There are a lot of factors involved when considering engine oil, the factors involved are climate, the type of engine that your car is equipped with, type of vehicle model you are using. The 5w30 oil is used for cars that are usually in a colder climate and the 5w40 is usually meant for a relatively hotter climate.
Mixing the two oils is very popular among drivers especially when they are getting low on oil. The practice of mixing different kinds of oils is increasing day by day in the hope of increasing the mileage or the efficiency of the car. But using the mixture of the two oils won’t result in any improved mileage or efficiency of your car as both the fuels have somewhat the same functioning so it won’t make much of a difference to the engine of the vehicle.
However, you can mix the two kinds of engine oils but doing so is not ideal as you will then not be able to reap the performance that the engine of your car is optimized to give on the preferred engine oil.
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Is it OK to mix different weights of motor oil?
Engine oils are meant to ensure the smooth functioning of the car engine and its internal parts. Engine oil is one of the vital factors when talking about the performance of a car that is why the car companies advise a specific kind of oil that would increase your car’s performance as well as efficiency.
But if you try to mix engine oils that have different weights then it is not advisable. If both the oils don’t have a similar viscosity that would then result in problems like low fuel efficiency and degraded performance of the car, but in some cases, the engine oils that you are mixing are viscosity compatible as well as grade compatible also which will then cause the mixture to work as same as the car requires.
Difference between 5w30 and 5w40
Both the engine oils the 5w30 and the 5w40 have a lot of differences and the main difference between both the engine oils can be described by the use of both the oils.
The engine oil 5w40 is used for the engine that requires a more bulky viscosity and is used generally for the car that is used in the hotter climate region this is because the 5w40 is thick in viscosity, this is the reason for the drivers to use this engine oil in the warmer climate region. The 5w40 oil is generally preferred to use in the temperature range up to 40 degrees celsius.
The engine oil 5w30 is used for the type of engine that requires a less bulky or thin viscosity, generally, the 5w30 engine oil is preferred by those cars which operate in a colder climate. Moreover, this engine oil is fuel-efficient also when compared to the 5w4o.
Can you Mix 5w30 and 5w40 oil? the actual answer
Both the oils are used for different climate regions and are of different viscosity grades, but even though mixing the engine oil 5w30 with the engine oil 5w40 might be successful for the engine to work perfectly fine as many drivers are using the mixture of both the oils from a long time and there is no any such issue reported that the suing this mixture of oil will harm the engine or the following components of the car. Moreover, both the 5w30 and the 5w40 are miscible and can be used simultaneously.
However practicing mixing the two oils or any other oils that have different viscosity is never advisable and there are strong reasons for that as well that support his argument.
as all the car manufacturers and specialists advise if possible not to use any other engine other than the one that is prescribed by the car company and the manufacturer only as this might cause a reduction in efficiency of your car and can decrease the fuel efficiency as well along with downgrading the overall performance for your car. You can mix the two oils but it is never advisable to do so
If you are struggling to know what engine oils are preferred by your car then you should try referring to the owner manual of your car, there you would find what engine oil your car prefers. However, mixing the two oils can also give some benefits as well.
What will happen if you mix 5w30 and 5w40?
Most drivers use this technique of mixing the two oils whenever there are running low on engine oil ad the “low oil” light strikes up. But mixing the two oils is not noted to have a negative impact on your car’s engine or other internal parts.
But if you are thinking of increasing the efficiency of your car by mixing both the engine oils together then you would be disappointed to know that it is not something that will work. Although this mixture would help you in case you don’t have access to the preferred engine oil at that very instant but it will not help you in any of the cases of increasing the efficiency of your car.
You can mix 5w30 and the 5w40 both and use the this would not have any severe harm to the engine or other internal parts of our car.
How bad is it to mix oils?
Engine oils are a crucial component to running the car smoothly. If you use a mixture of two engine oils that do not differ too much and have the fuel game similar then there would not be any issue.
If you use the mixture of different grade oils, you may end up facing a lot of trouble. As this would cause the fuel efficiency of your car to drop by significant level and it can also reduce the life of your engine.
Are 5w30 and 5w40 interchangeable?
Now an obvious, as well as a relevant question, may strike some of you that can we replace the 5w30 engine oil with the 5w40 engine oil.
The direct answer to this question would be that yes, you can use the two oils interchangeably. You can use any of the oils interchangeably as long as the grade of both the oils are the same.
In the case of 5w30 and the 5w40 both of these pills have the same fuel-grade which makes it easy to use them in place of each other but is never advised to do so as if you use another engine oil in place of the one that is prescribed then it can be a problem at the time of servicing your car.
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Final Thoughts:
There is no harm in mixing the two oil as long as you are mixing the oils with the same grade but be aware while doing it. As if not used proper engine oil it can cause various negative effects like misfiring or backfiring of the engine, reducing the fuel efficiency of your car, and degrading the overall performance of your car. So it is very important to use the correct engine or proper combination fuel mixture to avoid any damage.
