Do you know what those funky digits and letters represent on plastic bottles of oil?  They’re probably just random designations or product codes, right?

WRONG!

Those symbols are important, and the folks at Mobil 1 have a little insight for you about those letters and digits in an article titled “What IS all that information on a motor oil container?”

Sticky tires and aftermarket parts are always fun to talk about, but keep in mind that oil is the lifeblood of an engine.  The proper viscosity is the single most important criterion of a lubricating oil. Multiweight oils, such as 5W-30, have polymers added to the oil. The polymers allow the oil to have different weights at different temperatures. Multiweight oils perform a great service of not being too thick at cold startup to provide engine wear protection by flowing more quickly to critical engine parts. The first number, the 5W of the 5W-30 viscosity, for example, indicates the viscosity of the oil at a cold temperature; the second number indicates the viscosity at operating temperatures. The lower the first number the better flow ability at startup, especially at cold temperatures.

Take a moment and arm yourself with some oil info from Mobil 1, a tech partner of SCCA Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack.