# Best oil for a 97 vr6?



## murderdvr6 (Aug 24, 2007)

I have a 1997 vr6 with 113,xxx miles on it. Right now I am running 5w-30 full synthetic Pennzoil Platinum. I was wondering if this is the right weight I should be running in an engine like mine. I live in PA and go to school in central PA so my car is only driven on the weekends when I am at school. Therefore, I am concerned about using heavier weight for cold starts. Any opinions? All are greatly appreciated! Thanks! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Best oil for a 97 vr6? (murderdvr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *murderdvr6* »_I have a 1997 vr6 with 113,xxx miles on it. Right now I am running 5w-30 full synthetic Pennzoil Platinum. I was wondering if this is the right weight I should be running in an engine like mine. I live in PA and go to school in central PA so my car is only driven on the weekends when I am at school. Therefore, I am concerned about using heavier weight for cold starts. Any opinions? All are greatly appreciated! Thanks! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

A 5W-50 has the same cold start capabilities as the 5W-30 you've been using, and 0W-40 has even better cold start capabilities. Better still, both of those oils are thicker than the 5W-30 when warm.


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## murderdvr6 (Aug 24, 2007)

*Re: Best oil for a 97 vr6? (shipo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shipo* »_
A 5W-50 has the same cold start capabilities as the 5W-30 you've been using, and 0W-40 has even better cold start capabilities. Better still, both of those oils are thicker than the 5W-30 when warm.









Nice! Thanks a lot!


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## 05mk4gli (Feb 3, 2005)

i run 10w40 in the summer and 5w40 in the winter.
my brother-in-law runs 15w50 in the summer and his oil temp never goes above 198


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: (05mk4gli)*


_Quote, originally posted by *05mk4gli* »_i run 10w40 in the summer and 5w40 in the winter.
my brother-in-law runs 15w50 in the summer and his oil temp never goes above 198

I don't think weight of oil would affect your oil temperature.
In my 98 12V I run Castrol Syntec 5w40 year around


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_I don't think weight of oil would affect your oil temperature.

It sure can - greater flow offers better cooling.


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## ricardo (Feb 19, 1999)

*Re: (f1forkvr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *f1forkvr6* »_
It sure can - greater flow offers better cooling.

but would a thicker oil not dissipate heat as quickly as thinner oil?


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: (ricardo)*

thicker oil - higher pressure - lower flow








Take a peak at this, (courtesy of Dr Haas - must give credit where credit is due):
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/aehaas/
From Motor Oil 108:
"One of the members of the Ferrari Chat web site went from a 40 to a 30 weight oil in his Ferrari 355 for racing in Texas. He noticed a drop in temperature but no change in oil pressure. This may seem odd but really makes perfect sense. Since the 30 weight oil is thinner he got better flow and therefore better cooling. The oil was at a lower temperature so it was not as thin than it would have been at the previous higher temperature. "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Dr. Haas:
Dr. Haas is a physician and surgeon. He graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in biochemistry with honors. He studied motor oils since high school where he did independent studies on this topic. He studied the properties of viscosity.
When he was a general surgery resident in Chapel Hill he studied the flow mechanics of human blood. Today he continues his research by discussion of oil products with chemists in the field and chemists from the oil manufacturers.
He has personal racing experience in Formula Super Vee. He is his own Lamborghini and Ferrari as well as Mercedes mechanic.


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## CE (Jan 21, 2001)

*Re: (f1forkvr6)*

What if it flows too fast and causes cavitation, and no cooling at all. If it flows slower it's in contact with the oil cooler longer, so it should cool bettter, no? and what if it didn't matter and ya put in the recomended weight for the anticipated temperature, and not worry about it..I do, at 275,000 miles and going and going on my 98 VR6....if ya change it when ya should, everything is fine.


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: (CE)*

just offering information







- my VR has 50k+ _more_ miles on it than yours does ... using quality synth oil and changing regularly.
cavitation usually occurs when the oil is whipped up (i.e. too full and being whipped up by the crankshaft), and has little to do with high flow rates. 0w-20 has a high flow rate, and there are precious few reports of Honda's and Toyota's suffering cavitation issues.


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## green JettaIII (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: (f1forkvr6)*

in the summer i run 15w50 and in the winter i will be running 5w40 my oil temp stays pretty low in the summer hope that helps


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## animaniac (May 26, 2005)

*Re: (green JettaIII)*

If the latter number is lower then the engine may burn more in the summer when engine temps are higher due to the fact that it's higher mileage but also the oil is thinner when hot, this there for increases oil consumption if the oil can seep passed rings and valve seals.
I'd also like to note that if an engine is old higher mileage one may find a slight loss of oil pressure at high temps if the oil being used is thinner.
This varys on all engines, and can be a trial and error thing.


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: (green JettaIII)*


_Quote, originally posted by *green JettaIII* »_in the summer i run 15w50 and in the winter i will be running 5w40 my oil temp stays pretty low in the summer hope that helps

That's pretty much how I would run my oil, in summer is really hot and your oil will thin out.
Just take a look at your cooking oil, when you pour it it's pretty thick, once it gets hot is more fluid.


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_
That's pretty much how I would run my oil, in summer is really hot and your oil will thin out.
Just take a look at your cooking oil, when you pour it it's pretty thick, once it gets hot is more fluid.

Do you really think an ambient temp of 90 - 95 - 100 degrees F will make that much difference for an engine running 230+F








THINK about the temps and conditions your engine runs and choose the appropriate oil ... (hint: usually what the mfr spec's, + or - "narrow" differences)


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## AZV6 (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Best oil for a 97 vr6? (murderdvr6)*

5w-30/5W-40 ALL YEAR.
Pick a good German oil, Pentosin or Lubro Moly, even castrol if you can find it. VW approved 502.00
most US oils are not 100% synthetic.



_Modified by AZV6 at 3:38 PM 9-30-2008_


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## green JettaIII (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: Best oil for a 97 vr6? (AZV6)*

http://www.worldimpex.com/part....html 
my recomendation is to just use some variation of this oil http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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