I think 6 one half dozen the other...if you use it in extreme cold..I'd suggest 0w-40, in warmer locales 5w-50.
Personally I plan to check oil pressures with 0w-40 and decide from there.
Oil pressure spec is 10-25 psi at idle on the 850....with 25 being the standard...

Firehawk..why couldn't you imagine oil pressure at idle being an issue? Oil pressure will be lowest at idle..Are you basing that on the fact that your car or truck shows the same pressure at idle as it does going down the road? Those are what we call dummy gauges. In most modern autos the gauge never moves. But the oil pressure is constantly changing based on RPMs and oil pump speed. Those are electronic gauges that read the same between x and x psi..ie they might read in the middle between 3 and 80 psi...same with alot of temp guages no days..in other words they don't show real time accurate pressure..they olny alert you when it is too late.
Obviously there is less load on the bearings at idle so pressure isn't quite as crucial but there is a point where the pressure would not be enough to prevent the bearings from contacting the crankshaft...when that happens it doesn't matter that it is at idle..metal on metal with crank/rod bearings is always bad...

 

To be honest, I'm still skeptical of the 0W-40 oil that I use... never mind and even wider range of 2W-50 (if that's truly what it is). The chemistry involved in making a quality oil with such a large viscosity range is extremely precise, and up until the last few years... not the most reliable. Heck, I can remember a few years ago when people were saying there were some issue with Mobil 1 0W-30, and AMSOIL was just flirting with making a similar oil.

My advise to anybody buying an oil with those numbers (2W-50)... make sure it's of the highest quality. Of course, I'm not sure how you will know that. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

The higher the price the higher the quality right? ;-)

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: HIGHOCTANE

I think 6 one half dozen the other...if you use it in extreme cold..I'd suggest 0w-40, in warmer locales 5w-50.

Personally I plan to check oil pressures with 0w-40 and decide from there.

Oil pressure spec is 10-25 psi at idle on the 850....with 25 being the standard...



Firehawk..why couldn't you imagine oil pressure at idle being an issue? Oil pressure will be lowest at idle..Are you basing that on the fact that your car or truck shows the same pressure at idle as it does going down the road? Those are what we call dummy gauges. In most modern autos the gauge never moves. But the oil pressure is constantly changing based on RPMs and oil pump speed. Those are electronic gauges that read the same between x and x psi..ie they might read in the middle between 3 and 80 psi...same with alot of temp guages no days..in other words they don't show real time accurate pressure..they olny alert you when it is too late.

Obviously there is less load on the bearings at idle so pressure isn't quite as crucial but there is a point where the pressure would not be enough to prevent the bearings from contacting the crankshaft...when that happens it doesn't matter that it is at idle..metal on metal with crank/rod bearings is always bad...</end quote></div>\

What I'm trying to say is that there is negligible difference between 0w and 2w oils.. I would prefer to use 0w because it would flood the oil galleys "quicker" than 5w oils. As for the last digit, the 40 or 50, obviously 50 would be better suited to take the abuse with heat over the 40... Oil pressure is critical at ALL times regardless if we are idling or cruising down a trail.

In the end, stick with what Polaris recommends, if that's not readily available, ask a Polaris tech what would be a suitable alternative with the choices available to you...

 

you guys that cant find the 2-50 oil would be 100% fine w/ the 0-40 that they used up until they went w/ this new2-50 oil. i think they went to the 50 weight to help w/ the high heat they have. either way w/ the correct oil chanhe intervals you would be fine w/ this oil. imo.

 

I have used 0W40W Mobil 1 for a long time and I have never had a problem. The key is changing the oil at the prescribed intervals.

 

I viewed an oil viscosity/temp chart and 40W oil is listed as safe for outside temps up to 110 degrees F. It gets hot in Texas but not that hot.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: weedy

I viewed an oil viscosity/temp chart and 40W oil is listed as safe for outside temps up to 110 degrees F. It gets hot in Texas but not that hot.</end quote></div>

i live in east texas and i have seen it above 110F before on a regular basis

 

If it's a 100 degrees I'm not on my ATV!

 

There are things other than ambient temps that affect what viscosity your should run....