10W50 vs 20W50

SweetDaddy
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SweetDaddy
I live in FL so does the winter viscosity rating really matter? Manual calls for 10W50 but Walmart sells valvoline 20W50 full synthetic JASO MA2 for $6.67.
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TrailDigger 6/25/2018 11:48am
6/25/2018 11:48am Edited Date/Time 6/25/2018 11:48am
Makes no difference except your clutch may drag more or feel different, other than that, not really.
swtwtwtw
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swtwtwtw 6/25/2018 12:08pm
6/25/2018 12:08pm
The winter rating doesn’t matter
Falcon
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Falcon 6/25/2018 2:39pm
6/25/2018 2:39pm
Let's get Moto Tribology in here to explain the actual numbers, but 10W-50 will act like a 10W oil at startup, whereas 20W-50 will act like a 20W at startup. The "50" describes what the oil will behave like at operating temperature... this is the value you should be most concerned with.

10W stays fluid at colder temps than 20W... like negative 20 degrees instead of negative 5, or something like that.

Really, the "W" should remind you that in winter, in a cold place, you may have to consider it.

In your case, unless the climate in Florida changes very drastically, you won't have to worry about the difference between 10W- and 20W-.

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VRR7
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VRR7 6/25/2018 2:46pm
6/25/2018 2:46pm
thin fully synthetic oil reduces engine temps and friction, allowing engine parts to move with less resistance, aiding in fuel economy and a bigger number on the dyno
Torco1
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Torco1 6/25/2018 3:00pm
6/25/2018 3:00pm
You're usually better off going with the oil where the two numbers are closer together. The larger the gap between the two numbers means more polymer has to be used to bridge that gap. Polymer is an evil necessity in multi-grade oils, so if you can choose a 20w50 over the 10w50......I would go with the 20w50. But......this is if the oils in question are of comparable quality. A good brand 10w50 will still be better than a shitty 20w50, regardless of the polymer.
piscokid
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piscokid 6/26/2018 10:34am
6/26/2018 10:34am
Falcon wrote:
Let's get Moto Tribology in here to explain the actual numbers, but 10W-50 will act like a 10W oil at startup, whereas 20W-50 will act like...
Let's get Moto Tribology in here to explain the actual numbers, but 10W-50 will act like a 10W oil at startup, whereas 20W-50 will act like a 20W at startup. The "50" describes what the oil will behave like at operating temperature... this is the value you should be most concerned with.

10W stays fluid at colder temps than 20W... like negative 20 degrees instead of negative 5, or something like that.

Really, the "W" should remind you that in winter, in a cold place, you may have to consider it.

In your case, unless the climate in Florida changes very drastically, you won't have to worry about the difference between 10W- and 20W-.
It is actually rated for flow at 0*F and 212*F respectively. In other words, a 10w-50 oil is a 50w oil that flows like 10w oil at 0*F. Like falcon said, the "W" stands for "winter" not weight. So to answer your question, use the oil recommended by the OEM as far as weight goes, if you can only find 10w-50 vs, 20w50, you will be fine. The manual usually has a chart that recommends oil weight based on temperature.

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