sort of thing you put into your car and forget, because it isn't a damn big deal.

If ticker has 200K miles using exclusively 0w20 oil, it's probably OK to use. But that doesn't mean it has the same track record or reputation as 5W oils we have been using for far longer. Since you clearly don't understand the concept behind such utterly simply reasoning there is nothing else to be said here.

FWIW, change your oil regularly and forget about it.