Can i put 10w-30 motor oil into my '04 8??
A guy at the local auto parts store recommended using this oil instead of the specified 5w-20.

 

Yes.


I'd suggest researching more though. Oil is classified under Religious War on this forum. Nothing starts a fight or gets you flamed faster.

 

your local guy probably just want to sell his excessive 10w30 stock.

but he is right, 10w30 is better than 5w20 junk. 10w40 is even better.

 

AZ maybe 20w 50

 

10w-30 in the summer is best
5w-30 in the winter if you are in an area that gets real cold

tons of oil threads btw

edit:

Just realized he was in AZ, might want to stick with 10w-30 since we are nearing the "colder" season. In summer i might go heavy like zoom suggested

 

yeah thats what i figured, even though it is getting cooler out the 10w-30 would still be nice. and really that high in the summer??

 

It really depends on how hot it gets and how long each of your drives are. Search for the oil threads here, there are guys who are running 20w in warm areas.

 

Use whatever ye want it won't make much difference in the long run and someone will disagree no matter what you use. Just be sure to have the dealer do it or keep all receipts and dont use synthetic if you plan to keep your warranty in tact. Also change more often than usual.

 

Please research and come to your own determination. There are endless threads relating to this topic. I am sick and tired of reading oil threads. If your new to a subject put a little effort forth and do some research. WTF!

 

Read the oil pressure mod thread before using heavier oil. This post in particular https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=92
Nothing beats perspective.
Make sure you use quality oil. My fav is Castrol GTX

 

well i did notice while being here in az, i would change the oil then a couple day later my oil light would come on using 5w20, then soon after i added more it was fine

 

You are making the wrong assumption. The effect is that your oil light would come on from being too low. The cause is that your oil is too low, not that you are using 5w20. Weight has nothing to do with filling amount, or burn speed. Nothing at all.

You can overfill or underfill 5w20 just as easily as 20w50, or anything in between.

If I take your post in a different context, then I would expect that your oil light comes on every few days, in which case you either have a broken oil control ring and are burning WAY too much oil, or you have an oil leak, or you keep adding just barely enough oil to get the light off.

When the oil light comes on, it's already critically low, and your engine isn't getting enough oil. It needs to stay at the 1/2 mark or higher (though not above "full")

Are you topping off to the full line on the dipstick?

 

Agreed ...

Also a great place to look http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/

and +1 on Castrol GTX. ... Pennzoil Yellow bottle is also highly regarded.

 

Good article!