Viscosity: the measure of a liquid’s thickness. Now why do you need to know this? Well, when it comes to your oil, it’s very important to understand viscosity and how it relates to your engine’s performance, especially in extreme conditions. To help clarify this, Royal Purple recently released a video explaining everything you need to know about your oil’s viscosity, including how to determine it. Check it out above.

The viscosity of oil can be easily determined by looking at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) number on the oil’s container. For a single weight oil, the number shown is a representation of the viscosity at normal vehicle operating temperatures. For multi-grade oils, the SAE number comes in two parts. The first number represents the ability of the oil to be cranked over in your engine at below freezing temperatures, where as the second number represents the oil’s viscosity. Knowing this will help you determine what to look for when buying the proper oil for your vehicle.

The video also walks you through when to use a higher viscosity oil (when operating a vehicle in extreme temperatures or driving conditions) and when to use a lower viscosity oil.

Understanding the viscosity of your oil and how it should be changed based on your driving habits may not be the most entertaining part about owning a car, in fact we know it’s not, but it’s still important to understand the basics. Thanks to Royal Purple, doing so is made simple and matched with amazing products to give you the exact oil  for your needs.