why do people use the term "weight" when it comes to engine oil? there is no such word when it comes to engine oil viscosity. at one time the term weight was used for crude oil. i have never seen a chart or index that uses the term weight when it involves engine oil or other lubricating oils. the W that is in a multiviscosity oil stands for winter.
You know how it goes, "my dad did it, his dad did it, and his dad, and his dad....... My pastor tells a story of a lady who always cuts an end off of a ham before putting it in the pan. It would fit in the pan even if she didn't. Turns out she only did it because her mom did it. Her mom only did it because her pan was too small.
Simple . A whole lot simpler for people to understand than"Staybolt Seconds" . It's,in the modern vernacular, a legacy term.
Perhaps you know the answer to this and were just jesting........but...if knot.............the term is slang or colloquial for 'nautical mile', which is 6000 feet instead of the 'statute mile' distance of 5280 feet. knot that anyone here really cares........... Ray
Add this to what Sport Fury said. The first number rates the viscosity of the oil at a temperature of 0 degrees F, mimicking cold winter weather, which is why the 'W' designation is added at the end of the first number. The second number repeats the test at 210 degrees F., or normal operating temperature for a fully-warmed engine.
The Jalopy Journal
