[AlejandroJayy]

I’ve been getting 5w20 synthetic oil in my Optima but I’ve been reading 5w30 is better. Is 5w20 okay for this Optima?

 

[Turbonut]

See you're using synthetic, and assume it's a 2.4 engine, so 5w-20 would be fine.

 

[AlejandroJayy]

See you're using synthetic, and assume it's a 2.4 engine, so 5w-20 would be fine.

thank you 🥴

 

[Joemsj51]

I’ve been getting 5w20 synthetic oil in my Optima but I’ve been reading 5w30 is better. Is 5w20 okay for this Optima?

Yes, 5w30 would be my preference, unless you live above the Midwest region.

The dealer 5w20 synblend by Total Petro is pretty thin viscosity especially at the end of the OCI) and remained amber in my 2.0 Kia for the entire 3k. That dealer offering was the only oil in my OCI routine with this Kia, to not turn almost black by the end of it's OCI, instead remaining amber brown. That left me an impression that the base oil / additives package of the synblend is nothing more than just serviceable. I've been doing oil changes since 1969 and well versed in how to manage each vehicle I've owned..... all for a lifetime (first & last owner)

Use full synthetic name brands like Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, Quaker State and Mobil-1, for best results. My OCIs are now 3.75K of mostly slow city driving and that seems perfect for my 2.0 MPI, which only holds 4.25 quarts of oil. I use 5w30 in my 2.4 GDI Hyundai also. Same ritual in the 2.4, as in our Kia 2.0.

Thats what I recommend for Kia and Hyundai four cylinder GDI / TGDI engines. .... 5w30 and 4k OCI. If anyone should own a 1.6 engine in your Kia or Hyundai, use thickest viscosity possible..... 5w40 if allowed in your owner manual.

 

[Turbonut]

Yes, 5w30 would be my preference, unless you live above the Midwest region.

The dealer 5w20 synblend by Total Petro is pretty thin viscosity especially at the end of the OCI) and remained amber in my 2.0 Kia for the entire 3k. That dealer offering was the only oil in my OCI routine with this Kia, to not turn almost black by the end of it's OCI, instead remaining amber brown. That left me an impression that the base oil / additives package of the synblend is nothing more than just serviceable. I've been doing oil changes since 1969 and well versed in how to manage each vehicle I've owned..... all for a lifetime (first & last owner)

Use full synthetic name brands like Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, Quaker State and Mobil-1, for best results. My OCIs are now 3.75K of mostly slow city driving and that seems perfect for my 2.0 MPI, which only holds 4.25 quarts of oil. I use 5w30 in my 2.4 GDI Hyundai also. Same ritual in the 2.4, as in our Kia 2.0.

Thats what I recommend for Kia and Hyundai four cylinder GDI / TGDI engines. .... 5w30 and 4k OCI. If anyone should own a 1.6 engine in your Kia or Hyundai, use thickest viscosity possible..... 5w40 if allowed in your owner manual.

Absolutely ridiculous with the oil change intervals as well as the grades. What a waste of time and money. NOBODY has ever tied the demise of the Kia engine, or any other that I know of on oil, as long as you use the specific SAE spec as required along with the recommended oil change intervals.
Do have a question for you as you're all over these oil threads with your vast experience, ever been a fulltime mechanic? Ever involved in modified or drag racing? Ever do engine building?

 

[KingFatty]

I've read that you should NOT rely on the oil color or darkness over time as a way to judge the oil when you change it.

Instead, submit the oil for testing, like Blackstone or other services that chemically analyze the oil for contaminants and viscosity breakdown.

Another issue, is that engines might dilute the oil with fuel for example, and that will affect the viscosity over time, regardless of how fancy or expensive the oil is. Adding fuel to the oil is not something you'd expect, but here we are.

Also you might advise different things depending on whether the engine has a turbo, which gets very hot and then when you park, the oil stops flowing and sits in the very hot turbo. So perhaps you have less flexibility on how you manage your oil change intervals, if you have a turbo. But on the non-turbo, maybe you can extend the oil change interval a bit.

 

[Turbonut]

Never shut the engine off after a long run with the turbo spooled, that's why they have turbo timers..........I have one on our RX7 Turbo.
You want to see fuel in the oil, look no farther than the rotary.

 

[K5 Optima Store]

I'm just curious what you meant by "Special Edition" when mentioning it was a 2020 Kia Optima LX.

What is different about this particular model from others?

 

[Turbonut]

Aging Kia Optima Hopes To Undercut Rivals With New Special Edition

The Kia Optima Special Edition undercuts competitors while offering popular features such as heated leather seats, and more.

www.motor1.com

 

[K5 Optima Store]

Aging Kia Optima Hopes To Undercut Rivals With New Special Edition

The Kia Optima Special Edition undercuts competitors while offering popular features such as heated leather seats, and more.

www.motor1.com

Thanks for the link!

 

[bobad]

Yes, 5w30 would be my preference, unless you live above the Midwest region.

The dealer 5w20 synblend by Total Petro is pretty thin viscosity especially at the end of the OCI) and remained amber in my 2.0 Kia for the entire 3k. That dealer offering was the only oil in my OCI routine with this Kia, to not turn almost black by the end of it's OCI, instead remaining amber brown. That left me an impression that the base oil / additives package of the synblend is nothing more than just serviceable. I've been doing oil changes since 1969 and well versed in how to manage each vehicle I've owned..... all for a lifetime (first & last owner)

Use full synthetic name brands like Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, Quaker State and Mobil-1, for best results. My OCIs are now 3.75K of mostly slow city driving and that seems perfect for my 2.0 MPI, which only holds 4.25 quarts of oil. I use 5w30 in my 2.4 GDI Hyundai also. Same ritual in the 2.4, as in our Kia 2.0.

Thats what I recommend for Kia and Hyundai four cylinder GDI / TGDI engines. .... 5w30 and 4k OCI. If anyone should own a 1.6 engine in your Kia or Hyundai, use thickest viscosity possible..... 5w40 if allowed in your owner manual.

Great advice!

Will just say that the main reason 5w20 is being pushed is for mileage. With manufacturers under great pressure from government and competition, every fraction of an MPG is important.

I will also add that engines and oils are both so good these days that even a not-so-great oil choice should get you 150K trouble-free miles. If you intend to keep your car beyond that, it's smart to use better oil and keep it changed.

 

[Wade Hampton]

I’ve been getting 5w20 synthetic oil in my Optima but I’ve been reading 5w30 is better. Is 5w20 okay for this Optima?

Kia Optima 2.4 L are fairly " high geared" motors for better MPG. Typically, about 1500 RPM at around 45 mph in city driving. I live in Southern California, and we get plenty of days in the 90 to 100 F range for several summer months. So you have higher ambient temps, AC unit on, and low rpm operation. So with a low viscosity oil you have (5-20) you have no margin for lack of film strength. The worst case scenario for engines is high temperatures and low RPM with high roll-on of throtle is the maximum Rod bearing and Main bearing pressure being exerted. I would not trust this to yield a long engine life with a viscosity 0w-20w or a 5w-20w. At what end do you hope to gain by going to low visc oil, a I/2 mpg. The penalty for going low is nothing but engine harm or failure.

 

[Turbonut]

Kia Optima 2.4 L are fairly " high geared" motors for better MPG. Typically, about 1500 RPM at around 45 mph in city driving. I live in Southern California, and we get plenty of days in the 90 to 100 F range for several summer months. So you have higher ambient temps, AC unit on, and low rpm operation. So with a low viscosity oil you have (5-20) you have no margin for lack of film strength. The worst case scenario for engines is high temperatures and low RPM with high roll-on of throtle is the maximum Rod bearing and Main bearing pressure being exerted. I would not trust this to yield a long engine life with a viscosity 0w-20w or a 5w-20w. At what end do you hope to gain by going to low visc oil, a I/2 mpg. The penalty for going low is nothing but engine harm or failure.

When the last time you've heard of an engine destroyed because of the oil? Got any data supporting your theory? Guess all the cars with 0-20 and/or 5-20 are going to blow the engines.
Ridiculous!

 

[Joemsj51]

Engine life with these Korean name-plates with four cylinder engines is longer using 10-11cst 5w30 [email protected], versus a typical 5w20 with [email protected] Less metal shavings in the oil pans, with those using 5w30, versus thinner 0w/5w20 oils at basically the same odometer readings for both.

A blind man would even agree. I've recently read increasing number of board members with GDI / TGDIs now switching to 0W/5w40 SN certified oils, to alleviate symptoms associated with loud engine noises and ridiculous consumption issues. All these members have been issuing thumbs-up with improvements ever since.

(one example)
A member two weeks ago reported that he lost an engine at 70k a few years ago. Kia replaced the block and a few parts. At 3k of this newly rebuilt replacement engine, the owner switched to 5w40. He now has 100k on this engine, without issues to-date. Same engine basically. This one doesn't use multiple quarts of oil at 3K OCIs. It doesn't smoke. Engine remains quiet during use. If it gets super cold outside, he uses 0w40.

Have fun giving kudos to the 20w Turbonut. Hope it works well for you. But I like my odds of longer life using a stocky 30w more.

 

[Wade Hampton]

When the last time you've heard of an engine destroyed because of the oil? Got any data supporting your theory? Guess all the cars with 0-20 and/or 5-20 are going to blow the engines.
Ridiculous!

Engine life with these Korean name-plates with four cylinder engines is longer using 10-11cst 5w30 [email protected], versus a typical 5w20 with [email protected] Less metal shavings in the oil pans, with those using 5w30, versus thinner 0w/5w20 oils at basically the same odometer readings for both.

A blind man would even agree. I've recently read increasing number of board members with GDI / TGDIs now switching to 0W/5w40 SN certified oils, to alleviate symptoms associated with loud engine noises and ridiculous consumption issues. All these members have been issuing thumbs-up with improvements ever since.

A member two weeks ago lost an engine at 70k a few years ago. Kia replaced the block and a few parts. At 3k of this new remanufactured engine, the owner switched to 5w40. He now has 100k on this engine, without issues to-date.

Have fun giving kudos to the 20w Turbonut. Hope it works well for you. But I like my odds of longer life using a stocky 30w more.

We have had plenty Kia Optima engines blow up, mainly from a so called "shavings left " in the crankshaft machining process. But blown motors are many times caused by other failures that have nothing to do with chips. I raced many years in sports car events,both in sprint type events (50 and up laps) and 6 to 24 Hour endurance events over a period of 20 years. The original Synthetic oils were pitched to race teams as run lower viscosity (more HP) - can run higher oil temps (no oil component break-down) - hence better lubrication. After a large number of engine explosions,out went Mobil Oil low visc. synthetics, until more dyno runs and evaluations were conducted by multitudes of car manufacturers. Viscosity must be related to use in several arenas. Operating tempts, operating loads, RPM ranges, oil tempts themselves, and several other factors. The area of valve to cam shaft interface is by the way, the most heavily loaded (lbs/sq,in) in an engine. We lost a few 24 Hours of Daytona due to cam shaft failure caused by lubrication viscosity failure. Engine bearings were fine. So I'm just saying, there is only disaster waiting in going to a lower viscosity for questionable gains in some imaginary performance area. My particular 2011 Optima Ex now has !72,000+miles with 5-30wt Mobil 1, then switched to 10-40wt after 115,,000 miles. I also own a 2013 Optima.

 

[Turbonut]

We have had plenty Kia Optima engines blow up, mainly from a so called "shavings left " in the crankshaft machining process. But blown motors are many times caused by other failures that have nothing to do with chips. I raced many years in sports car events,both in sprint type events (50 and up laps) and 6 to 24 Hour endurance events over a period of 20 years. The original Synthetic oils were pitched to race teams as run lower viscosity (more HP) - can run higher oil temps (no oil component break-down) - hence better lubrication. After a large number of engine explosions,out went Mobil Oil low visc. synthetics, until more dyno runs and evaluations were conducted by multitudes of car manufacturers. Viscosity must be related to use in several arenas. Operating tempts, operating loads, RPM ranges, oil tempts themselves, and several other factors. The area of valve to cam shaft interface is by the way, the most heavily loaded (lbs/sq,in) in an engine. We lost a few 24 Hours of Daytona due to cam shaft failure caused by lubrication viscosity failure. Engine bearings were fine. So I'm just saying, there is only disaster waiting in going to a lower viscosity for questionable gains in some imaginary performance area. My particular 2011 Optima Ex now has !72,000+miles with 5-30wt Mobil 1, then switched to 10-40wt after 115,,000 miles. I also own a 2013 Optima.

If you believe that the engine failures were from, as you call shavings chips, that's your first problem believing Hyundai/Kia. There has been NO association with Hyundai/Kia engine failure related to oil viscosity, I repeat NO failures, and if one races and and is dumb enough to use the incorrect oil, well, that's on you, if it were viscosity related and not a poor cam core, tight lifter bore, heavy springs, or just poor oil circulation. I've had pistons go through blocks, spun bearings, dropped valves, you name it I've had it happen, but in real life driving, I still say, oil has never caused an engine failure, providing the oil used was spec'd by the manufacturer.

If you're using your car as an example, what good is that? There have been engines replaced at 7,000 miles to over 200,000 miles, so what does viscosity have to do with failures, all in your head. Typical thinking, I'll use a higher viscosity and the engine will last longer, not very good thinking. Out of millions of these engine produced, @ 300,000 have been replaced and it's not due to the wrong viscosity used. I've said it before, if it were a viscosity issue wouldn't one think that the engineers at Hyundai/Kia would issue a recall/TSB to change the viscosity recommended, no just poor engineering in block design. Stick with what is recommended, nothing more one can do as no maintenance or type of oil will insure the engine will not detonate.

Hope all have a great day, no more oil threads for me.

 

[KingFatty]

I've recently read increasing number of board members ...

(one example)
A member two weeks ago reported ...

Hi Joe, where can we find the information you have? Is there another Kia Optima message board? Are you finding your info on this message board?

 

[Turbonut]

Engine life with these Korean name-plates with four cylinder engines is longer using 10-11cst 5w30 [email protected], versus a typical 5w20 with [email protected] Less metal shavings in the oil pans, with those using 5w30, versus thinner 0w/5w20 oils at basically the same odometer readings for both.

A blind man would even agree. I've recently read increasing number of board members with GDI / TGDIs now switching to 0W/5w40 SN certified oils, to alleviate symptoms associated with loud engine noises and ridiculous consumption issues. All these members have been issuing thumbs-up with improvements ever since.

(one example)
A member two weeks ago reported that he lost an engine at 70k a few years ago. Kia replaced the block and a few parts. At 3k of this newly rebuilt replacement engine, the owner switched to 5w40. He now has 100k on this engine, without issues to-date. Same engine basically. This one doesn't use multiple quarts of oil at 3K OCIs. It doesn't smoke. Engine remains quiet during use. If it gets super cold outside, he uses 0w40.

Have fun giving kudos to the 20w Turbonut. Hope it works well for you. But I like my odds of longer life using a stocky 30w more.

Know I said I was done, but ridiculous statements. If 5-30 is so good then why do the cars that run 5-30 blow up? Got to remember, out of the millions sold, only @ 5% are replaced. If your argument held water all would be replaced, except for the engines that ran a heavier oil, .
Once again, no documentation, just some people expressing their opinion that they really know nothing about.

 

[Joemsj51]

Know I said I was done, but ridiculous statements. If 5-30 is so good then why do the cars that run 5-30 blow up? Got to remember, out of the millions sold, only @ 5% are replaced. If your argument held water all would be replaced, except for the engines that ran a heavier oil, .
Once again, no documentation, just some people expressing their opinion that they really know nothing about.

Nobody said the great oils in the correct viscosities will make engines last forever. But these four bangers use soft tooling in spots and like I've stated in past weeks, if you want another 25-50k on these engines (prior to them grenading), use the thickest viscosity allowed in your owners manual - THEN check manuals other countries use. Some of those allowed viscosities include 0w/5w40.

I am here to help owners get the longest use of their vehicles. You are doing nothing but attempting to tell these struggling owners to continue their past practices. You have become so annoying, I'm about to place you On Ignore.
You need to enter solutions into your replies / posts. Otherwise, please leave us trying-to-help members alone

 

[Turbonut]

Nobody said the great oils in the correct viscosities will make engines last forever. But these four bangers use soft tooling in spots and like I've stated in past weeks, if you want another 25-50k on these engines (prior to them grenading), use the thickest viscosity allowed in your owners manual - THEN check manuals other countries use. Some of those allowed viscosities include 0w/5w40.

I am here to help owners get the longest use of their vehicles. You are doing nothing but attempting to tell these struggling owners to continue their past practices. You have become so annoying, I'm about to place you On Ignore.
You need to enter solutions into your replies / posts. Otherwise, please leave us trying-to-help members alone

That is correct, I'm giving the owners factual data, as nothing you've stated is a proven fact, and it's nothing but a waste of time and money doing what you suggest. I can unegivigolly state that when using 5-20 oil 95% of the engines don't blow up, can you give reasonable documentation to the opposite? If it were like you say, engines with only 7k miles wouldn't need replacement.
Talk about annoying, somebody comes out of the clear blue, preaches about oil viscosity and doesn't know the slightly reasoning behind the posts, other than that's what they hear/say and what they do.
Let's have some documentation, similar to what I've supplied.