What do the numbers for engine oil mean
Have you ever stared blankly at a wall of motor oil in the store, wondering what all those numbers and letters mean? SAE 5W-30, 15W-40, 10W – what does it all mean? And does it really make a difference which goes in your car? The numbers you see on your motor oil can range from 0 to 60 and are determined in laboratory tests by the Society of Automotive Oil What do the oil numbers 10W-30 mean? Your engines rotating parts are protected from heat and friction by a thin layer of oil. Understanding the viscosity ratings and detergents used in today's modern oils is critical to keeping your engine running. As far as the numbers, use what your vehicle manufacturer recommends.There is a reason your manufacturer recommends a viscosity, the main reason is, the engine is built a certain way and needs that viscosity.If you put a heavier weight oil in the engine than what is called for, your engine will not get the oil in a quantity it needs, nor in places it needs it. It does, however, have an important bearing on the life of your engine, and the type of oil you choose is intimately linked to manufacturer recommendations, the climate you live in and the type of driving that you do. Let’s take a closer look at how oil is classified, and how to better understand what the numbers on the bottle actually mean The two numbers in the 5W-40 indicate the weight or viscosity of the engine oil as tested by SAE. Viscosity is defined as a fluid's resistance to flow: The higher the number, the higher the fluid's resistance to flow, or the thicker the fluid. Oil viscosity can feel a bit like math class when you’re standing inside your local auto parts store staring down row after row of oil bottles plastered with algebraic numbers and letters. To make it simple, just pick up the oil type that’s recommended in your owner’s manual. In fact, you should ALWAYS follow the vehicle owner’s manual To start with, SAE is an abbreviation for the Society of Automotive Engineers and the SAE abbreviation on oil packages tells what viscosities the oil is capable of and, indirectly, at what ambient temperatures the oil is to be used. Most automobile manufacturers recommend API
I've read that the first number is the viscosity when the engine is cold and the second is the viscosity once the engine is warmed up. Why does
I've read that the first number is the viscosity when the engine is cold and the second is the viscosity once the engine is warmed up. Why does Apr 18, 2015 What are the different types and what do the numbers mean on the bottles? There are tons of myths and facts about motor oil and hopefully we What do these numbers mean? In a nutshell, the numbers before and after the W represent viscosity. The letter “W” itself stands for Winter. As you may know, viscosity means the thickness of a fluid. In the case of motor oil, it is the thickness of the oil under certain temperature conditions. The number to the left of the W refers to the Automotive oil comes labeled with letters and numbers coding oil weight and additives. The different characters stand for engine-cleaning protection, what type of engine to use the oil on and the viscosity of the oil at different temperatures. Viscosity is the stickiness or thickness of the oil. It affects the “220. 221. Whatever it takes.” That infamous line of reasoning worked for Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) in the 1983 movie Mr. Mom, so it should work for you, too, when it comes to selecting the right motor oil grade, right? Simply pick a number? Nope! Just like with electricity, when it comes to car oil, numbers matter—especially if you want to protect your engine. The 40 in a 10w-40 simply means that the oil must fall within certain viscosity limits at 100°C. This is a fixed limit and all oils that end in 40 must achieve these limits. Once again the lower the number, the thinner the oil: a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil at 100°C etc. Your handbook will specify whether a 30, 40 or 50 etc is required. Have you ever stared blankly at a wall of motor oil in the store, wondering what all those numbers and letters mean? SAE 5W-30, 15W-40, 10W – what does it all mean? And does it really make a difference which goes in your car? The numbers you see on your motor oil can range from 0 to 60 and are determined in laboratory tests by the Society of
May 22, 2018 What do those numbers mean? The Society of Automotive engineers came up with a system to measure oil viscosity with a number.
Feb 20, 2020 The suffix W indicates that the oil is suitable for winter use. W oils are rated according to their flow rates at 0° F (-17.8° C); other types are tested at The 'W' rating can be 5, 10, 15 or {20;} lower numbers mean the oil is thinner in cold temperatures, necessary for icy climates. The second What Do Oil Numbers Mean? A key characteristic of how oil does its job is viscosity – the thicker the oil, the higher the viscosity number. Thinner is oils move Aug 23, 2012 So, what do these numbers mean? Engine oil grade. Photo credit: Thinkstock. Choosing the right grade of motor oil
Feb 14, 2019 Your car's owner's manual will list the recommended oil weight, of Automotive Engineers) viscosity number and tells you if the oil has Does that mean an oil with just 70 percent base oils is better than one with 95 percent?
An oil with a low SAE W number will flow better, making cold starts easier and reducing engine wear. However, if instead of a W you see numbers between 20 Sep 11, 2019 Generally the numbers on the engine oil represent its thickness or thinness. There are various alphabets on the panel also. These alphabets
SAE 5W-30, 15W-40, 10W – what does it all mean? And does it really make a difference which goes in your car? The numbers you see on your motor oil can
Jul 29, 2016 Using the correct oil will prolong the life of the engine and can Multigrade oils span a wide viscosity range and consist of two numbers on the
What do the SAE numbers on a container of motor oil mean? To properly answer that question a bit of history is required. Motor oil is like every other fluid in that "What base number should oil have?" The base number (BN) is a property that is more associated with engine oils rather than industrial oils. It can be defined as Apr 18, 2014 When comparing multi-grade oils, the lower number represents the oil's viscosity at the lowest recommended temperature, the higher number encourage a structure where a small number of global engine oil specifications replace Nov 5, 2014 And why two numbers are there 20 & 40? Surprisingly! W = #WINTER, not weight or watt or anything else for that matter) and engine oils use a