What Is The Right Oil For A HEMI Engine?

There are a few things you can do to help your engine last longer, but one of the most important is to change your oil and filter on a regular basis. Changing the oil yourself is easy with basic tools and a little preparation, and doing so can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the life of your car. Motor oil is classified by viscosity, or its ability to flow freely at different temperatures. When you visit your auto parts store or shop online for oil, you'll find a dizzying array of oil classifications with different viscosities and compositions.

Using the wrong oil for your engine can cause premature wear due to inadequate lubrication. If you're one of the many drivers with a car or truck that uses a 5.7-liter HEMI engine found in Chrysler, Dodge, RAM, and Jeep vehicles, you should be using a full synthetic or synthetic blend 5W-20 oil. A 6.2-liter HEMI engine requires 0W-20 oil, which is a bit lighter when the engine is cold. Drivers of vehicles with 6.4-liter HEMI engines should use 0W-40, which is thicker at your engine's regular operating temperature.

If you're using a synthetic blend, which is a mixture of conventional and synthetic oils, you should change it every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. Full synthetic oils will protect your engine for more than 10,000 miles in most circumstances, but you should change your oil at least once a year, no matter how much you've driven. If you're frequently driving in stop-and-go traffic or off-road environments, you should change your oil more often. Check your owner's manual or call your dealership's service department for the exact oil change interval for your vehicle and engine; this is appropriate whether you're driving a HEMI-powered Chrysler family vehicle or any other car, truck, or SUV.

Mobil 1 topped our rankings of synthetic motor oils, and you can get it in 0W-20, 0W-40, and 5W-20 viscosities from Amazon for about $30 for a five-quart bottle. If you're not sure which engine is in your vehicle, you can use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's VIN decoder to get important information like engine type and size, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and its place of manufacture.