Re: <all> Mobil One 5W-50

[Frederic Gittler <fjg@ch.hp.com>]

At 07:41 02/15/96 -0500, Eric Schumacher wrote:
// I was looking at a friend's English auto magazine yesterday and noticed an
// ad for Mobil One.  The ad featured a container of 5W-50 fully synthetic
// oil.  I have a few questions:

I moved from France to the US in 1986. At that time, the 5W50 grade was the
only Mobil 1 grade available in Europe, and 5W30 and 15W50 were the only
ones available in the US.

// Have any of you seen this in the US?
// 	Would seem to be a great choice for year round use.

I asked Mobil twice, once in 1987, and once a year or so ago: 5W50 is not
available here.

I was using the 5W50 year round in Europe, as everybody else in my family.
We all got the usual excellent results of synthetic oil. That being said, I
am not sure if the same results would be gotten here: there might be
different fuel additives, there are certainly different climates and driving
conditions in the US.

// Is it a good/bad idea to use a synthetic motor oil with this much of a
// viscosity difference?  
// 	I recall reading such a spread has negative connotations in
// conventional oils.
// 
// Using the grades of Mobil One I have seen (15-50, 5-30, 10-30), would
// 15-50 be a good choice for year round use since it is synthetic?

I am not an expert in this, but from reading the label I can definitely see
a difference in the pumpability / flow at low temperatures. This would
probably affect the engine wear in the cold northern climates (living in New
England, I probably have to worry more about this than you do!)

Sincerely,
---
Frederic Gittler