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Buy 5W-50 engine oil
5W-50 covers an unusually wide range: a usable cold start and a very load-bearing lubricant film at high oil temperature. This is the grade for powerful engines, a high share of full load and heat - and only where the manufacturer approves it.
Which vehicle?
Enter your vehicle - we show only what belongs in it.
What the wide range is good for
An oil spanning 5W to 50 has to work across a large range, and that calls for high-quality synthetic base oils with a shear-stable viscosity package. The benefit lies where oil temperatures are permanently high: turbocharged sports engines, vehicles towing in summer, high-mileage engines that use a measurable amount of oil on a 40 grade.
Against 5W-40: more reserve in the heat, a little more internal friction. Against 10W-60: a better cold start, less extreme high-temperature viscosity - for an everyday vehicle usually the more sensible of the two.
Approvals
ACEA A3/B4 is the usual one, plus brand-specific numbers for high-performance engines. The important point is the same as with any thick oil: most 5W-50 oils are **not** Low SAPS and therefore do not belong in a vehicle with a diesel particulate filter or a petrol particulate filter unless a C approval is explicitly on the container. For vehicles with a filter, the way leads through ACEA C3.
And as always: moving up a grade on your own initiative because "thicker protects more" is not a good idea. Hydraulic components such as chain tensioners and camshaft adjusters are designed around the intended viscosity.
When the engine uses oil
Engines for which 5W-50 is intended often use some oil by design. Carry a bottle of the same product and check the level before longer or faster journeys - at high oil temperature, too low a level is the more critical of the two errors.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5W-50 better than 5W-40?
It has more reserve at high oil temperature and costs a little more internal friction. It is only better for engines that need that reserve and for which it is approved; otherwise 5W-40 is the more suitable grade.
May 5W-50 go into a vehicle with a particulate filter?
Only with an explicit Low SAPS approval, which is rare in this grade. Check the container for an ACEA C class or the matching manufacturer approval - an A3/B4 oil clogs the filter with ash.
Does 5W-50 help against oil consumption?
With larger bearing clearances the thicker film can reduce consumption. But it treats the symptom, and it is permissible only if the manufacturer approves the grade.
