whats the difference between 5w30 and 10w30 as far as motor oils?

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unlucky and shelly have it backwards...... 5w-30 and 10w-30 are the same weight at operating temp ( 30 weight ), 5w and 10w basically refers to its cold cranking weight, the 5w-30 has a better cold flow... so its thinner at the same cold temp then what 10w-30 would be.... 10w-30 does however shear less (go out of grade) while 5w-30 (excluding synthetics) will go out of grade easier.... 10w-30 in the summer, 5w-30 in the winter.... OR since oils have improved so much, just use a 5w-30 all year long.......Show more

The number are related to the viscosity of the oil. The higher the number the "thicker" the oil's function.
The first number is the Winter viscosity and the second is Summer.
The two oil you mention would be fine anywhere except places where you get hard freezing in Winter. If that is the case take the 5W30 oil. Its thinner viscosity will make Winter engine starting easier.

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RE:
whats the difference between 5w30 and 10w30 as far as motor oils?
whats better in the summer and whats better in the winter?...Show more

If you had ever taken time to read the manual in your glove compartment Volvo recommends 5W-30 all year long. The lower the first number before the W, the faster the oil pump forces a *greater quantity of lubricant to frictional surfaces. You still will have 30 weight protection when the engine get's up to operating temperature. 80% of all engine wear occurs during start up. The higher the number before the W the slower the oil is pumped through the oil galleries to the frictional surfaces. It is a fact that 5W-30 Mobil1 continues to pour @ -42 below zero C which is within a degree or two of -42 F. Conventional 5W-30 stops pouring @ - 25 F -30 F depending on the brand of oil....Show more

ok imagine a thin oil and a thick oil.
Thin oil is 1W Thick oil is 200W
MULTIGRADE oil is oil that can be as thin as 5W and as think as 40W.
So first number is how thin it can go and second number is how thick it can go.
1/100 would be immensely great, unfortunately it doesn't exist os 10/40 is average, or 20/50.
For your info in VERY HOT climates, oil has to be thicker, in very cald climate thick oil would block everything, becoming kind of grease so thin oil is necessary.
I gave you enough info and now you can sort it out by reasoning..


RE:
Whats the difference between 5w30 and 10w30 as far as motor oils? -
whats better in the summer and whats better in the winter?...Show more