ChryslerChris

Just curious if anyone is using 5W-30 engine oil instead of the recommended 5W-20? 20's are hard to find. 30's are sold everywhere.

Any issues or concerns with the 5W-30?

bripsu

Wally-world in these parts always has 5W-20 on hand.

Trey

been using 5w-30 royal purple since i bought it, ~20k miles so far.

curtisc19

I just switched to 5w-30 after reading that it helps with oil consumption and engine noise. So far, it is true about engine noise! And its too soon to tell about consumption. I haven't read one negative thing from anyone that has used it in their Jeep.

ChryslerChris

Awesome. Good enough to convince me to use 5W-30. I can get 12 quarts for $33 at Costco

tpm152

Yep if you look through the recent threads in the stock section I actually recently finished a side-by-side comparison or real-world highway fuel economy between 5W-20 and 5W-30 (after running both perfectly fine in my JK for an entire oil change). Turns out that there is not even a fuel economy advantage (in the real world) to speak of from 5W-20, so 5W-30 I will tell you is actually better for your engine due to better protection (thicker boundary layer and bearing fluid films) and no drop in real-world fuel economy!

WXman

I wanted to switch, but decided to stick with 5W20 on my '11 after reading in my warranty manual that the warranty CAN be voided if you use any other than "fluids and/or oils other than recommended in the owner's manual".

I doubt most dealers would void your warranty due to oil viscosity, but it's something they COULD do according to the manual, and that's simply not a risk I can afford to take.

Once this thing is past 100K.... I'll do whatever I want to it.

Poser

IMO, 5W30 is better and is freakin' cheap! That's probably due to manufacturers 'making' their engines 5W20 "spec'd", thus lowering demand for 5W30. Either way, it is still '5' weight in cold weather.
I don't think the 3.8 should use 20 oil, it is too 'old' ( used loosely here) technology. What do I know?

RoubsX2

From my readings on bobistheoilguy forum, the 30w in 5w-30 shears down to and stabilizes at 20 weight anyways.

burnout88

I run 5w30 hear in AZ. We have some really extreme temps. Can hit 118 or 119 in the summer months. I have tried both and my motor sounds quieter with the Castrol 5W30. I run the high mileage version even through my Jeep has only 26K. I tested a few different oils on my 4 vehicles and this oil always produces the quietest motor results.