What is the difference between 5w 30 and 5w 20 engine oil

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And thanks for reading Autoblog. The difference between 5W and 5W motor oil The main difference between 5W and 5W motor oil is that the latter gives a slight bump in fuel efficiency. Single viscosity vs.

How oil additives help clean and protect an engine Oil manufacturers use additives in oil for cars to improve the performance of the oil when it comes to lubrication. Which oil should vehicle owners use? Ownership oil. View More. Thank You Thanks for subscribing.

In terms of taking care of your car, there's not much more important than changing oil. The reason 5W and 5W motor oils are so common is because they work very well with a wide range of engines. Most often, these types of oils best cover the range of possible temperatures, with a 5W oil more geared toward colder climates and a 5W oil more appropriate for warmer temperature extremes.

For the most part, either one should work just fine in an engine regardless of the prevailing temperatures. The main difference between 5W and 5W motor oil is that the latter is less viscous or thick. When used in a vehicle's engine, 5W oil creates less friction due to its thinner viscosity, meaning it causes less drag across engine parts like the crankshaft, valvetrain, and pistons.

This can provide a slight bump in fuel efficiency. The thinner nature of 5W oil also allows the oil pump to move it from the oil pan to the rest of the engine more easily. This makes 5W preferable for very cold climates, when having thinner oil that can flow easily on start-up is important. Where 5W comes into play is in hotter climates where thin oil tends to break down under higher temperatures. This translates into the strength of the 5W oil keeping it from breaking down as quickly as the 5W oil, providing better overall engine part protection.

Designed to operate in a multitude of temperature ranges, a multiviscosity oil represents one of the best motor oils for cars. The single viscosity oils of the past provided protection during either hot or cold weather, depending in large part on the weight, or lower temperature extreme at which they operated. This usually meant using a 5W oil in the fall and winter and a 10W in the spring and summer. A multiviscosity oil, on the other hand, uses special additives to improve the viscosity of the oil.

Called, ironically, viscosity improvers, these additives expand as the oil heats up, providing a higher viscosity at warmer temperatures. After the oil cools, these improvers shrink, making the oil thinner, best for use during cooler engine operation. Oil manufacturers use additives in oil for cars to improve the performance of the oil when it comes to lubrication. In addition, some other affects of additives in oils include cleaning engine deposits from engine parts, inhibiting corrosion or rust inside the engine, and keep the oil from breaking down as bad either due to oxidation or extreme temperatures.

When looking for a motor oil that works best in your vehicle, keep certain factors in mind. While not a lot of difference exists between the protection provided by a 5W AND 5W oil, there is a slight difference in the viscosity levels of each. The thicker 5W should see a slight advantage when operating at higher temperatures, while the thinner 5W oil should provide better engine protection at lower temperature levels and has the added benefit of slightly improving fuel efficiency.

The flexibility of today's synthetic motor oil means that both 5W and 5W oils work equally well to protect your engine regardless of the climate or season.

Mobil 1 provides a wide range of multiviscosity oils to suit your engine. That can lead to a burning smell because the oil that is present is not able to handle the job of keeping your entire engine properly lubricated. If you notice the smell of burning oil, or you're seeing any smoke coming from the engine, you definitely need to stop your vehicle right away as soon as it's safe to do so, and get your car into a mechanic.

Bad Fuel Economy: As we said, the difference between 5w20 and 5w30 can have a bit of an effect on your fuel economy overall. If you're using the 5w30 when you should be using the 5w20, that's going to cause your engine to work harder and your engine can only do that by burning more fuel. That's why you'll end up heading to the pumps more often as a result. It may not be a significant amount, but especially over a long enough period of time you'll start to notice you're leaving to gas up more often than you used to.

If you've realized you used the wrong kind of oil, you put in 5w30 when you should be using 5w20, then you don't need to panic too much. Even if your engine isn't specifically designed to use the other kind of oil, the damage you're going to cause between now and when you need to have your oil changed next is probably not very significant. If you're worried, then you can go get an oil change and have the right oil used instead.

You're very unlikely to cause any noticeable damage over the course of a few days or even a few weeks using the wrong kind of oil. You just don't want to be consistently using the wrong kind of oil if you know for a fact that your car is not designed to be using it.

It's possible you can even go in till your next scheduled oil change with the wrong kind of oil and suffer very little damage as a result. The difference between 5w20 and 5w30 is fairly minimal after all.

It's been said more than once that oil is the lifeblood of a car. There's a reason that there are so many businesses around town that do little else besides changing oil. It really is one of the most important things to take care of if you want to keep your car running smoothly. That's why it's important to know exactly what kind of oil your car takes, and why it takes that kind of oil.

Understanding the weight of the oil that your car needs and what the numbers mean helps you better understand how your engine works. That in turn means it's easier for you to buy the stuff you need to keep your car running smoothly and ensuring you avoid problems down the road if something goes wrong. Why Us? All Rights Reserved. Name required. Email required. Please note: comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Written by : Lusi Madisha. Spearot, Srivastava 11 Jul Developments in Lubricant Technology. User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. What is 5w20? What is 5w30? Key difference between 5w20 and 5w30 Definition of 5w20 Vs. Working conditions for 5w20 Vs. Performance of 5w20 Vs.