My guess
is the
switch to higher viscosity
is not providing better protection but reduces the amount of oil lost in the combustion process.Because it
is thicker
less of it blows by into the exhaust.This indirectly lessens the time the engine
is running with
less than optimal oil volume.The potential down side
is at lower ambient temps.the oil will take longer to circulate through the motor on a cold start.Also a slight decrease in mpg as stated as the engine works harder to move the thicker oil.Mixing viscosity won't cause any harm.My theory has always
been that 5w30 with 1000 miles on it
is no thicker
than 5w20 with 0miles on it.