Oil change - can I use 5W-30?

Having a hard time finding 5W-40 or 5W-50...Can I just use 5W-30 Mobil One? I live in Southern California - this should be okay right?

I don't think I would do that. You should be able to find the recommended oil at Auto Zone or Advanced Auto Parts if they are in your area.

I tried Pep Boys. Nothing. I guess Auto Zone, but I am not sure I will have any success.

Any reason why you are NOT using 0W-40???

i used 0 w 30

Well, I am scheduled to have my friend help me out tomorrow so I can use his tools, but I have yet to buy the oil. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find 5w-40. I did end up finding Castrol Syntec 5w-40 at Auto Zone, so I think I'm ok.

I managed to find the 15w50 at Pepboys in San Diego, and the 0w40 at Kragen in San Diego. I'd not recommend the 5w30 as it limited at the high temp end, and that's where you need protection in California in the summer! WalMart is patchy, sometime you can find what you need, CostCo always have the 5w30, but rarely stock the others. Look carefully on the shelf at Pepboys, I nearly missed the 15w50, the top was gold and matched other Mobil oils on the rack! So I had to lift the bottle and check the physical label - then I noticed a whole box of them below the rack on the floor! Other place where I've seen the 0w40 is Target - yep TARGET! Saw a guy loading 10 bottles into his cart - asked him which P car he owned - he was shocked! Chris.

Chris- thanks for the info. I was on my way to Target but thought that WalMart would be better since they have a bigger auto selection. I will definitely try Traget next time...cheers!

0- 40w is the correct weight. Pep Boys does not carry it but most Auto Zones do.

Need to review your specific car year - 0w40 has been joined by 15w50, specifically for hot climates where you don't need the cold start but do need the high temp running protection. According to my 03 996 Manual Chris.

That should be 15w50 right? - Mobil don't make a 5w50..... Chris.

Warning on Syntec - it's not a true synthetic, despite the labels! Lots of info on this online - bascially they got caught using non synthetic base on Syntec, and then hid behind sematics to say that it was processed as a synthetic oil - even though it had a mineral oil base.... Avoid!!! Chris.

They do make 5W 50-

So the bottle I have is 15w50 - I just looked... On the US MOBIL1 website it lists And then: There is no 5W50 listed - and there is none in my local stores My 996 user manual states on page 172: Ambient temperatures generally higher than 50 F/10 C 10W40 15W40 15W50 No mention of 5W50 - if you're looking for Mobil1 5W50, you could be looking for a very long time. Unles someone has a bottle they can snap and post here? Chris.

I always order here: http://www.autobarn.net/mobil1store.html and it shows up at my door a few days later. I can never seem to find it at the same store twice around here for some reason. Sometimes Wal*Mart, sometimes K-Mart, etc.... (15w50)

I think in europe 5-50 is availiable from Mobil 1, but not in the US. The correct oil for US based cars is Mobil 1 0W-40. If you wanted some thing different I use Lubro Molly 5W-40 which is a German oil, but not availiable in a parts store. You have to get it mail order or specialized parts importers.

jetskied - 0w40 is not the 'correct' oil, it's one of the recommended oils. As the manual states, if you live in a climate where the average ambient temp is above 10 degrees C you should use an oil with more viscocity, and higher protection at higher temps. Hence 15w50 is listed, in the Porsche manual. 0w40 is just a good catch-all for the US market, when they don't know which part of the country the car will be living in. Hence you get a good sub-zero viscoity in 0w40, just in case you live in the Northern States, and reasonable protection with the viscocity at hight temps for those that live in Southern States. 15w50 will give you better engine protection for example, in California, Arizona, etc etc - that's why Porsche make the clear differenciation in the manual. Chris.

Dealers and Ruf in Dallas are using 0-40W. It is pretty hot here?

5W 50

FYI...5W 40 is the most common standard approved by Porsche according to TSB 1701 1/05. 0W 40 is the only other "approved" SAE according to that bulletin.

Actually it is called "approved". 15W50 is NOT approved by Porsche...RTF...TSB. Of course this doesn't mean you can't use it.

Use either the Syntec 5W50 or 15W50..

I would use 0-40. I usually buy my Mobil 1 from http://www.parkplacetexas.com/Dealer...DealershipID=2 Prices are competitive, ships right to my door, and saves me to the time to drive someplace to buy oil.

i'm using castrol syntec 5W50 and i've noticed less startup noise vs. mobil 1 0W40. however, i live in a hot climate. if i lived in canada or up along the border i'd use 0W40 in the winter. i really have noticed a remarkable difference in cold starts using 5W50. other than that the oil pressure runs a little lower (about 3 -4 bars) when warmed up.

0W40 for the cold season and 15W50 for the hot summer days.

My Manual states 10w-40, 15w-40, or 15w-50 synthetic for temps higher than 50F/10C. I have a question, for those who change their oil every 5k-7k miles, do you change the filter too?

Yes, always change the filter - for the few extra $$$ it's the right thing to do. Chris.

It isn't about the money it's about a filter that is good for 15K miles being changed at half or 1/3 of it's lifetime.

Yes, but why leave the filter, and the 'old' oil it contains on the car, when you're chaniging out to all new oil? You're under the car already, you're removing the oil to get rid of any contaminants and provide optimum lubrication - why leave the filter and it's oil load in place in that case? If you argue the filter is good for 15k miles - then you could make the same argument about the oil, and just not bother canging either! Oil and filter every time for me. Chris.

I just came back from picking up an oil filter from the dealer, though I saw 15-50w and 0-40w in the parts dept the parts guy said they us 0-40w all year here in the DC area for all Porsches.

Oil draining and new filter installed as I type.

Mobil 1 15w50 was removed from the approved list. Mobil 1 5w30 EP is excellent oil with more additives than regular Mobil 1. There's no reason you can't mix 2-3 quarts of 15w50 EP with the 5w30 EP. This would be about 5w40 viscosity. I believe the "EP" oils are the best Mobil 1 oils available. I have not seen the excellent 5w40 Mobil 1 in stores for about 9 months. I has been renamed "Turbodiesel". The approveed Mobil 1 0w40 is available at most AutoZones.

Also note, at Autozone 0-40w is almost $1 cheaper per quart than 15-50w..

So the 996 manual clearly states: 15W50 for regions with ambient temp above 50 F/10 Degrees C - (so this is good for AZ and CA for example, but not for DC.) And then goes on to say: Use only engine oils labelled as API SH or SJ, or ILSAC GF 1 and viscocity grades of SAE 10W40 or higher. 0W40 is NEVER mentioned under Engine Oil Recommendation, in my 03 996 manual. And please note that 15W50 is also EP, so has all of that extra 'goodness' you were talking about in the 5w30 product. Mixing oils as you mentioned does not guarantee that you get the best of both worlds regarding viscocity, it's not that simple. Chris.

Hi, I hope my post is seen as helpful to this thread 1 - M1 5w-30 is NOT a Porsche Approved and Listed (oil and should NOT be used in a Porsche engine. There is a very good reason for this, its viscosity at high temperature(s) is insufficient for the engine and under certain circumstances may cause excessive wear 2 - Non synthetic oils and oils of ??w-50 viscosity should not be used - they are NOT Approved and Listed by Porsche. The only Approved and Listed "high viscosity" oil is M1 5w-50 which is not sold in NA 3 - Non synthetic oils are NOT Approved/Listed, only Group 3 hydrocracked (semi-synthetics) and Group 4/5 synthetics meet Porsche's minimum standards 4 - Note these details (M1 oils only as this is the title of this thread) Col 1 = pour point (in Celcius) Col 2 = viscosity in cSt at 40C Col 3 = viscosity in cSt at 100C Col 4 = HTHS viscosity (150C) Critical Porsche minimum of 3.6cSt required Approved M1 0w-40 = -54C, 80, 14.3, 3.6 (use at all temperatures in a Porsche) M1 5w-40 = -45C, 102, 14.8, 4.1 (not for Porsche use below -15C) M1 5w-50 = -54C, 105, 17.5, 4.2 (not for Porsche use below -15C) Not Approved M1 10w-30 = -45C, 56, 10*, 3.08* M1 15w-50 = -45C#, 125#, 17.4, 5.11# Note; a) * the 5w-30 version fails Porsche minimum standards at both 100C and 150C at least b) #the variance between the 15w-50 (non approved) and the approved 5w-50 version c) no ?w-30 (SAE30) lubricant is currently Approved or Listed by Porsche Cold flow is extremely important in our engines - hence the 0w or 5w ratings of ALL oils Approved and Listed by Porsche Porsche's Technical Information Bulletin (3/04 or later - E1 701) will confirm most of the above information Racing will require other considerations of course I hope this helps Regards Doug

Very informative Doug -Thanks

So, can someone explain why my official 996 manual fails to even mention 0w40 on the oil page? Why it absolutely reccomends 15w50 for warmer climates? Why using a 15wXX oil when you live in a state where I walk outside to a car that's between 80-120 F at 'cold' would cause cold flow issues? Why I wouldn't want a XXW50 protection for my engine when the ambient temp outside is 110 F? I already know that my 15W50 oil would not be suitable at -45 C I know this because the little numbers on the bottle explain what conditions the oil is appropriate for. That's why they are there. If I move to Canada, I'd be changing out my oil for 0W40 I use the numbers to choose the oil that's right for the ambient conditions, or the cars use, like track days, racing, etc etc So if the numbers are there to help me make these decisions, why would I choose to ignore them - and my 996 owners manual? Chris.

The info in your owner's manual is out of date and has been superceded by info from a TSB dated 7/28/05. Here's a link to a viscosity calculator for mixed oils http://www.baseoils.shellglobalsolut...ending_pop.asp

Hi All, I am a 996 newbie and very confused by the various posts. I live in Atlanta Ga where its typicly 72-90 degrees 7 months out of the year. Can someone please let me know what brand and weight is the best for my car. BTW: the car is a daily driver. thanks -

0W-40 is perfect for your climate. Unless you are tracking the crap out of it in August, the 0W-40 is the best choice.

Porsche will periodically issue TSB's with updated oil recommendations when newer and better oil technology arrives. The manuals recommendations are history at this point. Use the best you can today, not what is currently "adequate". Why would you deliberately make a decsion to avoid the most current recommendations?

Got to love a forum where oil viscosity gets so much chatter. Guess I better start stockpiling 0w40.

Not to burst anyones bubble but I run 15W-50 in the summer in south Texas to increase oil pressure at idle. A 40 weight will not suffice in stop and go traffic. I dont want to run less than 1 bar of oil pressure at idle and 50 weight keeps me over the mark. I believe running 40 weight is just for extra power but sacrifices protection.

Excellent post Doug, thanks again. Enjoyed your read on the CGT forum as well.

There is a new (Jan 06) approved oil list tsb on renntech.org. The oils I recognized were 0w40 and 5w40 Mobil, Castrol, Shell Helix, and Motul 8100. The only 5w50 was Mobil 1. The oils now all have approval expiration dates listed.