# Oil... how does it work? \[split\]

**URL:** <https://forums.speedlife.net/t/oil-how-does-it-work-split/262189>\
**Category:** Shift518 Off Topic\
**Created:** [January 6, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/oil-how-does-it-work-split/262189 "2012-01-06T23:40:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 29

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TurboTravis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/turbotravis/32/6406_2.png) [@TurboTravis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TurboTravis)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/oil-how-does-it-work-split/262189/29 "2012-01-07T22:56:07Z")

</div>

> [@\*\*\*\*Official: Southgate Meet Thread\*\*\*\*](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/official-southgate-meet-thread/29171/2163):
>
> :rofl
> 
> I was asking that according to SAE oil is more resistant to flow at higher temps, yet we warm up the cars during an oil change to get it to flow out easier.

It’s not more resistant to flow at higher temps. For example, a 5W at 0 degrees is ‘thicker’ than a SAE 30 at 210 degrees. Make sense yet?

A 5W30 oil flows like an SAE 5 when cold, and an SAE 30 when hot.

But an SAE 30 is ‘thinner’ when hot vs. a SAE 5 when cold.

---

_[View the full topic](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/oil-how-does-it-work-split/262189)._