Thread: Any Benefit To Using Heavier Oil?

Hi,

My 04 GT2 is 221,000 miles young. The engine is strong, never been abused, raced, or anything like that. I have a minor pan gasket leak, I lose a quart about every 3000 miles. The only real "issue" with this car (unrelated at that) is a valve in the fuel line which allows fuel to drain back to the tank when left for a period of time. I have to prime it a couple times before starting.

My question is, would there be any benefit to switching to 10w30? I know of many GM owners who go from 5w30 to 10w30 as their engine ages, Ive known a few who go to straight 30W. Its had 5w30 its whole life, should I mess with success?

Thanks.

I switched to 10W30 the day I got my grand prix. Heavier oil will reduce some valve train noise and can sometimes help slow oil leaks due to it being "thicker".
however, if your going to keep the car for awhile id suggest getting the gasket replaced.

I use 10w-30. It will be a bit thicker when cold, but it wont hurt anything and as stated above, will help with some engine noise as well as slow leaks.

This has been covered more times than I can count.

10w30 is thicker when cold and can cause more wear on the engine in really cold weather.

Both 5w and 10w30 are the same once fully warmed up.

I've always used 10W30.

Yes... however for all the info behind it. I recommend everyone reads up on bobistheoilguy.com then you'll know way more about oil than you ever needed to know.

Originally Posted by tc300

So running a 5w30 oil in winter time be beneficial....??

Yes, there is a real benefit. It will reduce wear on start up all year round not just when it is cold. That is why GM went away from recommending 10W-30 to 5W-30 for the newer GPs. In fact my owners manual even says to use 0W-30 (in my own words) for arctic conditions.

Like Bill said, BITOG is a good resource. The site even has a motor oil 101 class you can access off the home page which is very interesting.