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Motor oil grades are a scale developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) to describe the viscosity of oil. The higher the number, the thicker the oil. The lower the number, the thinner. Thinner oils flow faster than thicker oils, and engineers design engines to work with a certain grade of oil.
Is 5W-30 oil thicker than 10w30?
So both the oils 5W–30 and 10W–30 have exactly the same viscosity (SAE 30) when your engine is running, and will perform in the same way. However, the 10W–30 oil will be thicker (higher viscosity) than the 5W–30 when it is cool.
What do motor oil numbers mean?
The short answer:The numbers represent the viscosity of the oil and the W stands for WINTER. In a 5W-30 for example, the number before the W describes the viscosity of the oil at low temperatures. The lower the number, the thinner the oil and the better the oil’s cold temperature/ cold start performance.
Is 10W40 better than 5W-30?
The first number in the motor oil’s name describes the oil’s cold viscosity. A 10w-40 motor oil is a thicker oil at startup than a 5w-30 motor oil. Therefore, 10w-40 oil clings to the engine’s moving parts more than the lower viscosity 5w-30 oil.
What does the 30 mean in 5W-30 oil?
5w30 motor oil has a winter viscosity grade of five, meaning it’s less viscous (less thick) at very low temperatures compared to, say, 10w30. It has a hot viscosity grade of 30, which means it is less viscous at high temperatures than an oil such as 5w50.
What happens if you use 10W40 instead of 5W-30?
If you use 10-w-40 instead of 5-w-30 specified by the manufacturer then the viscosity of 10-w-40 used by you will be higher and oil thicker than what is specified during winters. Similarly the oil viscosity will be higher and oil thicker than specified during summers.
What happens if you put 10W30 instead of 5W-30?
Most oils will mix perfectly, provided they have a similar synthetic. Therefore, there is no problem in mixing 10w30 and 5w30 since one will be topping up. Mixing the viscosity of oils will not have any effect on the engine. 5w30 and 10w30 engine oils have close viscosity, and thus there is no harm in mixing them.
How do you read motor oil grades?
For example, a 5W- motor oil will flow better at lower temperatures than a 15W- motor oil. The higher number, following the “w” refers to hot weather viscosity, or how fluid your oil is at hot temperatures. The higher the number, the thicker the oil at a specified temperature.
How do you read engine oil grade?
Oil grades relate to an oil product’s performance at operating temperature (about 212 degrees Fahrenheit in your engine). You might be familiar with terms such as “30-weight” or “10W-30” oil. Those numbers refer to the grade. The higher the number, the thicker the oil.
What grade of oil is best for my car?
Choose an oil with the vehicle manufacture’s recommended viscosity rating (check your owner’s manual). Viscosity is an oil’s ability to flow at different temperatures. The two most common viscosities (a.k.a. weights) are SAE 5W-30 and SAE 10W-30. The lower the number, the thinner the oil.
Which is heavier 10W30 or 10W40?
10W40 oil has a higher viscosity, retaining more thickness than 10W30 as the temperature rises. In that case, 10W-40 motor oil would technically provide better protection against engine wear contact in higher temperatures.
Should I use thicker oil in an older engine?
Older engines use more oil, but it gives them a better fuel economy. Older engines with more than 75,000 miles on them require a thicker oil that will lubricate their critical engine parts and prevent oil leaks, sludge, and deposits from forming.
What 10W40 means?
What Does 10W40 Mean? 10W-40 is the viscosity, or weight, of the motor oil as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE for short). A 10W-40 oil has a viscosity grade of 10W at a low temperature and 40 at a higher temperature. It just behaves like a 10W weight oil when cold and like a 40 weight oil at hot.
What does 10W30 mean?
Answered January 07 2020. The 10W30 designation on engine oil means that the viscosity of the oil is rated at 10W when an engine is cold and 30 when the engine is hot. This is different than an oil labelled 5W30, which has a thinner viscosity when the engine is cold at 5W.
What happens if I use 5W40 instead of 5W-30?
In practice, this means that each oil is just as viscous at lower temperatures and will remain viscous at -30°C, however 5w40 oil outperforms 5w30 oils at higher temperatures, being effective up to ambient temperatures of 50°C, as opposed to 30°C.
Is 5W-30 conventional or synthetic?
Castrol EDGE High Mileage 5W-30 with Fluid TITANIUM Technology is an advanced full synthetic motor oil that is specifically designed to for vehicles with over 75,000 miles.
