Importance Of Viscosity In Automotive Lubricants

By Author: Dufe Lub
Total Articles: 3
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What Does Viscosity Mean?
The term viscosity describes the resistance of engine oil to flow. It reduces or thins with rising engine temperatures and thickens or increases with reduced temperatures. The above-mentioned explains why your oil flows more easily during the summer as compared to the wintertime.

If the lubricant is excessively thick as the engine becomes functional and cold, then it cannot flow and safeguard the lubricated components. If it thins down excessively as the motor runs hot, then it would lubricate those components properly. Ensuring to choose the right oil viscosity will aid in reducing engine wear and tear and optimizing the performance and efficiency of your engine.

Not all products of engine oil companies in UAE respond identically to a particular temperature change. Several oils can resist viscosity changes because of a temperature change, a property known as the viscosity index of the products. If the viscosity index of engine oil is high, temperature changes would alter its viscosity less.

Here are the advantages of oils that have a higher viscosity index.

• A general ...
... viscosity increase at a higher temperature, which contributes to lower oil use and relatively less wear.
• A decreased viscosity at a lower temperature, which will contribute to better engine starting and much lower fuel use.

The capability of engine oil to withstand shearing is another factor to consider when measuring viscosity. For the uninitiated, shearing is the process of a lubricant plane tearing away from a different plane during hydrodynamic lubrication.

Under some conditions, like shock loads, critically low viscosity, very high temperatures, and/or constant heavy loading, a lubricant may not stay in its usual hydrodynamic film condition.

A condition starts when there is boundary lubrication, a form of contact between engine wear surfaces, and then damage starts occurring. If the above-mentioned conditions are not solved immediately and the contact continues, then there could be a failure within hours because of a lack of lubricant film.

Engine oil companies in UAE and elsewhere should consider viscosity, shear stress or shear rate, and viscosity index when they blend lubricating oils. For the end customer, it all means that engine oil’s viscosity is the most significant consideration when choosing the product for a particular application. Remember, to have the best possible lubrication for your vehicle, the oil viscosity must match the load, speed and temperatures of the to-be-lubricated parts.

Final Thoughts
You would not realize that you use an inappropriate engine lubricant until it does the damage, like an engine component wear out that requires replacement or a leak. Therefore, you should seek the help of one of the best lubricant companies in UAE with oil changes to prevent vehicular damage.