winter motor oil
 

what is the best motor oil for cold ass winter New England driving ?

Porsche recommended oil viscosity grade 5W40 for use in Scandinavia and Russia. I'm sure their winter temperatures would make a New England winter feel positively balmy......
A lot of people seem to be using Castrol Syntec - I use Shell Helix Ultra but I don't know if you can get that oil your side of the pond.

my owners manual says for synthetic below 50F use 10w-40 , 10w-30 or 5w-30 but after searching around this forum it seems like no uses those blends . the one thing i do know is that it will be Castrol syntec.

ohh yeah and it does get that cold here !

Approved Oils
 

Comments and link to a recent list from Porsche

I have a '98 with 127k miles on it. It is running realy well. I have some questions for the forum.

I use M-1 10-30. My son is telling me to use 10-40.
Does 10-30 / 10-40 realy matter ? Which is best ? Is there something better ?

I've noticed many manufacutures going away from M-1 and now endorcing Castrol.
Why ?

Since it is a '98, I have considered using my motocycle oil since that has older style ratings.
Any thoughts ?

Yes, the XW-40 weight does matter; XW-30 is too thin for the M96 engine once it is warmed up. Considering your location, something like Castrol Syntec 5W-40 would be a good choice..........

The reason Mobil 1 has fallen from grace is that it has been reformulated into a poor performing shadow of what it once was.

would 10w-30 be ok for winter usage ?

No; the M96 needs 40 weight on the high side, summer or winter...........30 weight on the high side is not enough.

Look for Castrol Syntec 5W-40 or 10W-40 (my preference).............

I just happened to be reading page 168
 

Engine Oil Recommendation in my 986 owner's manual yesterday.

I was amazed to see that 10W30 is actually listed in colder (Below 50F/10C) environments. And then contradicted in bold with a "10W40" or higher statement.

I wouldn't and don't use ..W30 but I wanted to interject this little bit of Porsche's contradictory view into the discussion.

You ought to see the viscosity Honda recommends/uses!

Now that i spent a little time trying to get a better understanding of what the oil numbers really mean , i guess that 5w-40 would be the oil to use year round . the thin 5w for cold start and the thick 40 for normal operating temps. the only thing i question is in january the temps here can stay down below freezing for some time. In those temps does the oil really make it to the "normal" operating temp ?

The oil gets to its optimum working (hot) temperature only after about 5-6 miles of driving under normal conditions. The overall oil temperature is controlled (up to a point) by the coolant temperature via the oil / water heat exchanger mounted on top of the crankcase.
One way of causing oil contamination is to drive short distances in cold, humid climates at low temps - this causes high water & fuel contamination to the oil.

The dealership put in 0W40 Mobil 1 when they changed my oil. If I understand it all, wouldn't 10W40 be the best choice for Houston?

Any name brand 0-40 or 5-40 synthetic should do the trick.

If you do your research, you'll find knowledgable people say to to stay away from Mobil1