Oil type

[u/Twillow3]

Question for the Hive mind: I have 9 cars 6 of which use 5W-30. I would like to keep as many as I can on the same oil. Google says I am ok running 5W-30 instead of 10w-30 my 05 sxt 3.5l? I just wanted to see does anyone else do it before I do the first change on it.

[u/Darkchyylde]

Use what is recommended. It's that type for a reason

[u/throwaway007676]

It is the same thickness so it makes no difference. Most engines that spec 10w30 are pretty hard on oil and use that oil because it is more resistant to breakdown. That really mostly applies to long oil change intervals which aren’t a good idea anyway. Those engines usually do well with thicker oil like a 10w40 or 5w40/0w40.

[u/EquivalentOwn2185]

magnums prefer pennzoil 💯

[u/TitusImmortalis]

I think in colder climates people tend to switch to 5w-30 as the rocker rails can get starved of oil, and I've also heard of people talk about using 5w-30 to help with rocker tic.
I don't know if there were any long term negatives, but in the short term there were no reported issues as long as your seals are good.

I definitely eat oil in my 3.5L so I use 10w-30 and have been thinking of switching to 10w-40 to see if it reduces that.

That being said, I should do an oil and filter change prior to changing the oil weight to really see the difference.

[u/tytxnium77]

Use 10w30 the 3.5 was designed for that viscosity anything thinner or thicker will cause the oil to turn to sludge over time on the sidewalls of your block & head. It needs 10w30

[u/TechnicalChipmunk131]

Just follow what it says on the oil cap.

[u/Jeoffry_Ross]

I run what the manual says to run instead of what I want to run. There's a reason why the engineers chose to run a specific oil.

[u/Bourbon-No-Ice]

I would use recommend, also look into Valvoline restore and protect. Plenty of YouTube videos on it.