0W20 - engine oil: overview, types, specifications and reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

At the moment, the trends in the development of the global automotive industry are such that new engines developed by leaders in the automotive industry require a more fluid lubricant. Such fluid oils save fuel, which has a positive effect on the environment and the car owner's wallet. Most Japanese car manufacturers make engines that require 0W20 oil.

What does 0W20 mean?

Marking 0W20 indicates the viscosity grade of the engine oil. There are winter, summer and all-weather oils. Summer ones are marked with only one number (without the letter W) and they are suitable for use at positive air temperatures. For example, oil with a viscosity of 30 is able to operate at an outdoor temperature of +30 degrees. At negative temperatures, such oil thickens, and the oil pump cannot pump it through the system. As a result, in winter, the engine starts very poorly and even deteriorates.

Oils marked 10W are winter grade. They are suitable for operation at temperatures up to -25 degrees. At lower temperatures, these oils alsoare starting to thicken. Therefore, in the northern regions of Russia, it is appropriate to use oils with indices of 5W or even 0W. Oils marked 0W are the "coldest", and they do not thicken even at an outside temperature of -40 degrees.

If a lubricant has two markings at once (like 0W20 oil), then this means that it is all-weather. That is, it has a wide temperature range of operation, therefore it does not thicken at low temperatures and does not lose its viscosity in extreme heat. Note that all-weather motor oils have almost completely replaced seasonal ones from the market. The latter need to be changed with the onset of cold / heat, which hits the car owner's wallet.

As for SN 0W20 engine oil, according to the viscosity table, it can operate in a temperature range from -40 to +20 degrees.

Use of 0W20 in Russia

This lubricant is very fluid and, given the information above, we can conclude that this oil is ideal for cars that are operated in Russia. To a greater extent, this applies to the northern regions. Considering that a cold climate prevails in Russia, this lubricant can be safely poured into the engines of Japanese cars and those manufacturers that recommend using it. True, the low upper limit of the temperature range confuses some drivers, because often in summer the temperature exceeds +20 degrees.

However, 0W20 engine oil is great for Japanese, Korean, Chinesecars - their engines are designed to work with low-viscosity lubricants. As for European manufacturers, Volvo, Land Rover and Ford recommend using oils with the specified viscosity. However, you should not use such lubricants in engines that are designed to work with traditional lubricants, because this can be fraught with accelerated wear of friction pairs. After all, Honda 0W20 oil or grease from another manufacturer with the same viscosity creates a thin film. And it fails to reduce friction between parts in many engines.

In principle, the temperature range of 0W20 oils is suitable for the Russian climate, but this does not mean that such lubricants can be poured into all engines. If the manufacturer allows the use of this lubricant, then it can be safely used.

Views

In 90% of cases, 0W20 oil is synthetic. It is very rare to find a semi-synthetic lubricant, but a mineral base never has a similar viscosity. Of course, synthetic lubricants from the following manufacturers are most often available on the market:

1. Honda.
2. Toyota.
3. Motul.
4. Subaru.
5. Mobil 1.
6. Bardahl.
7. Eneos.
8. Nissan.
9. Suzuki.
10. Castrol.

Manufacturers at the same time offer lubricants for gasoline and diesel engines. The cost of a 4-liter canister is on average 2700-3000 rubles. Note that this is more expensive than standard greases with typical viscosity.

Benefits of 0W20 oils

Similar fluid lubricantshave certain advantages. The first one is fuel economy. Viscosity largely determines the degree of fluid resistance to engine friction pairs. And the lower the viscosity of the lubricant, the lower the resistance will be (the resistance of a very viscous oil will always be high). Due to the lower resistance and high fluidity, more efficient heat dissipation and high torque transmission to the vehicle wheels are ensured. This results in fuel savings. The well-known Japanese concern Honda, in the course of research, found out that due to its characteristics, 0W20 oil is 1.5% more economical than oil with a viscosity of 5W30. What can we say about more viscous liquids like 10W40, etc.

Less wear

Less wear of engine friction pairs is the second advantage of oil with the specified viscosity. The fact is that modern technologies make it possible to create motors with a large working surface, which reduces the PSI load. Modern technological processes for the manufacture of motors, materials and designs are also used. As a result, the working surfaces of engine parts are smooth, less porous compared to early engine parts. Consequently, they require a thinner lubricant that will create a thin oil film between the friction pairs. It is sufficient to prevent excessive engine wear.

If too viscous oil is used in such engines, then it simply cannot penetrate into very smallgaps between the friction pairs of the motor. This will cause rapid engine wear. For example, a modern Honda Civic Hybrid has a bearing clearance of 0.0095 inches.

Refrigeration and ecology

It makes perfect sense that a low viscosity oil will circulate quickly and thus more efficiently remove heat from the rubbing parts of the motor. However, almost all oils do well with cooling, so cooling cannot be singled out as a unique feature of the lubricant. With regard to ecology, this advantage also takes place. The use of such lubricants reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, but there is no practical benefit to the driver.

Reviews

Oil 0W20 collects conflicting reviews online. The very first argument against such a lubricant is the high price. Some oils with this viscosity are very expensive and can cost twice as much as popular standard oils. Also, some owners note that Honda 0W20 oil goes to waste. With oils from Toyota and other brands, "zhor" is rarely observed. This is clearly not conducive to economy and the environment. The fact is that due to its low viscosity, it is easier for grease to "leak" into the combustion chamber, so it is unacceptable to use it on more or less old engines.

However, on new Japanese cars, these oils show high performance and extend the life of the engine. Also, the product is not suitable for use in southern countries with a hot climate, and if there isthe need to travel by car to such a country, the oil will have to be changed.