What’s the best 5W20 Oil? Let’s find out.
5W20 Oil is a multi-grade oil. Multigrade motor oil flows well in cold temperatures and still protects the engine at hotter temps. Oils have high viscosity when cold and a lower viscosity once the engine has reached its operating temperature. This difference is too large for most single-grade oils. In order to bring the difference in viscosities closer together polymer additives are added to the oil. The result is a multi-grade oil.
The first number in your oil (5) is the viscosity grade cold. The second number (20) is what you will have when hot (212 degrees F). A 5W20 Oil must pass the SAE-J300 viscosity grade requirement for both 5W and 20. The W stands for Winter, meaning your oil is good for year round driving.
If you are in the market for a great 5W20 Oil then the list below will help you find the best. Below are the top 10 5W20 oil options as ranked by their PSI strength. The stronger the PSI strength, the better the oil.
Best 5W20 Oil
#1 5W20 Quaker State Ultimate Durability, Synthetic – 121,396 psi
#2 5W20 Valvoline Modern Engine Oil, API SN, Synthetic – 120,531 psi
#3 5W20 Valvoline MaxLife High Mileage, API SN, Synthetic blend (red bottle) – 114,125 psi
#4 5W20 Castrol Edge with Titanium, API SN, Synthetic – 99,983 psi
#5 5W20 Castrol GTX, API SN, Conventional – 95,543 psi
Castrol’s new version “Ultraclean” has replaced this previously tested oil. There are no results for it yet, however you may take note that the 5W30 grade of their Ultraclean oil significantly dropped in PSI strength from its previous version. Previously their 5W30 grade ranked 95,392 psi and the new Ultraclean version dropped to 78,664 psi. Whether the 5W20 grade did the same of not is unknown.
#6 5W20 Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic, API SN Synthetic – 94,663 psi
#7 5W20 Royal Purple API SN, Synthetic – 90,434 psi
#8 5W20 Valvoline Premium Conventional, API SN – 90,144 psi
Coming in the 8th spot on our 5W20 best oil list is Valvoline’s Premium Conventional. We believe since tested this oil has been rebranded and/or upgrade to Valvoline’s Daily Protection which is a synthetic blend. The PSI rating has most likely changed.
#9 5W20 Mobil 1, Extended Performance, API SN, Synthetic – 89,599 psi
#10 5W20 Pennzoil Ultra, API SM, Synthetic – 86,034 psi
In Conclusion
If you need a 5W20 oil these are some of your best choices. As with all things, even oil is upgraded, changed, and re-marketed. As seen above with Castrol, while most changes result in better results not all do so never assume the latest and greatest oil is the best option.
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