General Maintenance & Repairs Leaks | Squeaks | Clunks | Rattles | Grinds
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

Oil recommends for COLD weather

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 2, 2014 | 04:23 PM
  #1  
idahoz28's Avatar
Thread Starter
Launching!
10 Year Member
Liked
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 266
Likes: 18
From: Pocatello, Idaho
Default Oil recommends for COLD weather

Going to start getting cold here.... May see -32 f or so a few times in my area. I remember the LS1 not really liking it last year. Had some chatter all the way to work (5 miles) I am currently running Castrol 5-20 syn... What should I use during the cold weather..????
Reply
Old Oct 2, 2014 | 04:54 PM
  #2  
redtan's Avatar
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,764
Likes: 17
From: Belmont, MA
Default

Amsoil 0w30.

Why such thin oil, is your engine built to very tight tolerances?
Reply
Old Oct 2, 2014 | 05:19 PM
  #3  
dailydriver's Avatar
12 Second Club
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
Default

Many on here will suggest the GC (German Castrol) 0W-30, BUT, that is one of the thickest 0W-30s on the market, beaten only by Red Line's 5W-30, and a few others in HTHSV (high temp, high shear viscosity).

IF you are unwilling to mix oils (which many are, but usually NOT for good reasons), then you cannot go wrong with the Mobil 1 0W-30 AFE, or IF it stays VERY cold ALL winter, their 0W-20 AFE, or EP.
The Amsoil SSO 0W-30 mentioned above by redtan is also a good oil, and is also thinner than the GC 0W-30, with at least a slightly higher VI as well.

There are NO very high viscosity index 30 weight oils on the market, and the only way currently to get one would be to mix oils as I do (a sky high VI insures a thinner oil at ALL start up temps, within a given HTHSV range).

An example would be; 2-2.5 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 (185 VI), mixed with 3.5-4.0 quarts of one of the high VI, car manufacturers' 0W-20 oils (Mazda Genuine high moly Motor Oil 0W-20{221 VI}, Toyota Genuine Motor Oil 0W-20 {216 VI}, or the harder to find, and more costly, Eneos Sustina 0W-20 {229 VI}.

This yields ~ a 3.0 HTHSV, over 205 VI oil which should have NO problems getting quickly up into the heads/valvetrain, even in Arctic Circle type ambient temps.

I personally use 2 quarts of Red Line 0W-40 (190 VI), mixed with 4 quarts of the above mentioned Sustina 0W-20 (229 VI), to give a VERY high VI, ~3.0 HTHSV oil, in the winter, with more of the Red Line for summer.
YES, this IS costly, but I live for oil overkill!
Reply
Old Oct 3, 2014 | 08:55 PM
  #4  
fleetmgr's Avatar
TECH Addict
 
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa, OK
Default

Why would you change from what you're using right now?
Reply
Old Oct 3, 2014 | 09:08 PM
  #5  
senicalj4579's Avatar
10 Second Club
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (41)
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,260
Likes: 24
Default

In your case I would go with a 0w30

I pretty much use 5w30 all year long now.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2014 | 10:43 AM
  #6  
idahoz28's Avatar
Thread Starter
Launching!
10 Year Member
Liked
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 266
Likes: 18
From: Pocatello, Idaho
Default

I will try out the 0-30. Only reason I need to change in the winter is that I have some valve train chatter (maybe its piston slap) on short trips to work in the winter once it starts getting really cold out. The other option is drive my truck that gets 8mpg all winter... but the GF lives 30 miles away and driving the truck back & forth gets a little expensive.
Reply
Old Oct 7, 2014 | 08:39 AM
  #7  
Stan1911's Avatar
Launching!
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 259
Likes: 1
From: Peoria, AZ
Default

Originally Posted by redtan
Amsoil 0w30.
This is what I would look at.
Reply
Old Oct 7, 2014 | 03:41 PM
  #8  
wssix99's Avatar
Save the manuals!
15 Year Member
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 12,969
Likes: 389
From: Chicago, IL
Default

Have you thought of putting in an engine block heater, like to one our northern neighbors received on their cars?

Last edited by wssix99; Oct 7, 2014 at 05:25 PM.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Topdon ONE vs. Artidiag 800 BT2: Which is the Diagnostic Tablet For You?

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-1

Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-5

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-7

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-8

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Oct 8, 2014 | 04:18 PM
  #9  
dailydriver's Avatar
12 Second Club
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
Default

Originally Posted by wssix99
Have you thought of putting in an engine block heater, like to one our northern neighbors received on their cars?
They were standard on the Canuck cars??
Reply
Old Oct 8, 2014 | 06:17 PM
  #10  
wssix99's Avatar
Save the manuals!
15 Year Member
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 12,969
Likes: 389
From: Chicago, IL
Default

Originally Posted by dailydriver
They were standard on the Canuck cars??

That's what I recall from my research a long long long time ago. (I had the fortune of moving into a heated garage shortly thereafter.). Now, I'm contemplating running on low oil for a while to see if I can gently wear out the engine - in hopes that I can then get a rebuild (with more power) approved by my residential budget committee...
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:10 AM.

story-0
Topdon ONE vs. Artidiag 800 BT2: Which is the Diagnostic Tablet For You?

Slideshow: We take a close look at the ONE and Artidiag 800BT2 diagnostic tools from Topdon and the reasons to buy one over the other.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 11:05:11


VIEW MORE
story-1
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine

Slideshow: The controversial Ferrari F6 swaps its original flat-12 for a Corvette Z06-derived LT4 V8 and sends power to four rear wheels through a custom-built drivetrain.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-26 18:23:54


VIEW MORE
story-2
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built

Slideshow:These GM engines didn't just make huge power, they survived abuse, boost, track days, and six-digit mileage with a reputation for refusing to quit.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-21 16:45:27


VIEW MORE
story-3
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-4
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-5
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-8
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-9
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE