Car engine oil has a weight value. 5W, 10W, 25W and so on. The higher the W number the thicker the oil. When the oil is cold it's hard to pour, but heat it up and it will pour very easily. In the summer time you should use a higher W number because it will not take the engine long to heat up the oil. If you live in an area of extreme cold, then use a lower W number. Cold heavy weight oil is too thick and will make the oil pump work harder, which in turn causes it to be unable to supply oil to the engine and it's working components quickly enough. Of course the lower the weight the weaker the oil. Before making a choice, call your local auto parts dealership to compare weather to your brand of car. If you own a high powered racing machine, like a Mustang GT, or a heavy weight truck, a low weight oil may not be right for your engine's needs.
This is a pretty vague question, however i would suggest a 5W-30, as this is pretty universal; the higer the number the thicker it will be, the thicker it is sometimes the harder it is to run. These numbers are based off the temperature of the oil. So that is why i recomend 5W-30, as the engine is cold the '5' is in place so it is thinner and is easy to start, once the motor gets hot as with the oil, then it gets to the 30 weight oil thickness at that temperature. However if you live in extreme hot or extreme cold i would adjust. higher numbers or just sae 30 for hot, and maybe 10w-30 if you are in say...canada; best of luck
Either one is fine, one is a little thicker.
Then the multigrade motor oil was made.....multi grade means: a
different viscosity (thickness)when cold & hot. *Why use a multi
grade oil? Because the first number 20w / 10w /5w / 0w is the viscosity
of the oil at startup/ cold temperature which lubricates better on
start up getting to places the thicker oil wont on startup - when the
motor starts to warm up then you have the second number eg. if your oil
is a 10w-30 the motor starts up with the oil thinner at 10 weight and
as it warms up to operating temperature its thicker to 30 weight. The
reason it has thicker oil is to handle the heat etc. Now on a
80Farenheit day / 30 degree C day that thickness may change a bit but
it still thinner than the 30 at startup.
You don't say if you have a gasoline or diesel engine. For the diesel I would recommend Shell Rotella 15W-40 oil. For gasoline engines I would recommend a 10W-30 or thicker. (The larger the number the higher the viscosity.) If you have high mileage you might want to use a 20W-50 oil, but in colder climates you may want more like a 5W-30. Sometimes the oil cap has the spec printed on it.
The motor oil from the factory is motocraft synthetic blend 5w-30 for normal conditions and motocraft synthetic blend 5w-20 for cold environments. But any synthetic blend or full synthetic of equal weight will do just fine and you will require 5 quarts of oil. DO NOT USE A THICKER WEIGHT OIL, OIL ADDITIVES OR NON SYNTHETIC. Thicker oil like 10w-30, 10w-40, 20w-50 will not be thin enough to lubericate the tighter clearences of the motor and coventional oil breaks down faster than a synthetic blend or synthetic. And be sure to change the oil every 5,000 miles
Viscosity ratings for commonly used motor oils typically range from 0 up to 50. A "W" after the number stands for "Winter" grade oil, and represents the oil's viscosity at zero degrees F.
Low viscosity motor oils that pour easily at low temperatures typically have a "5W" or "10W" rating. There are also 15W and 20W grade motor oils.
Higher viscosity motor oils that are thicker and better suited for high temperature operation typically have an SAE 30, 40 or even 50 grade rating.
These numbers, by the way, are for "single" or "straight" weight oils. Such oils are no longer used in late model automotive engines but may be required for use in some vintage and antique engines. Straight SAE 30 oil is often specified for small air-cooled engines in lawnmowers, garden tractors, portable generators and gas-powered chain saws.
Basically for your car I would run 5W-30, this keeps you covered in warm and cold climates, 10w-30 is the best choice if you live in a climate with temperatures that never go below 0degre''s Farenheight.
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