Why is motor oil made at different viscosities

Viscosity is simply a measure of the thickness of your oil. Think of a scale from water to ketchup when you think about rising viscosity. How thick do you need your oil to be? Which is better, low viscosity or high viscosity? There is no one objective answer. It depends on the kind of engine you have and the way it functions. Your oil needs to have a balance of being able to flow through your engine and being able to fully lubricate parts and pick up contaminants as it goes.

Because this is such a delicate balance, each type of engine has its own specific viscosity requirements for motor oil. How do you know what kind of viscosity your oil needs to have? Viscosity numbers for motor oil have been determined by the Society of American Engineers SAE and are enumerated 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 according to increasing thickness.

So, what does a weight like 10W 30 mean? Another factor in oil viscosity is that it is affected by temperature. Assuming you live somewhere where climates change, you need oil that can flow effectively in both cold and warm temperatures. In the past, this meant that you would have to change your oil to more weather-appropriate oil whenever the seasons changed.

Fortunately, now we have what is called multi-grade oil which adjusts viscosity according to weather. For best performance always follow the recommendations for motor oil viscosity in your vehicle's owner's manual. When does it make sense to use straight weight oil SAE30 versus a multigrade oil 5W? Straight weight oil is never recommended for use in a system that requires a multi-viscosity oil.

Straight weight oils are generally recommended for smaller engines or older vehicles that were made before multi-viscosity oils were produced. Is switching types of motor oil conventional, synthetic, etc.

Conventional, synthetic blend, synthetic and high mileage motor oils are compatible and will not harm your vehicle's engine. Do I have to wait until my car reaches 75, miles before I can use MaxLife? Valvoline MaxLife motor oil is designed for high mileage vehicles of 75, miles or more. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use the high mileage motor oil in new or used vehicles with less than 75, miles.

Has MaxLife always been a synthetic blend motor oil? MaxLife has always been a synthetic blend oil; we just now label the product that way. As long as you have used MaxLife, you have used synthetic blended oil.

What's the definition of viscosity? Viscosity is a scientific term that indicates how thick or thin a liquid is. Water flows relatively quickly, so it is considered to have a thin or low viscosity.

Honey has a higher viscosity than water, but still flows. Peanut butter has extremely high viscosity. Ever tried to pour peanut butter out of its jar and onto a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Engine oil also helps to clean, cool, and protect your engine. When comparing engine oils for your ride, the most important thing to keep in mind is the oil's viscosity rating.

Look for the viscosity grade s recommended by the original equipment manufacturer OEM , which you can locate in your owner's manual. Like Goldilocks and her porridge, you want an oil that's neither too thin nor too thick, but one that's juuuuusssst right. Keep in mind that older vehicles tend to require a thicker oil for added lubrication, no matter the climate.

In order to determine which oil is right for your car's engine, you'll need to look for the viscosity rating. You can find the viscosity rating directly on the oil's bottle. All motor oils have viscosity ratings given by the the Society for Automotive Engineers, with the most common viscosity grade being 5W The number to the right of the dash is the viscosity rating at engine operating temperature.

The higher the number, the thicker the oil.