Do I have to use 5W20 oil??
 

Hey guys getting the car all prep'd for spring and wanted to know if I had to use 5W20 oil, I've done some reading and most places tell me its ok to substitute as its only used to keep fuel ratings low by the manufacturer. What oil are all of you using? Why? any problems? Any help would be great.

Thanks.

I have always used what the manufacturer has suggested for peace of mind. Right now I use full syn 5w-50.

I go with the manufacturer spec's, which is 5w20. If you are a v6 then 5w30.

Yes!
The tollerances on those engines are very precise. Don't use anything other than spec.

I know some guys use different grades and for anyone that does why????

Well,

Ford says to use a certain grade oil for a reason. I too use full synthetic 5w20 in my V6 Mustang and on my wife's Focus as 5w20 is what Ford says to use. Plus my Dodge will convert to full synth 5-20 as well on it's next oil change...

ok ok, just wondering, I have a tone of 5w30 synthetic from my previous car and was wondering. I'll go out and get some new stuff. 6.2L is what it takes if my research is correct. Right??

You are fine to run 5W30 in the 4.6 3V engine. As you have heard, the original reason for going to 5W20, both Ford and Honda in 2001, was to increase fuel economy. I still have the bulletin at the dealership, they figured that they would get a 0.2% average increase in fuel economy across the board, which doesn't sound like much, but adds up when you're looking at millions of vehicles.


cheers
Ed N.

I always like to use what the manufacturer says to.

What Ed said is correct about the fuel economy. I was using 5w-30 on my car, but I'm stepping up to 10w-30 this season.