986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - New Neighbor Said: "You're killing your engine"...thoughts?

Steve Tinker · 05-18-2012, 01:53 AM

Why would you use 20W-50 in your engine even in elevated air temperatures - thicker is not always better.
The secret to good lubrication and cooling is oil flow, not viscosity. If oil thickness ( xxW-50) was the secret recipe for hot climates, why wouldn't you put in strait W-50 oil?
The oil flow to the bearings is (generally) dictated by the coolant temperature - lowering the coolant is possibly the best thing you can do for your oil.
In the old days, if you had 10 psi per 1000 rpm @ hot running temperture (never mind the viscosity), you were good to go....

05-18-2012, 01:53 AM	#21
Steve Tinker Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 1,522	Why would you use 20W-50 in your engine even in elevated air temperatures - thicker is not always better. The secret to good lubrication and cooling is oil flow, not viscosity. If oil thickness ( xxW-50) was the secret recipe for hot climates, why wouldn't you put in strait W-50 oil? The oil flow to the bearings is (generally) dictated by the coolant temperature - lowering the coolant is possibly the best thing you can do for your oil. In the old days, if you had 10 psi per 1000 rpm @ hot running temperture (never mind the viscosity), you were good to go.... __________________ 2001 Boxster S (triple black). Sleeping easier with LN Engineering/Flat 6 IMS upgrade, low temp thermostat & underspeed pulley. 2001 MV Agusta F4. Last edited by Steve Tinker; 05-18-2012 at 01:59 AM.