SAE 30 Vs. 5W30: Which one is Better?

Like water is to our bodies, similarly, oil is the life and soul of the engine and for high performance and machine maintenance, good oil quality and consistency are important to keep in mind.

The SAE stands for the Society of Automotive engineers who are responsible for grading the oil quality according to normal standards. Anything below these set standards is deemed low quality.

You must think that SAE 30 and 5W30 have similar positions on the scale, but they are quite different from each other which a lot of people seem to dismiss.

For this purpose, it is important to analyse what the density and mass of the oil should be, which means how its flow is going to affect the performance of your equipment.

The standard scale ranges from 0 to 60 where the highest grade depicts that the oil is thickest in terms of its consistency and flow and the lowest represents diluted or thinned oil.

This article will help you determine which oil is better for your lawn mower’s engine: SAE 30 or the 5W30, so go on and enlighten yourself as the article details each of their features.

SAE 30 Vs. 5W30 – Which one is better?

SAE 30:

The SAE 30 is known as the traditional or common form of oil for your lawn mower’s engine which is mostly utilised in smaller machines and is considered to be quite convenient and affordable. It is a single-grade oil, so it differs from the properties of the multi-grade oils which take the upper hand when it comes to the use of the engine in freezing cold temperatures.

Normally the SAE 30 works perfectly with most standard settings of the lawn mowers because its viscosity does not alter when used for a longer time for mowing or grass cutting. However, when using a snow blower, the oil may not be as useful as the multi-grade oils which work efficiently in any temperature setting. The overall rating of the SAE 30 is 30 according to SAE standards which is at a middle level of the scale.

5W30:

The 5W30 in comparison is a multi-grade oil which means it works well in the freezing cold weather but is not necessarily for use in the lawn mower. In fact, the w in 5W30 stands for winter, meaning it is great for low temperatures while the rating in those temperatures is 5 and in the high temperature it is 30.

This low-temperature rating of 5 means that it is a great oil for use in all kinds of automobiles because the consistency of the oil is an essential feature to consider when it is cool because you do not want any accidents happening in the sky due to engine failure!

This makes it unsuitable for the lawn mower if you are thinking of using it in the cold weather, but it does not necessarily mean you cannot use it all. When the weather is warm, it actually works just fine.

Which one should you choose?

Overall, based on what kind of need you have, both oils offer different levels of viscosity in different temperatures. This means that if you choose 5W30 for use in the lawn mower engine in cold weather, it might not benefit you at all because it gets to the thinning point and will be of no use to your lawn mower, resulting in the failure of its start-up.

You can use the SAE 5W30 in any other automobile as you wish because that will help the automobile’s engine to perform better because it flows freely.

While the SAE 30 is perfect for your lawn mower because it matches the settings the mowers are created with. Similarly, you cannot use this in your snow blower because it is a single-grade oil.

FAQS

Can I use the oils interchangeably such as 5W30 in the lawn mower?

It depends on your lawn mower’s settings, if it has been manufactured for the single-grade oil, I am afraid you can only use the SAE 30. If it is designed for a multi-grade oil only then you can use the 5W30. But keep in mind that the oils are affected by temperatures so using the SAE 30 in freezing weather would not benefit you.

Why is the engine oil quality important for the lawn mower?

Every machine needs to be lubricated in order to function smoothly because the machine keeps working for a long time and the parts come in contact frequently, it can easily jam and rust which can give you performance and start-up problems.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, if you are looking for engine oil for your lawn mower, the SAE 30 ticks all the boxes while the 5W30 is good for all other engines including the snow blower. However, you can still use the 5W30 considering that the weather gets a little warmer so it can go back to its viscosity and flow of 30 to be useful. Overall, I suggest these SAE 30 and 5W30 for better performance and durability of your engines.