From 5w30 to 5w40.

[paulos44]

Been trawling a few Audi TT club websites and a lot is said about using 5w40 oil instead of 5w30, which is what ive been using since i got the Tolly 20vt. The general consensus seems to be that any remapped 1.8t engine approaching 100,000 miles...ie. mine... is better protected with the latter oil.
I change it every 5000 miles and have to add half a litre between changes. I have also noticed that it goes black within about 500 miles.
Any thoughts ?

 

[arb79]

Interesting point. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. Peoples opinions seem to be divided about this...

 

[paulos44]

Forgot to add.....5w30 oil in the vw 504/507 spec seems to be plentiful but most of the 5w40 is labelled 502/505 although the latter is a lot cheaper in general.....

 

[paulos44]

Just re-read my initial post and it is a little confusing.....i have been using 5w30 since i got my car.

 

[Stuart83]

Makes sense ... I would have thought that a higher weight / thicker oil would be better for a high mileage car as thinner oils tend to evaporate easily, and find any way out they possibly can!

Obviously a higher mileage engine would be more susceptible to this.

I could be completely wrong though!

 

[SlimsLCR]

Makes sense, a thinner oil will exploit weaknesses on a high mileage car! I would go through a liter of oil between services! I have also read that 5w40 would be a better option, only one way to find out for sure I suppose!

 

[Priz91]

What engine oil brand would you use? I have an LCR on 60k so probably opt for 5w30.. On Eurocarparts seen a petronas syntium oil which I've not seen before.. Usually i go for oem oil from TPS or castor fully synthetic.. Anyone with an input for these?

 

[arb79]

Mostly use castrol Edge. Only because from TPS it can be got for quite a bargain.
Otherwise I would use most oils, Quantom, Mobil etc.
Oil is oil at end of day as long as it's not cheap rubbish.

 

[Gaz7]

5w40 quantum platinum is what I'm changing my oil to on the weekend. Same oil as used by Badger 5

 

[Priz91]

What mileage is your LCR at Gaz? If badger 5's using that he knows must be for a good reason rather than 5w30

 

[Gaz7]

89k , just had new rods installed, still running semi synthetic for the run in period, which again I believe is 5w40 as put in by bill, just about time to do oil change to fully synthetic. Nothing wrong with that touch thicker oil, bit of extra oil pressure, and a bit more cling, keep things lubricated nicely !

 

[Brick_Top]

Gaz did Bill recommended that you stay on 5W40?

 

[paulos44]

Thats what im looking at.....the Quantum stuff. Will the VW 502/505 spec be ok ?

 

[Gaz7]

Yes. Also, please don't forget that oil recommendations will change with driving styles, which is why you can have the same engine , in Europe and in America with different oil recommendations, also the same reason you can buy so called ' track day ' oils of 5w-50 etc

 

[Gaz7]

The quantum isn't a widely available oil to public iirc , tps do it, it's also what a lot of vag dealers use. Sometimes it can be difficult to get hold off ( in comparison to say, castrol edge, available everywhere )

Yep, got 5L of quantum platinum next to me as we speak

 

[Brick_Top]

Yes. Also, please don't forget that oil recommendations will change with driving styles, which is why you can have the same engine , in Europe and in America with different oil recommendations, also the same reason you can buy so called ' track day ' oils of 5w-50 etc

This isn't down to driving styles (the continental recommendations), its down to the ambient temperatures in those countries.

If the country is a lot colder, then its likely you'll need a thinner oil. If it's a lot hotter the opposite.

 

[Gaz7]

Another reason that oil specs do vary yes, as well as driving styles, I.e urban, long distance between towns and city's etc.

The point was, that, oil viscosity can be changed, it's not always a hard set rule that a specific engine must have a specific oil.

 

[Brick_Top]

Agree with that, but

"Also, please don't forget that oil recommendations will change with driving styles, which is why you can have the same engine , in Europe and in America with different oil recommendations"

How do driving styles vary between Americans and Europeans enough to warrant a different weight of oil?

 

[Gaz7]

You're taking things far too literally, it was just a simplified, made up comparison between Europe and America to get across the point of oil weights being interchangeable depending on circumstance.

Continental variation on recommendation, will be a combination of various factors including:

Driving styles
Ambient temperatures
Emissions
Product availability


Of course there are different driving styles between continents , because geography.

 

[wilfster]

Been trawling a few Audi TT club websites and a lot is said about using 5w40 oil instead of 5w30, which is what ive been using since i got the Tolly 20vt. The general consensus seems to be that any remapped 1.8t engine approaching 100,000 miles...ie. mine... is better protected with the latter oil.
I change it every 5000 miles and have to add half a litre between changes. I have also noticed that it goes black within about 500 miles.
Any thoughts ?

I've had my LCR from new and it's now done 127k. I've always used 5w30, initially Magnatec, then Castrol Edge for the last few years. I've had several cars with VAG engines in the past and never had to top up between oil changes. The LCR is different and has always used a bit of oil from new, about 1 litre per 10k miles (my 20VT Cupra didn't use any!). I've not noticed it using any more now than when it was new. Some high performance engines are designed with slightly looser oil control rings to reduce friction and maximise performance. Don't know if this applies to the LCR engine. My oil always goes black very quickly, did from new. I always thought this was a sign the oil was keeping the internals squeaky clean.

Personally, I would only use a thicker oil if the engine was showing serious signs of wear. Modern engines are designed with very close tolerances and they don't all increase with mileage. In the past I've had experience of Ford engines suffering premature camshaft wear due to thicker oil being used.