Mexico has more than one climate condition, depending one where you are. It is possible that you may be able to safely use a different weight oil where you life than would be OK where I live.
You can buy a lot of oil for what it will cost you in repairs if you guess wrong on this!! I’d bite the bullet & buy what the manual recommends.
Your owner’s manual is the ony true authority on this. Follow the owner’s manual recommendations as a minimum. We’re all biased.
Having said that, I’ll emphasize “as a minimum”. I like to change oil at least every 5,000 miles. You can do more than your manual recommends, but don’t do less.
Also, it may help to recognize that oils are now used as hydraulic fluids to operate variable valve systems. While I agree with JT that constantly tightening CAFE requirements were a primary motivation for the 0W oils, using the oils to operate variable valve systems operation might also be a factor.
My other car is spec’d for 10-30 oil. It can use 5-30 when it’s cold. I can certainly use 0-30 if I choose. I am using that argument to say 5-20 is ok instead of 0-20. Almost everyone agrees cold start lubrication is negligible and may even be a myth. A motor relies on hydrodynamic lubrication while running. The motor is under zero load at startup and idle. Low rpm operation.
I stock four oil grades for my cars and small engines, 0-20, 5-30, 10-30, and 30. Its not a big deal. I use what’s specified in the owners manuals for cars and small engines. I really don’t understand what the problem is and why you’d want to use something other than what is specified.
I’m with Bing. I’m always puzzled as to why someone would want to use a fluid other than what’s recommended by the manufacturer for a $25,000 vehicle in order to save a few bucks a year. Or even, as Bing pointed out, in their small engines. Snowblowers, lawnmowers and such can cost many hundreds of dollars. Why not use the correct oils?
Ok. U all say use what I want. I will.
Stoveguy, I’m in your neck of the woods. Nevada is right - use the synthetic. You’re changing it half as often, so $50 per $10,000 miles vs $30 per 5,000 miles is cheaper anyway, and you get the fast lubrication on the first start, even when it’s cold.
Actually, Joseph, the place where they are telling people in Mexico that they must use 20W-50 is in the mountains, and it seldom ever hits 95 degrees here, in the hottest part of the day., in the hottest time of the year. This is just one of those cultural quirks where someone outspoken convinced people years ago that cars are better protected with heavier oil. And, it has been passed down over the years.
Perhaps in Sonora where it might hit 115 degrees, one might go to a heavier oil, but I do not think it will ever be hot enough for 20W-50 in a normal car.
Here’s a pic I took about 8 months ago of a comparatively low miles (100kish) engine that had extended oil change intervals. Those chunks of coal in my hand used to be liquid at one time and it’s a prime example of what lengthened intervals will cause.
