5W30 vs 10W30 oil use

I've got a two cases of 10W30 synthetic oil that I bought for a car I no longer have and would like to use it in my 96 3L ranger with 54,000 miles on it. I live in the sunny south so I don't need to worry about the improved cold weather viscosity performance that 5W30 gives. They both have similar performance on the hot end although some websites say 5W30 is a little better for a hot climate.

The high temperature end doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If the ambient temp is 95 F and the engine oil temp is 206F +/- why would Summertime temps have anything to do with it?

Has anyone else substituted 10W30 for 5W30- if so how did it work out?

The owners manual specifies ONLY 5W30.

98v70dad said:

I've got a two cases of 10W30 synthetic oil that I bought for a car I no longer have and would like to use it in my 96 3L ranger with 54,000 miles on it. I live in the sunny south so I don't need to worry about the improved cold weather viscosity performance that 5W30 gives. They both have similar performance on the hot end although some websites say 5W30 is a little better for a hot climate.

The high temperature end doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If the ambient temp is 95 F and the engine oil temp is 206F +/- why would Summertime temps have anything to do with it?

Has anyone else substituted 10W30 for 5W30- if so how did it work out?

The owners manual specifies ONLY 5W30.

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Anyone? Pretty easy question. I think the substitution is OK. Any other opinions? I'm doing the oil change tomorrow.

Never thought it mattered that much but never ran a 3.0l Vulcan

10w30 is not going to hurt anything. I do not run that 5w crap in any of my vehicles. The W means winter (just fyi). 30 is the viscosity when it is hot. I live in South Mississippi and I run 10w-40 in all of my vehicles. I get 5 more psi in the summer on oil pressure.

Itll be fine.

Agreed, it won't hurt anything.

It wont hurt anything it’ll be fine


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I always run 10W30 in all my vehicles, including the ’92 Ranger (with a 4.0) I just picked up. Both it and my ’00 Jetta call for 5W30. The only time I ran the 5W30 stuff was when the Jetta was almost new, but they tend to go through oil, so I switched to 10W30 and started adding a product meant for older engines (which is like a super thick oil) at each oil change. Been doing that with that vehicle for at least 6-7 years now (including when I lived in sunny Southern California) and she runs like any absolute top with 175K on the odometer. Just my 2 cents - don’t think it will hurt anything at all.

Not sure why your manual would indicate to ONLY use 5W30, but it’s worth asking about. Do you have a Haynes manual for that truck? Every one I’ve ever seen has a diagram in the routine maintenance section indicating different oil weights that are okay to be used at different temperatures, including 5W30, which is preferred at lower temps.

5w30 and 10w30 will not hurt your truck. They are both suitable for rangers. I've ran both and never noticed a difference. I tend to always get the 5w30 though. the guy I got it from always used that for 100,000 miles so not going to change it now. the guy was smart enough to write on the plastic by the radiator what type and how much oil to use. he was older so he probably forget every time he needed to change the oil lol.

Thanks for the comments. Agree that 10W30 won't hurt anything. I just wonder what if any noticeable effects it has. I thought gas mileage might drop a bit.

I think its very odd that they specified only one oil in the user's manual. Every other car I've owned - I've owed quite a few - specifies many different oils depending on mainly ambient temperature. Ford clearly specified only one.

98v70dad said:

Thanks for the comments. Agree that 10W30 won't hurt anything. I just wonder what if any noticeable effects it has. I thought gas mileage might drop a bit.

I think its very odd that they specified only one oil in the user's manual. Every other car I've owned - I've owed quite a few - specifies many different oils depending on mainly ambient temperature. Ford clearly specified only one.

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Run it and you will find out.

Depends on how worn is your engine and the climate temperature it usually runs on, here in the tropics we usually use 20W50, if the car has built many miles and is having an oil drinking habit, we use 25W60 or use an oil thickener like Bardhal or the likes.

91stranger said:

5w30 and 10w30 will not hurt your truck. They are both suitable for rangers. I've ran both and never noticed a difference. I tend to always get the 5w30 though. the guy I got it from always used that for 100,000 miles so not going to change it now. the guy was smart enough to write on the plastic by the radiator what type and how much oil to use. he was older so he probably forget every time he needed to change the oil lol.

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Ha! Nothing wrong with getting a truck from an older guy - they usually take care of it like it’s going to be the last vehicle they ever own!

Cheers to old dudes.

98v70dad said:

Thanks for the comments. Agree that 10W30 won't hurt anything. I just wonder what if any noticeable effects it has. I thought gas mileage might drop a bit.

I think its very odd that they specified only one oil in the user's manual. Every other car I've owned - I've owed quite a few - specifies many different oils depending on mainly ambient temperature. Ford clearly specified only one.

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I agree; that is odd. I really think you’ll be okay with 10W30, though. Doubt you’ll notice an MPG difference. I feel like my Jetta goes through more oil if I use 5W30 like VW calls for, versus 10W30. Always assumed it was because it was thinner and could pass by the rings/gaskets easier.

Craig0320 said:

Run it and you will find out.

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Very true. Gas went up about 20 cents a gallon yesterday. I use a lot of it.