# 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:** 41

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**Author:** ![Vovchandr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/vovchandr/32/6275_2.png) [@Vovchandr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Vovchandr)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/oil-how-does-it-work-split/262189/41 "2012-01-08T10:51:14Z")

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> [@I have a slight conflict with the financial office at UB](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-have-a-slight-conflict-with-the-financial-office-at-ub/47756/5):
>
> (no caffeine yet bear with me)
> 
> Vlad, 100 percent without a doubt, the thicker an SAE oil is, the slower it’s flow rate is. We can agree on that.
> 
> What you don’t understand is that on a 5W30 oil, 5W does not equal 30 at any given temperature. All is means is that the oil flows like a **SAE 5@cold temps, and an SAE 30 at operating temps**.
> 
> **_BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT HERE WE GO_**
> 
> A SAE 5 oil at cold temps does not flow as well as an SAE 30 at high temps (so a 5W30 is indeed **thicker at cold temps vs. warm** ).
> 
> I don’t know what else to say.

Plus rep for actually putting your thinking cap on and actually having the discussion unlike the rest of the trolls.

However the part in bold is still an issue with me.

How does that work when SAE says that 5 should be thinner.

Common sense is oil thickens up when it drops in temperature, however SAE scale says the opposite when it says that a low number is thin but a high number is thick?

Clearly something is an issue here with a piece missing.

Edit: Also I’ve found that half the articles say that the numbers on the bottle describe the viscosity and the other half say they don’t (like mafdarks post above). :ponder

Edit X2: SAE 5 should flow better than SAE 30 no?

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