Switching to Motul 8100 X-Max 0w40 for Winter

[UnhandledException]

My car is a 2017 with 73,000 miles.

As I am entering the 6th year of ownership of the GT350 (2nd winter where it will be kept outdoors 24/7), I am considering switching to Motul 8100 X-Max 0w40. I use this oil in my GT3RS and I have been somewhat happy with it. My concern is the cold starts (which my car sees every single morning) in cold weather (10F or 20F) is putting a lot of strain on the engine until the oil becomes thinner (northeast region). Let's say between mid december till mid march, car will consistently see sub 20F cold starts, sometimes multiple times a day.

I read the whole "5w oil flows fine till -13F" argument so many times but I dont think its worth taking this risk every day. Also I dont drive the GT350 as hard as I used to anymore. Car doesnt see past 6500 rpm as much as it used to.

If I dont exceed 6500 rpm throughout the winter seasons, do you think 0w40 is a good idea?

The lead content of my oil samples have been a roller coaster since 48,000 miles where in the last sample they skyrocketed to 38 ppm. I think these cold starts is partly to blame to this. I dont think the thick oil is getting into the bearings as quickly as possible.

The other thing I can try is ceratec additive. People posted saying ceratec cured their typewriter tick even piston slap - which my car has had both since pretty much brand new.

I need to make sure engine survives until my cayenne gets here as I have no other car for daily duty and I am literally cringing every time I start the car in the morning wondering "if today is the day" the engine goes kaboom lol.

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[matthewr87]

In the absence of any empirical evidence I think it will be hard to say one way or another. I think the likelihood of your engine going kaboom is pretty low regardless.

 

[JAJ]

My car is a 2017 with 73,000 miles.

As I am entering the 6th year of ownership of the GT350 (2nd winter where it will be kept outdoors 24/7), I am considering switching to Motul 8100 X-Max 0w40. I use this oil in my GT3RS and I have been somewhat happy with it. My concern is the cold starts (which my car sees every single morning) in cold weather (10F or 20F) is putting a lot of strain on the engine until the oil becomes thinner (northeast region). Let's say between mid december till mid march, car will consistently see sub 20F cold starts, sometimes multiple times a day.

I read the whole "5w oil flows fine till -13F" argument so many times but I dont think its worth taking this risk every day. Also I dont drive the GT350 as hard as I used to anymore. Car doesnt see past 6500 rpm as much as it used to.

If I dont exceed 6500 rpm throughout the winter seasons, do you think 0w40 is a good idea?

The lead content of my oil samples have been a roller coaster since 48,000 miles where in the last sample they skyrocketed to 38 ppm. I think these cold starts is partly to blame to this. I dont think the thick oil is getting into the bearings as quickly as possible.

The other thing I can try is ceratec additive. People posted saying ceratec cured their typewriter tick even piston slap - which my car has had both since pretty much brand new.

I need to make sure engine survives until my cayenne gets here as I have no other car for daily duty and I am literally cringing every time I start the car in the morning wondering "if today is the day" the engine goes kaboom lol.

From the GT350 Owner's Supplement for model year 2020:

 

[UnhandledException]

My car consumes 1 qt of oil per 1000 miles. Do you think this would get worse with lower viscosity oil? This has been consistent since pretty much brand new. It has never gone up or down when driven in the same fashion (although extensive highway driving brings that down to 1 qt per 2500 miles)

Also, I know the 2020 user manual says this but mine is 2017 - I think the engine lower block is different. I dont know also if Ford has made any changes in the tolerance of the engine overall as I hear the 2020s do not burn any oil at all. When you consider these facts, it might be that they are comfortable with 40w only in that model year. I dont know really if my understanding is correct.

 

[DougS550]

Hi. If your starting your car everyday during winter, Ouch!!, I would suggest buying a Dip Stick Oil Heater. That way your oil is warmer, thinner viscosity for your starts. Good Luck

 

[331GT]

worth it to run some kind of heater or heat lamp? i know that may add to electricity costs but may help alleviate your cold start concerns.

 

[UnhandledException]

I have looked but dont see any block heaters for this car

 

[JAJ]

My car consumes 1 qt of oil per 1000 miles. Do you think this would get worse with lower viscosity oil? This has been consistent since pretty much brand new. It has never gone up or down when driven in the same fashion (although extensive highway driving brings that down to 1 qt per 2500 miles)

Also, I know the 2020 user manual says this but mine is 2017 - I think the engine lower block is different. I dont know also if Ford has made any changes in the tolerance of the engine overall as I hear the 2020s do not burn any oil at all. When you consider these facts, it might be that they are comfortable with 40w only in that model year. I dont know really if my understanding is correct.

So, a quick look at Widman.biz to plot viscosities vs temperature and it looks like at freezing temperatures, when 5w50 is warmer than 0w40 by 15 degrees C, the two oils have the same viscosity. Putting it in practical terms, the viscosity of 0w40 at 15 F is about the same as the viscosity of 5w50 at 40 F.

As the engine warms up, the difference in temperature to get the two oils to the same viscosity narrows to about 5 degrees C. By the time the engine is fully warmed up, the viscosities are so close to each other that the difference doesn't matter.

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