QA

Quick Answer: What Motor Oil Do I Use

How do I know what oil to put in my car?

There’s no substitute for reading your owner’s manual. It will list what type of oil the automaker recommends for your car. It may also recommend different oil depending on whether you live in a hot or cold climate. The most important thing is to use oil that’s the right thickness, or viscosity, for your car’s engine.

What grade of motor oil should I use?

Say your engine needs 30-weight oil when it is running at operating temperature. Well, 30-weight oil will work perfectly well when your engine is warmed up. But when you go to start it on a cold winter morning, that 30-weight oil is considerably thicker and has a hard time moving when you turn the key.

Which is better 5w30 or 5w40?

5w30 can be used by different type of vehicles and in different range of temperatures, but is ideal for colder temperatures. 5w40 is often used in higher mileage engine sand performs better in warmer temperatures.

Can I use 10W-40 instead of 5w30?

Your vehicle does not use 5W-30 oil. The recommended oil viscosity for your vehicle, according to Kia documentation, is 10W-40. If you drive the vehicle in exceptionally cold weather, well below 32 degrees, you can use 5W-30 oil but even 10W-40 is still perfectly OK to use if outdoor temperatures are below freezing.

What happens if I put the wrong oil in my car?

Using the wrong fluid can cause poor lubrication, overheating, and possibly transmission failure. A mechanic might not be able to reverse the damage, even by flushing the transmission. Mistakenly adding motor oil or brake fluid can also destroy your transmission.

Can you use 5w40 oil instead of 5w30?

There’s not going to be much functional difference between a 5w-30 and 5w-40 as there’s a lot of functional overlap in the recommendations. The lower weight might yield better efficiency under light load operating conditions, but higher weight might yield better protection under higher load operating conditions.

Can I 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.

Is 10W30 thicker than 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.

Which oil is thicker 10w40 or 20w50?

The smaller number, (the 20 part of 20w-50) describes how the oil behaves at 40 deg C and a 20w at 40 deg C is about 10 times thicker than your engine wants. A 10w-40 is better at around 6 times thicker and a 0w-40 is much better at about 4 times thicker.

What happens if I use 5w30 instead of 5W-40?

What would happen if I use 5w30 oil instead of 5w40 in my car engine? – Quora. , Over 200,000 miles on 2-wheels and 2 crashes. So long as the oil pump can produce enough pressure to get the oil flowing into all the important areas properly, there should be no problem.

What does 0w40 mean?

CHOOSING the right 0W-40 oil for your car. It actually stands for Winter. That’s because 0W-40 engine oil is formulated to flow like a 0 Weight oil in cold conditions, yet offer the protection of a 40 Weight motor oil when the engine reaches its full operating temperature.

Are all 5W-40 oils the same?

The choice between 5w40 motor oil and an alternative like 10w40 depends on the winter temperature in your region. When the engine is running and hot, the differences are negligible; 5w40 and 10w40 both have high viscosities and are equally effective in protecting against engine wear.

Is 10w40 and 5W30 the same?

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.

Is 10w40 good for high mileage?

Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-40 motor oil is recommended by ExxonMobil for use in high mileage vehicles (even those that have used lower quality conventional oils), including: Cars.

What happens if I put 10w40 instead of 5w40?

Can I Use 10w40 Instead Of 5w40? The synthetic engine will be fine as long as it is fully synthetic. 5W – 40 is better for colder conditions, 10W is thicker to start, so it does not get to places around the engine as quickly as 5W-40, but it all depends on the temperature.

Can you switch oil types?

When it comes to doing oil changes, switching between synthetic and conventional oil is perfectly okay. Despite the oil myths, both oil types are compatible with each other – no engine flush needed. So, simply making the switch will not cause any damage to your engine nor impact your travels.

Can I put synthetic oil in my car after using regular oil?

yes. If you don’t have a choice, adding synthetic oil to regular oil can help you out in a pinch. Since motor oils are generally made from the same ingredients (base oil and additives), they are typically compatible when mixed.

Can I use 5W 20 instead of 5W30?

5W-20 oil, being the lower viscosity oil (thinner oil) than 5W-30, might help boost your fuel economy. And although you may not notice a vast difference, it does add up over time. However, remember that you should always use the motor oil recommended for your car by your engine manufacturer or mechanic.

Is 5w30 thicker than 5w40?

5w30 is engine oil that has lower viscosity 5 and higher viscosity 30. 5w40 oil is not thicker has it has a higher viscosity. Temperature. 5w30 has lower viscosity hence it is suitable to use in hot or lower temperatures.

What does 5w40 mean?

5w40 motor oil has a winter viscosity grade of five, meaning it’s less viscous at very low temperatures, compared to, say, 10w40. It has a hot viscosity grade of 40, which means it is just as viscous as 10w40 at high temperatures but less viscous than oils such as 15w50.

Is 5w40 good for hot weather?

The 5W30 can be used by a variety of vehicles, in different temperatures, and in different climates. However, it is best suited for colder temperatures when used in a vehicle. The higher mileage engine sand used in 5w40 is often better at withstanding warmer temperatures than 4w40.