[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.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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