what weight oil to run in winter
 

anyone have sugggestions on what weight oil to run in my 2003 dodge ram diesel for winter time?? i live in central virginia were it can get pretty cold, most i hear people run in winter is 5w-40 synthetic any suggestions???

i run 0w40 synthetic year round...

0w40 or 5w40 is good for winter...

I ran either 15W-40 dino or 15W-40 syn the first three winters and will run 5W-40 M1 this winter. Speaking strictly of oil, other than the "warm and fuzzy" I got from knowing that syn was in there, I never noticed any difference.

Not related to oil, I do like to keep it plugged in if possible.

I run Rotella 10w-30 as a winter oil-- in my usage profile (mostly short trips, no towing), I think it's more appropriate.

Another vote here for Esso XD-3 0W40 oil (year round in mine also).

Esso XD3 15w40 summer, Esso XD3 0W40 winter. Last winter I saw temps down to -64.5C near my woodlot north of town. 0W40 works well in those temps.

Side note, I change oil/oil filter/fuel filter/air filter every 5000 km. Lube is cheaper than parts :D

How cold are we talking here? I wasn't really under the impression that Virginia was prone to artic blasts I guess. Close to 0? +15? If it's above 15 I'd just run the 15/40 in it.

virginia temps
 

it does get sometimes about zero here and wind chills at time -5 -10 so would 5w-40 work well?

15w 40, but we don't have real winters in oklahoma.

Wind chill doesn't count, cast iron doesn't care. :) If it's only getting 0 once or twice a year, I'd just run 15/40 and plug it in a few times a year.

5w-40 mobil 1 - will switch to this on my next oil change after engine is somewhat broken in (20,000 mi). Most wear occurs at cold start-up so the faster I can get oil into the top end, the better. Our part of the country drops to -30C or lower in the mountains in Jan/Feb for a few weeks at a time.

Steve, that's what I ran in mine last winter. Started like a champ all the way down to -20F without being plugged in.

Just a suggestion - when referring to Mobil I, it would be helpful to specify that one is describing Mobil I Truck and SUV (API CI-4) as opposed to regular Mobil I (API CF) synthetic oil. The Mobil I Truck and SUV (relabeled Mobil Delvac I) is formulated for modern diesel engines - regular Mobil I has limited diesel application as indicated by its API CF service classification. I recognize that the 5W-40 designation should be a tipoff, but someone who is not aware of the difference may decide to try regular Mobil I in the 0W-40 viscosity.

Rusty

I was wondering about 0W-40 myself for year round.
Much cheaper thean Mobile 1 5W-40.

What has me concerned is the owners manual says if synthetic use 5W-40.
You know dealers and if you use 0W- 40 and have an engine problem, will they have a reason to void your warranty....just asking...