Newer engine, closer tolerances, thats how things have been going for years and will continue to do so.
Closer tolerances, thinnner oil, that doesn't take a genius to figure out.My '88 GMC called for 5-30 which I ran in the wintertime. In the summer I ran 10-40 which leaked alot slower. 150,000 miles and it ran great.
My wife's cheapo '91 Ford Tempo only ever gets 5-30, 140,000 miles and it still runs like a champ.
My '96 Dakota calls for 10-30, but the dopes at quickielube like to slip in 5-30 sometimes. When they do I go back for a free oil change in 1000 miles because it leaks the 5-30 so bad I'll be down a quart and then I think the check the slip.
It doesn't leak a drop with 10-30. This happened 3 or 4 times when I first bought the truck, I didn't really complain because with the free (I love free) 1000mile oil changes I figured I was giving the engine a good cleaning.
Thats the other reason I recommend our local quickie lube place, they're real eager to fix any screwup. I tell 'em what happened and they fix it, no worries. In your case you don't say how many miles on the Explorer or if it leaks oil. If it doesn't leak much I'd use the 5-30. How much of a hassle are we really talking about here? I have a friend who ran 10-40 in his wife's vw golf in the summer and one winter forgot to change it back, just kept with the 10-40. We had a cold snap and a couple days in she came up with a bad runner.
After putting in a new camshaft he never made that mistake again. Apparently this was a big problem with the VW Golf in cold climates. Remember, no matter how bright you figure you are, the guy who made that oil recommendation did it for a reason. If you can come up with a real good reason to switch, like my GMC's summer oil, then its probably ok. If you're just lazy you're asking for trouble.
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