What are you guys running for oil weights in your cars. ive got a 2000 a4 1.8t quattro. I was looking and some reccomend 5w30 and others 5w40.

 

Castrol, Castrol Syntec 5W-40
Chevron, Chevron Supreme Synthetic 5W-40
Elf, Elf Excellium LDX 5W-40
Kendall, Kendall GT-1 Full Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-40
Mobil, Mobil 1 0W-40
Pennzoil-Quaker State, Pennzoil Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Pennzoil-Quaker State, Pennzoil Synthetic European Formula Ultra 5W-30
Pennzoil-Quaker State, Quaker State Full Synthetic European Formula 5W-40
Pennzoil Quaker State, Quaker State Full Synthetic European Formula Ultra 5W-30
Seventysix Lubricants, 76 Pure Synthetic Motor Oil 5W-40
Texaco, Havoline Synthetic 5W-40
Total, Total Quartz 9000 5W-40
Valvoline, Valvoline Synpower 5W-30
Valvoline, Valvoline synpower 5W-30

courtesy of CRAZYHAWK




i personally run Kendall GT-1 Full Synthetic 5W-40

 

Is this for no matter where you live? I think sometimes if you live in a colder part of the country they will recomend a different weight. I live in Maine and its gets pretty cold here lol.

 

I was thinking of running royal purple... that is why i ask

 

The oil should meet ACEA A3.

 

I use nothing but Mobil 1 0w-40 (European Formula). It is fully synthetic, meets ACEA A3 standards, is suppose to protect against sludge and is designed for cold weather protection. I also would recommend using the oversized oil filters.

 

What do you guys recommend using for those of us who live in the southeast United States?

 

I live in ohio but I use Aimsoil euro-blend and love it.



for the southeast, maybe look for like a 5w40 but whatever you run make sure it's full synthetic

 

Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil.

The colder it is the lower the number you need so the oil stays fluid when cold. vice versa for living down south.

And Synthetics handle cold weather better. But, we are talking arctic cold (or Maine) for that to be important to most of us.

 

Always the contentious subject... ask 100 mechanic's get 100 answers. I generalize:

Rule of thumb: Turbocharged or abused (flogged hard and put away wet) then by all means, go quality synthetic, such as Castrol Syntec or Mobil 1

Normally aspirated engine (not turbo/supercharged) and not driven by a boy-racer, mineral oil is more than fine.

Per other posters, viscosity (weight) is a factor of how old the engine is, what you want out of your engine (efficiency vs extra protection) and where you live, in terms of expected temperature... if you do seasonal oil changes, you may want to change viscosities. Arizona in the summer on a high mileage engine, 20w50 is great. Maine in the winter, 0w30. Think of a thicker oil (20w 50) as being thicker, and harder to pump. This means that it's good on a word engine, but you sacrifice some efficiency and it's much harder (slower) to pump on a cold am.

The synthetics hold up much better in either extreme and knowing cold starts is hard on bearings, I would go synthetic in the winter in Maine, especially on a turbo motor.

FYI, We (a professional racing team) actually ran Kendall 1 mineral in a 993 (that's a Porsche, ya'll) RSR at the 24 hours of Le Mans and it held up better than 12 hours at Sebring Mobil 1. Seriously.

My last caveat here is don't switch from mineral to synthetic if you have a long history of mineral oil in a higher mileage engine, unless you don't care if your engine leaks. The mineral oils leave deposits on seals that some synthetic detergents may remove, exposing your older seals to potential failure.