[T3] 50w oil
Jim Adney
jadney at vwtype3.org
Wed Jun 6 05:49:41 PDT 2012
On 6 Jun 2012 at 8:35, John L. Morgan IV wrote:
> Do you guys use 50w? I hear some say, "That is a must"
> while others say, "no way...use 30w!!"
I would avoid it. I use 10W-40 in the summer and 10W-30 in our
Wisconsin winters.
Heavy oils are often used because of a misunderstanding about how
lubrication works in an engine. While they may be good for an engine
that's way worn out, with large bearing clearances, or in engines
that tend to overheat, it's really counterproductive in a good engine
where the bearings are good and the cooling system is working.
Heavy oil will take longer to get to all the places where lubrication
is difficult after startup. This is when and where wear happens most
quickly.
There's also the fact that pumping heavy oil takes more power from
the engine, leaving less power available at the wheels. For the same
reason, heavy oil reduces fuel economy.
I did use SAE 50 oil briefly one summer when I had an oil leak that I
couldn't figure out. That leaked more slowly and gave me the time I
needed to get home and fix the problem. In that case, I figured heavy
oil was clearly better than no oil.
--
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************
More information about the type3-vwtype3.org
mailing list