Motor Oil Grades

Motor oil grades seem cryptic and confusing to the uninformed eye, but with a little guidance, they become much easier to understand. An understanding of motor oil grades will help you decide which oil is most appropriate for your car and where you live.

If you are in the market for a used car, we encourage you to visit any of the 11 Austin used car dealerships of Chapman Motor Sales. We have an array of quality used vehicles that you can browse in our combined online inventory.

What Motor Oil Grades Mean

The numbers on motor oil packaging refer to the oil’s viscosity. Viscosity is a liquid’s resistance to flow. Oils with high viscosity are more resistant to flowing, while those that have low viscosity will want to flow freely. For a long time, individual motor oils had only one rating on the packaging. These oils were meant to perform in specific, rather broad temperature ranges. Motor oils labeled with one number are specialized for a specific climate.

Most motor oils these days come with two numbers on the packaging. These numbers reflect the oil’s viscosity at hot and cold temperatures. Oils with two numbers on their packaging are designed to meet the requirements of both numbers. This means they must perform as well as an oil of the lower number in cold temperatures while also performing as well as an oil of the higher number when the engine is hot, which is usually a temperature of approximately 210F. On an oil label with two numbers on it, the cold weather viscosity rating is the number followed by a W, as in 10W-30.

Contact Us

For help finding a used car that will meet your driving needs, contact the Austin used car dealers at Chapman Motor Sales. You can be sure that at least 1 of our 11 locations in the Austin area is convenient to your daily travel.