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Oil & Cold Starts - Good Advice from Opie Oils

oilman

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Mar 9, 2010
Messages
298
At this time of year, it’s beneficial to use an oil that has good cold start flow properties as it will get to the parts of the engine that need it far more quickly when you turn the key on those sub zero mornings.

The "w" number which means winter is the key here and the lower it is the better cold start performance the oil will have.

A 15w or 20w rated oil will struggle to get around the engine in very cold temps and we would strongly recommend using a 10w, 5w or 0w for better cold start performance.

It is a fact that around 90% of all engine wear occurs on cold start because the oil is at its thickest. The colder it gets the thicker the oil becomes and this affects the rate of flow which affects the rate of wear.

These numbers help to explain the oils thickness and therefore cold flow performance at various temperatures.

Grade.................At 0C.................At 10C..............At 100C

0W/20.............328.6cSt...............180.8cSt............9cSt

5W/40.............811.4cSt...............421.4cSt............14cSt

10W/50............1039cSt...............538.9cSt............18cSt

15W/50.............1376cSt..............674.7cSt............18cSt

20W/50.............2305cSt...............1015cSt............18cSt

Centistokes (cst) is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow (viscosity). It is calculated in terms of the time required for a standard quantity of fluid at a certain temperature to flow through a standard orifice. The higher the value, the thicker the oil.

Winters in the UK are fortunately not too cold but, below zero temperatures are regular features in some parts of the country.

Compare the thickness of the oil at 0degC and 100degC and you will see the big difference.

Just something to consider on those frosty mornings.

The Opieoils Team.
 
I love reading the opie oils info bulletins. I have learnt more about oil from them than being in the motor trade for 23 years. Top work Opie Team :thumbup:
 
If I'm not mistaken, your best bet for oil is a 0w30 - year round. There's several synthetic manufacturers who make this. Even in the middle of summer the 0w will be thinner than the 10w which will help get the oil flowing to the important bits faster.

Kelvin
 
Hi Kelvin


It really depends on the vehicle, in some Landcruisers a 0w-30 would be best, but in older ones, where the engines are not as tight and/or designed for a thicker oil, a 0w-40 or 5w-40 would be a better choice as it will give better protection and not get burned off as quickly. In older ones, people will also go for a 10w-40 as it can help to keep the engine quiet on cold starts.

Cheers

Tim
 
I often wonder why in colder climates they don't use plug in electric water heaters in motors.I had provision for one in an International truck with a Perkins motor that I have owned for 45 years but never needed it as it has always started first flick of the switch.In my prado with the 1kzte motor when starting,I don't give any revs until the oil pressure up and hopefully this system is good for the engine.What do you folks think?
 
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