To drive your car you would quite naturally need some kind of fuel. The engine oil for your car that helps in smooth functioning both the engine, is available in quite a few different kinds in the market. 10W30 and 5W30 are two such different kinds of oil. But how exactly do they differ? What difference does it make if you use either of them? All of these are essential questions. Here we are going to discuss some such questions regarding these two kinds of oil starting from what their basic differences are to which one you should be using in your car. So if you are ready, let’s move on.
What are 10w30 and 5w30 engine oils?
10w30 and 5w30 are just two different kinds of engine oils. Their function remains the
same. But then what is the aspect in which they are different? Well, their viscosities are
different. The viscosity of a fluid is its resistance to the flow. It is in a way the internal
friction of a fluid.
The 10w30 is the engine oil that shows its viscosity as 10W when the engine is cold. It
shows 30 when the engine is hot. Similarly, 5w30 is the engine oil that shows a viscosity
of 5W when the engine is cold. The latter (5W30) is the engine oil with thinner viscosity.
Which one is a better option for engine oil?
What kind of engine oil you want to use is your decision. But there are engine oils that
are better than the others. There must be a reason for it right?! And well, apparently
there is!
5w30 is the better option to go with if you are comparing between 10w30 and 5w30.
This is because 5w30 has a thinner viscosity in comparison to the other. This lets it flow
smoothly over the engine types of machinery. This in turn results in the undisrupted
and smooth functioning of the various parts of your vehicle. In the case of 10w30
however, it would not have been such a smooth sailing ship. Its viscosity is higher and
thus would provide higher resistance to flowing over various machinery parts.
But again, for high mileage engines, thicker engine oils could also be an option to be
considered. These oils would in that case not let the machinery parts get damaged by
providing a thick layer of the oil over them.
What is the difference between 10w30 and 5w30?
They are quite different, the two oils- 10w30 and 5w30. One of the most common
differences between the two would be the different viscosities that they have. 5w30 has
a much thinner viscosity than 10w30.
Apart from that, there are some other differences too. For instance, 5w30 is good at
smooth functioning of the engine parts, due to its thin viscosity and easy fluidity over
the surfaces, of the engine and its various parts. But at the same time, 10w30 being the
thicker liquid protect the engine parts from wearing off. It should also be noted that while 5w30 is good for lighter vehicles, 10w30 serves to be quite useful in vehicles that
need to carry heavier loads.
Sometimes people also ask if mixing the two oils would do them any good, but it really
would not. If anything, it would become more dysfunctional. The oils are meant to be
used according to their built and structure. And now that you know the differences
between the two kinds of oils you can choose the one you feel would be the best option
for your vehicle.