I have always run 10w30 in all my vehicles but you dont strictly have to go by the cap that is just the preferred motor oil weight to use.

yeah
cold and heat change the viscosity of the oil so you have to compensate for that through weight.

Valvoline all the time.

Why would the list contain QS and Pennzoil? They are now the exact same oil (economies of scale).

All the others are sidelines of the big oil companies.

i use regular Valvoline 10w-30 cause thats what was in it already. otherwise id probly be carrying on the family tradition of trop artic. and it is possible to change the oil without the aid of jacks.its somewhat easy for me cause im young and flexible, cause it takes some contortioning but if you dont have any ramps and jacking the car up is a pain for you then get to twistin.

Well for the stated reason above and also that 5W-30 is a very thin oil. My 01 astro astro is recommends to use it. Because of the large engine displacement (4.3L) and it needs an oil to move freely and not able clog it. While our 3.8'* have a smaller displacement and the thin oil would wear out the engine and corrode and heat up the engine chamber. There'* always and offset.

If you want use 5W-30 in the colder months and 10W-30 in the summer months.

Castrol Synthetic Blend 10w 30.

Oil changes are about as simple as car maintenance gets, but you'll still get tons of opinions on how to do it. Personally, my standard oil change day is:

Go and buy oil and filter (stay away from FRAM). I have yet to actually pick a favorite brand, but I stay away from the store brand. And I do what the car says it wants, in this case, 10W30.

Once you get to your work location, in my case home, change into grubbies. I have yet to do an oil change without wearing some.

While the engine is still hot, place your catch pan, and pull the drain plug (I personally don't use ramps. I can reach the plug without them from the passenger side). I was always taught t do this while the engine was warm so that the oil is thinner and drains better. Plus, and impurities don't have time to settle and stay behind (this is one of the opinion parts)

When the draining oil starts to slow down, pul the filter. Watch out, tho, I have yet to figure out how to do this on any car without hot to warm oil running down my arm. Get it off right away. Dirty oil is not good for your skin. The impurities will burn you and leave blisters kinda like warts if it stays on too long.

Let the engine drain for about another 10 to 15 minutes to get the last of the junk out. This is a good time to check your air filter, plug wires, belts, hoses, etc.

Now reverse the procedure. Put on the new filter. Do NOT over tighten or it will leak! The standard male should be able to get the filter tight enough by hand. Just turn it til you can't anymore and your done. If you don't think you're strong enough, do not tighten it more than 1/4 turn with a wrench or you will overcompress the gasket and it will leak.

Put in the drain plug. Agan, do not overtighten. This will be even worse than the filter, because if you strip the drain plug, you'll have to get somone to re-tap the pan. Just get it tight using a ratchet or box wrench. Don't crank the hell out of it, just turn it til it stops, and give it one more "oomph". I don't know the exact torque spec for this, sorry.

Then add your new oil. Shooting straight from memory here, I'm gonna say it'* 5 quarts. It'* in your owners manual. Speking of which, go to your parts store and get yourself a Haynes or Chiltons. It describes this in the tech terms, with pictures.

Back to adding the oil, put in the recommended amount. Let it settle for 10 minutes or so, then check the level. Needs to be on the hashmarks. Once you're there, then start the car up, check for leaks. Let it warm up til you hit normal operating temp, checking for leaks periodically.

Once you hit operating temp with no leaks, add driver and road, and enjoy!

Bearing clearances out weigh the need to change due to temperature! I run 10W30 year round & I live in Edmonton. I found out the hard way about swapping oils & it cost me a lower end. The crank needs & is designed for a certain tolerance. If you put in an oil that doesn't meet those needs a couple things of things can happen. A bearing can spin or the you lose oil pressure. Now the differences between 5W30 & 10W30 might not seem that different to you, but to your engine, it means a world of difference on how long it will last. I've seen engines last anywhere upto half it'* life to this simple conversion.

after you loosen the oil filter, if you can, get a big wad of rags and grab the filter with those and finish taking it off. they will get soaked so dont use mommys white bath towels or any thing. but it keeps quite a bit of that oil, which can be kinda hot sometimes, from getting all over your arm and whatever else is under there.