Cold weather driving and preferred oil

[ILLMAX1]

Last winter I had the motor in my 2001 RT10 rebuilt and slightly modified.
Since then I've been using 20w50 and the car has been running great.
However, the weather here in Northeast Ohio is starting to drop, so I'm considering an oil grade switch...15w40 or 10w30.
I plan to drive the car as often as possible until the snow falls.
Any thoughts on this?

Kind regards,
JB

[Bill Pemberton]

I would just use what has been recommended by Dodge over the past 12 years ---- 0-40W Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Synthetic. Good luck and do respect the pedal to the metal times when the pavement is cold, as that has been the number one reason many have had issues over the years. Looks warm out , but the pavement in Fall and Winter takes quite a while to get warm.

[ILLMAX1]

I would just use what has been recommended by Dodge over the past 12 years ---- 0-40W Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Synthetic. Good luck and do respect the pedal to the metal times when the pavement is cold, as that has been the number one reason many have had issues over the years. Looks warm out , but the pavement in Fall and Winter takes quite a while to get warm.

Thanks Bill. Much appreciated. I just spoke with Chuck to get his 2 cents and he's with you...although he recommended 10w30. I'm gonna definitely switch it up. And thanks for the cautionary advice, I'm not pushing the car too hard in the cold. Sunny today, but it's 52.

[Steve M]

That's really a conversation you need to have with your engine builder, specifically what tolerances he used when setting bearing clearances.

If you are running 20w50 now, that tells me that maybe he set them up a little on the looser side. If that's the case, I wouldn't be running 10w30, but that's just my intuition...nothing to back that up.

[ILLMAX1]

That's really a conversation you need to have with your engine builder, specifically what tolerances he used when setting bearing clearances.

If you are running 20w50 now, that tells me that maybe he set them up a little on the looser side. If that's the case, I wouldn't be running 10w30, but that's just my intuition...nothing to back that up.

Thanks Steve. Point well taken!

[Old School]

If you keep it in at least a semi-warm garage, I wouldn't worry about it, just keep running the 20w50.

[Steve-Indy]

20W-50...Hell, I haven't thought about that grade of oil for decades...though it was mandatory in my 365 GTC/4. Of course, at that time it was mineral oil, not synthetic. Have you been using a synthetic version?

It will be interesting to hear what the builder has to say. I do wonder if said builder intended it to be used for break-in purposes or for long term...or both.

[SLYBRI]

Best I can recommend is watch out for brine pre-treat on bridges once you get to sub 40F lows. In IL they spray bridges like it’s a religious ceremony, can’t speak for OH however.

[Steve M]

Best I can recommend is watch out for brine pre-treat on bridges once you get to sub 40F lows. In IL they spray bridges like it’s a religious ceremony, can’t speak for OH however.

Oh, I can assure you they salt the holy living hell out of the roads around here. They spray brine on everything where I live when the forecast even remotely hints at snow.

[capevettes]

I drive my Viper year round in Mass and have always used Mobil 1 10W30. Zero issues. If the roads are clear and dry, I'm driving. Good advice on cold roads and traction as well as consulting with your engine builder.

[theviper]

Last winter I had the motor in my 2001 RT10 rebuilt and slightly modified.
Since then I've been using 20w50 and the car has been running great.
However, the weather here in Northeast Ohio is starting to drop, so I'm considering an oil grade switch...15w40 or 10w30.
I plan to drive the car as often as possible until the snow falls.
Any thoughts on this?

Kind regards,
JB

I don't have a Gen 2 but do have multiple Gen 5's and was the first to winterize the Gen 5, so I know a little about driving Vipers in IL and MI (near OH) in the winter. Like Bill said, you need that oil to be thinner at lower temps. I would absolutely go with 0 weight, which will still be a little thick in cold/freezing weather. I did a ton of research on this, even with SRT engineers directly (off-record of course when it came to winter driving). You're not racing so I really don't see why you would use 20W50. Second, you NEED winter tires. Driving wide summer tires in the winter is asking for trouble. Not trying to sell you anything, but one of my winter sets is on sale in the classifieds if you don't have a winter set.
https://driveviper.com/classifieds/w...eo-series.html