You must have heard about 5w30 and 5w40 engine oils. Many people get confused and think that they are the same but there are a lot of differences between these two. 5w30 is better than 5w40 because 5w40 has larger viscosity than 5w30. The numbers here represent the viscosity.

The 5w30 is engine oil that is mainly used in diesel engines and petrol and in today’s time, it is a multi-graded oil that has a range from higher viscosity 30 to lower viscosity 5. While 5w40 is also an engine oil represents the weight on the viscosity of the engine oil tested by the Society of Automotive engineers. 

In this article, I will tell you about these two engine oils (5w30 and 5w40) and the main differences between them. To Read the full article to know in detail.

About 5w30

5w30 is engine oil that has a lower viscosity in which w denotes ‘WINTER’ and the number denotes the viscosity of the oil at high temperature. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) established a numerical code system for grading engine oil. They grade the oil according to their viscosity characteristic as the viscosity of oil changes with the temperature but the multi-graded oil protects the range of temperature.

In 5w30, the number 5 represents the viscosity of the oil at cold temperatures. If the number is lower then the oil will be thinner, and it will help the oil to flow in the engine very smoothly even at cold temperatures. And the number 30 describes how fine the oil is working at a normal operating temperature. 5w30 is also known as multigrade oil because, in any condition either hot or cold, it is fine enough to flow at a high temperature and thin enough to flow at a low temperature.

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5w30 is mainly used in light-duty petrol and diesel engines and is mainly suitable for all vehicles and engine types. It ranges from lower viscosity of 5 to higher viscosity of 30 and this quality makes it different from other engine oil as it has viscosity 5 means less thin at a very low temperature and viscosity 30 means less viscous at high temperature.

About 5w40

5w40 is motor oil that supports the engine to work smoothly and the moving parts from overheating because of friction. It transfers heat from the combustion cycle and burns by-products to keep the engine clean and also protects the engine from oxidation. The working of the motor oil is affected by the external and internal temperature of the running engine so these temperatures affect how well the motor oil will perform.

In 5w40, w indicates cold and winter and the number before w represents the weight or viscosity of engine oil. If the number before w is higher, the thicker the flow will be in the engine. 5w40 has a lower viscosity 5 and higher viscosity 40 and the operating viscosity is 12.5 to 16.3 mm2/s. This is the crude oil that is used in a vehicle and has leaded and unleaded gasoline.

This motor oil has a winter viscosity of 5 which means it is less viscous at very cold temperatures and the higher viscosity is 40 which means that it is just viscous at a high temperature. 5w40 is mainly used by Europeans who have gas-powered engines and also in American diesel pickup trucks.

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Main Differences between 5w30 and 5w40

The following are the main differences between 5w30 and 5w40:

• Both 5w30 and 5w40 are motor oil but the difference is that they have different viscosity.

• The 5w30 motor oil is much thicker so it works smoothly on the engine while 5w40 is not that much thicker.

• 5w30 works smoothly regardless of high and low temperatures while 5w40 works smoothly in cold temperatures.

• 5w30 is an expensive engine oil whereas 5w40 is not costly.

• 5w30 cannot be easily available in all places while 5w40 is easily available.

• 5w40 has a higher viscosity rate in comparison to 5w30.

• The 5w30 is engine oil that is mainly used in diesel engines and petrol and in today’s time, it is a multi-graded oil that has a range from higher viscosity 30 to lower viscosity 5. While 5w40 is also an engine oil represents the weight on the viscosity of the engine oil tested by the Society of Automotive engineers

• 5w30 has a lower viscosity rate of five and a higher viscosity rate of thirty while 5w40 has a lower viscosity rate of five and a higher viscosity rate of forty.

• The working viscosity of 5w30 is from 9.3 to 12.5 mm2/s while 5w40 operating viscosity is 12.5 to 16.3 mm2/s.

• 5w30 flows oil through the engine very smoothly while 5w40 has high pressure but it has less flow.

• 5w30 is a multi-graded oil that is suitable to use in lower temperatures while 5w40 is the crude oil that can be used in a vehicle having leaded and unleaded gasoline.

The Final words

There are a lot of differences between 5w30 and 5w40. Although they both are motor oils, their viscosity is different and they perform well in different vehicles so it will be easy to choose which engine oil is better. It depends upon your vehicle engine how the motor oil will work since I have told you the differences between them along with their viscosity and their characteristics and their comparing prices and operating viscosity.

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Engine oils help the internal part to work smoothly so that the vehicle runs perfectly and these engine oils will benefit you in the future also. So now I hope this article was helpful and you have got the difference between 5w30 and 5w40 engine oils.