Automotive expertise from NAPA AUTO PARTS. Straight weight oil is never recommended for use in a system that requires a multi-viscosity oil. This Simple Hack Lets You Shift to Neutral, Sudden Soft Brakes: Don't Panic With These 3 Tips, 4 Common Brake Light Problems and How to Solve Them, How to Reset an Oil Change Light After Maintenance, How to Jump-Start a Diesel Truck With Two Batteries, If Your Car Battery Won't Hold a Charge, Try These 4 Steps. Global Standards of Business Conduct First, narrow the options down by choosing the closest-related category to your question. The first number indicates the viscosity of the oil at a cold temperature, while the second … The density of the oil depends on the formula of motor oil used and the temperature of the oil. Then, multi-grade oils were formulated. Other manufacturers recommend the use of only one motor oil viscosity grade. | Terms of Use Using an oil with a low viscosity can lead to excessive metal to metal contact between moving parts. If this sounds complicated, don’t fret. Forty years ago, there were winter grades for cold weather and summer grades for warmer weather. 5 Alternator Issues and Warning Signs: How to Stay Ahead of a Potential Problem. For best engine performance, always follow the manufacturer's recommendations found in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Is it true that older cars must only use conventional oil? Sitemap Using the best viscosity for your vehicle and driving conditions increases engine performance, reduces engine wear and increases fuel efficiency. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, Popular Mechanics: How To Pick The Right Motor Oil For Your Car, Machinery Lubrication: Motor Oils - Fuel Economy vs. For example, a 5w30 oil weight rating means that on cold start-up — even at subzero temperatures — the oil flows like a 5 weight oil. If you used a straight oil weight of 30, then the lubricant would be too thick to shoot quickly through the engine when starting on a cold day, which means it would fail to properly protect crucial parts from damage. 10w40, 5w30 etc for Motor oils and 80w90, 75w90, etc for Gear oils) When oil is cold it becomes thick and may not move freely within the engine, and when it is hot it may become too thin to offer protection from friction. Armed with knowledge of viscosity grades, how can we put it to good use? This is accomplished through the inclusion of unique additives in the mixture. Valvoline does not recommend doing this. Using an oil with a low viscosity can lead to excessive metal to metal contact between moving parts. 1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. The second number, the number after the W, represents oil's viscosity at 212 degrees F. The higher the number, the thicker the oil will stay at high temperatures. We have specially designed Valvoline SynPower 5w40 for application in high performance European or diesel passenger cars and this oil carries the specific OEM approvals such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche and BMW. Here Are the Warning Signs, Dead Car Battery? The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) assigns a viscosity number, or weight, to oil based on its flow at 210 degrees F, which is … The synthetic 10W-40 flows easily and still maintains enough viscosity to protect piston skirts and bearings when it gets hot. The polymers allow the oil to have different weights at different temperatures. | 10w40, 5w30 etc for Motor oils and 80w90, 75w90, etc for Gear oils) To be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it! Usually, choosing the ideal motor oil weight is a compromise. Armed with knowledge of viscosity grades, you can now select the right one for your application. Each of these numbers are essential to understanding how that particular oil weight will perform in … Privacy Notice We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Is switching types of motor oil (conventional, synthetic, etc.) A 10W-30 is a multi-grade (two viscosities) motor oil, and as the name implies, it meets more than one grade. As a rule of thumb always follow the car manufacturer’s recommendations. Look for something that does! Using the right type of motor oil can prevent this from happening to you. Why would you want a thinner oil that acts like a thicker oil once warmed up? The owner's manual for your car will list its recommended oil weight, whether that's a standard format like 10W-30 or something more unusual. © 2020 Valvoline LLC Your email address will not be published. Another way of looking at multi-vis oils is to think of a 20W-50 as a 20 weight oil that will not thin more than a 50 weight would when hot. The improved temperature stability of synthetics makes them a better choice for race engines and serious high-performance engines. This is partly because “weight” doesn’t actually refer to how a particular lubricant tips the scales. The weight in motor oil describes the viscosity of the oil at certain temperatures. The main function of motor oil is to reduce friction and wear on moving parts and to clean the engine from sludge (one of the functions of dispersants) and varnish (detergents). Oil weight is a term used to describe the viscosity of an oil, which means how well it flows at a specific temperature. | She graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern Illinois University in 2001 with a major in English and a minor in history. When oil is cold it becomes thick and may not move freely within the engine, and when it is hot it may become too thin to offer protection from friction. For maximum engine performance, follow the recommended motor oil viscosity and maintenance schedule provided in your vehicle's owner's manual. | The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) assigns a viscosity number, or weight, to oil based on its flow at 210 degrees F, which is roughly the standard operating temperature for most motors. The “w” stands for winter and indicates that the lubricant in question has a different viscosity, or different flow characteristics, based on temperature. How to Remove a Seized Lug Nut in 3 Easy Steps, Bill McAnally Racing Earns Tenth Series Title, Elliott Races to First NASCAR Cup Series Championship with Win at Phoenix, Sweet Crowned 2020 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Champion, Ron Capps Closes 2020 Season with Final-Round Appearance and Fourth-Place Ranking, Elliott Secures Championship 4 Berth with Win at Martinsville Speedway. | The viscosity of hot oil is measured using different test parameters than when the oil is cold, so the numbers after the “W” don’t relate to the numbers in front of the “W”. Suppliers More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil, 10 Alternative Fuel Ideas That Never Made It Out of the Lab, Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. Using a lighter grade than recommended may result in excessive mechanical wear and reduced engine life. Weird & Wacky, Copyright © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. Different formulas of motor oil are used for different applications and have different densities. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use the high mileage motor oil in new or used vehicles with less than 75,000 miles. OW-20 is used in the non-turbo engine, designed for improved fuel economy and increased power. Valvoline MaxLife motor oil is designed for high mileage vehicles of 75,000 miles or more. When does it make sense to use straight weight oil (SAE30) versus a multigrade oil (5W-30)? What is the difference between gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc.? The average density for motor oil is 0.865 grams per cubic centimeter, which is about 7.2 pounds per gallon. MaxLife has always been a synthetic blend oil; we just now label the product that way. Syrup, for example, has a high viscosity, while water has a low viscosity. If it is too high, the machine will struggle to pump the oil, resulting in loss of energy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The difference between 10W-30 and a 10W-40 is the high temperature viscosity. Understanding Oil Weight: What Do the Numbers on the Bottle Mean? A large change in bearing clearances can result in poorer lubrication. The "w" in motor oil stands for winter. It was designed to use 5w-30. The numbers that denote the type of oil refer to the SAE testing standards that motor oils undergo.
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