Oil & Cold Starts - Good Advice from Opie Oils

oilman

Online Trader
Official MSC Trader
dAt this time of year, it’s beneficial to use an oil that has good cold start flow properties as it will get to the parts of the engine that need it far more quickly when you turn the key on those sub zero mornings.

The "w" number which means winter is the key here and the lower it is the better cold start performance the oil will have.

A 15w or 20w rated oil will struggle to get around the engine in very cold temps and we would strongly recommend using a 10w, 5w or 0w for better cold start performance.

It is a fact that around 90% of all engine wear occurs on cold start because the oil is at its thickest. The colder it gets the thicker the oil becomes and this affects the rate of flow which affects the rate of wear.

These numbers help to explain the oils thickness and therefore cold flow performance at various temperatures.

Grade.................At 0C.................At 10C..............At 100C

0W/20.............328.6cSt...............180.8cSt............9cSt

5W/40.............811.4cSt...............421.4cSt............14cSt

10W/50............1039cSt...............538.9cSt............18cSt

15W/50.............1376cSt..............674.7cSt............18cSt

20W/50.............2305cSt...............1015cSt............18cSt

Centistokes (cst) is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow (viscosity). It is calculated in terms of the time required for a standard quantity of fluid at a certain temperature to flow through a standard orifice. The higher the value, the thicker the oil.

Winters in the UK are fortunately not too cold but, below zero temperatures are regular features in some parts of the country.

Compare the thickness of the oil at 0degC and 100degC and you will see the big difference.

Just something to consider on those frosty mornings.

The Opieoils Team.
 
feeling better about the £40 i just spent on 0-50 synthetic oil now.
out of interest, what temperature should the micra oil temperate reach? i just bought an oil temp gauge and it doesnt go above 70c (was kinda thinking it might be a dud gauge as it was just a cheap ebay one)
 
OP
OP
oilman

oilman

Online Trader
Official MSC Trader
70C is a bit low, but entirely possible. I wouldn't choose a 0w-50 myself, those oils aren't great as they are a bit unstable due to the large viscosity gap and too thick when hot. I'd go for a 0w-30, 5w-30, 0w-40 or 5w-40.

Cheers

Tim
 
Cheap OIl

I have just been to B+Q they are starting to sell motoring items, no real choice but the oil is cheap. Castrol Magnatec 5W30 and £10w40 fully synth @ £19.?? and GTX @ £17.?? this is cheap and available on most peoples doorstep.
 
OP
OP
oilman

oilman

Online Trader
Official MSC Trader
True, but I have a feeling they have the old stock (not 100% sure on that), but Magnatec was updated quite a lot a couple of months ago.
 

Guy

Has gone over to the oily side...
Club Member
My car's running on 5w/30 fully synth Amsoil purchased from your fine establishment (Y).
 
OP
OP
oilman

oilman

Online Trader
Official MSC Trader
10w-50 for sure, I'd always go for that over a 15w-50, unless the car is a track only car. Any idea how hot the oil gets?
 

Baz

Ex. Club Member
10w-50 for sure, I'd always go for that over a 15w-50, unless the car is a track only car. Any idea how hot the oil gets?

Not really up on oil temps, I used the 15w50 because the engine can be quite noisey and anything lighter gets out of the crank seals and every other seal on the engine .The car does get used on track but at the moment is a daily driver
 

Shaun

***StaGGeRed***
Just to add to this thread the castrol magnatec tastes quite nice. had a sip of it last time i changed my oil filter. :laugh:
 
Top