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Was wondering if anyone has tried going to a 50 weight oil on their 550 w207. I can't seem to find any approved 229.5 50 weight oil but I did find mobil 1 that is approved for 229.3 and 229.1 is it acceptable to use them if they have these older approvals? My car has much higher miles 130k and I live in southern california so it's pretty much always hot I figured I would try this and see if I have better performance. There is one called valvoline synpower 20w50 that is approved for 229.5 but I don't know if thats a really old oil that is out of production.. it also costs like 30 bucks for a quart and is hard to find so don't think I want to do that.
By the way I could have explained the chemistry as to why its a bad idea but it would start an oil thread. You don't want to hear about polymer chain shearing do you?
By the way I could have explained the chemistry as to why its a bad idea but it would start an oil thread. You don't want to hear about polymer chain shearing do you?
actually wouldn’t mind hearing that. I was able to find at least one approved 229.5 50 weight oil but it is very expensive. Also the manual allows for weights between 30-60 largely based on environment. Where is 5w40 listed as the only manufacturer recommended?
You can do what I do and mix a thicker oil in. You can also add Lucas which is 45wt for the synthetic and 110 for the regular.
I use Amsoil 10-30 + straight 60 + Lucas syn + a little Zinc and Tungsten. So you can make any wt oil you like
You can do what I do and mix a thicker oil in. You can also add Lucas which is 45wt for the synthetic and 110 for the regular.
I use Amsoil 10-30 + straight 60 + Lucas syn + a little Zinc and Tungsten. So you can make any wt oil you like
Wow thats quite a mix. Does the car run much better with this formula?
I’m old school. Ou run heavier weight oil to reduce oil consumption out to get an engine to run cooler.
our newer engines are built to closer tolerances and designed to run on lighter weight synthetic oils, like the recommended Mobil1 0-40 “European Blend”. I run this on both my ‘11 E550 coupe and ‘04 GT3. Neither runs hot unless I’m stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Have you checked the condition of your coolant? How many miles since the coolant system as beeen flushed and e placed with the recommended coolant?
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Originally Posted by oldmots
Bad idea, stick with the manufacturers recommendation, 5W-40.
Swing, and a miss. "Bad idea" seems a little excessive.
50 weight won't meet the MPG stipulations of 229.x. except in the case it's blended specifically to do that....but not a desirable solution since adding the spec adds to the price and compromises the formula.
Engine design and the temps require LESS than the 3.5cP of a 5w-40 or other spec oil. The spec allows for excess heating and thinning of the oil on the Autobahn specifically. We don't heat the oil up in North America so much, out side of towing and hill climbing. So the benefits of going even thicker don't even come into play for LA driving. The only benefit is smoothness and quiet running. Maybe a better ring seal too, which adds up to a nice experience.
At a minimum, any jug 50 weight will meet ACEA A3, 15w-40 HD diesel oil does. It's the basic generic spec the mfg specs build on. I would use 15w-40 ALL FREAKING DAY in that engine and climate. Rotella is most popular, Chevron Delo or my pref Mobil 1300S. Without a turbo, MB will run on ANY oil in the store, provided climate and service length are observed. People here are silly, and don't realize MB spec oil is just for extended drains, that's it. Normal oil is FINE.
Other oils I would consider in 50 weight are Valvoline SynPower, Valvoline Maxlife, Quaker State or Castrol. High Miles oil will help out with the seals conditioning them, and would be most optimal. MaxLife has low volatility, which is all you need. Wear is not an issue, MPG is not an issue, nor are deposits. Modern oils will not sludge up or leave deposits in non-turbo engines at normal 1q/1000mi intervals.
So,imo try 15w-40, it's like $2/q with modern Mercedes HD specs....also approved for gas. Also I would also say MaxLife 20w-50 and / or 10w-40....a mix ideally. The 10w-40 Maxlife is already very thick for a 40. A spec 0w-or5w-40 is about 12.9cP, where Maxlife 10w-40 is more like 15cP. It alone is pretty much perfect if you want to keep mpg up and it has the seal conditioning you need.
Sometimes I get a jug of 5w-30 and one of 10w-40 and mix the whole jug of heavy oil in summer, and the whole 5q of thin oil in winter. For you that would be five q of 10w-40 and three of 20w-50....that is still excessive visc, but will keep internal wear down.
Consider getting an oil extractor pump. They pay for themselves the first time you use it.
Il'l check back in case anyone has a question.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; May 12, 2022 at 11:08 AM.
The only benefit is smoothness and quiet running. Maybe a better ring seal too
These are some of the primary reasons I want to switch to heavier oil. Also if the car is driven hard on a regular basis would this be a good enough justification? I know a lot of high performance and track cars call for 50 weight.
The only benefit is smoothness and quiet running. Maybe a better ring seal too
These are some of the primary reasons I want to switch to heavier oil. Also if the car is driven hard on a regular basis would this be a good enough justification? I know a lot of high performance and track cars call for 50 weight. Also the valvoline synpower is the one 50 I found that has the 229.5 approval. It’s just very hard to find and expensive.
Maxlife runs very smooth too, you should try it in 10w-40 maybe with some 20w-50 if you still want to try that approach, without going overboard. Volatility is either 10 or 11%, which is the same as required in Euro specs. Over there, 10w-40s are commonly licenced spec oils.
Opie Oil has a lot of data, you can reverse infer what works...
See, oil companies pay $$$ royalty fees to mfg to list their specs on the bottle. It's a very different process than people think. That's partly why we see less licenced products in the USA.
Again, once you are dealing with 40 and 50 weight oils, don't worry about mfg specs.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; May 12, 2022 at 10:13 PM.
Maxlife runs very smooth too, you should try it in 10w-40 maybe with some 20w-50 if you still want to try that approach, without going overboard. Volatility is either 10 or 11%, which is the same as required in Euro specs. Over there, 10w-40s are commonly licenced spec oils.
Opie Oil has a lot of data, you can reverse infer what works...
See, oil companies pay $$$ royalty fees to mfg to list their specs on the bottle. It's a very different process than people think. That's partly why we see less licenced products in the USA.
Again, once you are dealing with 40 and 50 weight oils, don't worry about mfg specs.
I have the na 550 engine, this oil would still be fine? Also is 15w40 actually thicker than 5w40? I thought that was just at startup.
I did actually know about the fee they pay to put that expensive 229.5 badge on their oil… guessing that’s why the one 50 weight that shows it is so costly.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Yes, the 15w-40 will get thicker in cold. The upside is a robust base oil that keeps a higher visc at +150C, the HT/HS value of 4.0cP verses the spec visc of 3.5cP. So it is thicker across the board, and the extra visc and HT/HS keeps engine wear at a minimum.
You can't go wrong with either 15w40 HD or Maxlife 10w-40 either one will work better than the 5w-40s or 0w-40s in your app and climate. You don't need the cold starting of the synth grades, nor the supposed mpg gains. Look at it like this, if you were tracking your car, a 0w or 5w-40 would do nothing for you. If you were granny driving 2 miles in bitter cold to church in Minnesota, sure 0w-40 or even better a 5w-30. Move to Alaska when it doesn't get above -20C and your engine never warms up fully....0w-20 might be the ticket. Your application is the opposite of that...still, a 20w-50 is just too thick, imo. You might want to do lab analysis on your used oil to compare, but wear will be minimal with the thicker oils, wear tests are to see how THIN you can go without excess wear. The default is always slightly thicker for good wear.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Fully backward compatible, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 engine oil delivers high performance in both newer and older heavy-duty engines. Its carefully tailored formulation provides:
Extended oil drain interval (ODI) potential up to 1.5X the average OEM ODI recommendation*
Up to 50 percent more wear protection than required in API engine tests
Outstanding oxidation stability
Excellent soot and viscosity control
Developed in close collaboration with OEMs, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 engine oil is recommended for use in a wide range of heavy-duty applications and operating environments in the trucking, mining, construction, agricultural and marine industries. Accordingly, this oil also meets or exceeds the requirements of API CK-4, CJ-4, CI-4 PLUS, CI-4 and CH-4 service categories, as well as key OEM requirements. Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 engine oil is universal, meaning it may also be used in gasoline engines requiring the API SN specification.
Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 diesel engine oil is recommended by ExxonMobil for use in:
The latest heavy-duty diesel engines, including those equipped with aftertreatment systems and EGR
Diesel applications using older and naturally aspirated conventional designs
On-highway heavy-duty trucking and off-highway applications including trucking, mining, construction, agriculture and marine
On-highway applications operating in both high speed/high load and short haul pick-up/delivery service
Off-highway applications operating in severe low speed/heavy load conditions using up to 500 ppm sulfur fuels
High-performance gasoline engines requiring API SN and mixed fleet operations
Diesel-powered equipment from American, European and Japanese OEMs
They changed the label slightly, it just says Delvac, not 1300S, 2 gallons for $22
Damn, the HT/HS isn't published anymore. I think it was pretty crazy, like 4.7cP or at least 4.5 or 4.1 Anyway it's 15.3cSt while 0w-40 cold start / mpg oils are more like 12.9 cSt, and most sheer to a 30 weight rapidly.
Just look for the PDS Product Data Sheet for whatever oil you want specs on. Sometimes called a different term...I don't remember.
Anyway, it's the bomb. I was thinking about Maxlife 10w-40 since there's a 20w-50 to blend it with. Either way, you have some good options w/o rushing to a 50 weight.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; May 14, 2022 at 12:18 AM.
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