Is “thinner” oil worse? Contrary to popular belief, modern low-viscosity oils are not only safe but often more effective in today’s engines. TotalEnergies Marketing Polska explains why it is essential to adhere to manufacturers’ recommended viscosity grades and warns of the risks of arbitrary changes.
Thicker oil doesn’t mean better protection
Density vs. viscosity: understanding the difference
- Density refers to a fluid’s mass per unit volume.
- Viscosity measures a fluid’s resistance to flow.
Many drivers confuse these terms, assuming that low-viscosity oil “feels like water” at room temperature. In reality, however, engines operate across a wide temperature range, and modern lubricants are formulated to protect bearings, pistons, and turbochargers alike, both during start-up and when under high load.
More than just viscosity: the importance of oil formulation
An OEM approved lubricant guarantees that the entire formulation, including the base oil and additives, matches the engine’s requirements. Using an unapproved oil, even one with the same viscosity, can invalidate these approvals and lead to mechanical failures.
Risks of arbitrary viscosity changes
They can also:
- Disrupt hydraulic valve-lifter operation.
- Impair belt-tensioner or timing-chain performance.
- Alter variable-valve-timing hydraulics.
- Hinder heat dissipation from engine parts.
Dangers of using an incorrect oil specification
- Accelerate timing-chain wear due to poor soot dispersion.
- Dissolve sections of wet timing belts, clog oil passages, or cause belt cracking.
- Increase the risk of low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) in direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engines.
- Promote sludge and deposit formation.
- Degrade diesel-particulate filters prematurely.
- Cause ring seizure and other catastrophic failures.
To ensure reliability and longevity, modern engines require precisely engineered lubricants.
When is a viscosity change permissible?
About TotalEnergies Marketing Polska:
TotalEnergies Marketing Polska has been operating in Poland since 1992 and has an established position on the engine oil market. It offers products of two well-known brands TotalEnergies and Elf. Since 2008, TotalEnergies also offers bitumen products and is present in the market of industrial special fluids. The company has also been operating on the fuel sales market since 2009. In 2021, TotalEnergies opened the first car washes and launched a project to create a charging network for electric vehicles.
About the TotalEnergies Marketing Services:
TotalEnergies Marketing Services offers its professional and private customers a wide range of energy products and services - petroleum products, biofuels, charging and related services for electric vehicles, road and marine gas - to support their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Every day, over 8 million customers visit our 16,000 service stations around the world. Number four in the world in lubricants, we design and market high-performance products for the automotive, industrial and marine sectors. In order to best respond to the needs of our B2B customers, we deploy our sales force, our international logistics network and our diverse offer. We operate in 107 countries, where our 31,000 employees are close to all our customers.
About TotalEnergies:
TotalEnergies is a multi-energy company with a global reach that produces and sells energy: crude oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewable energy sources and electricity. More than 100,000 of our employees strive to make energy cheaper, cleaner, reliable and available to as many customers as possible. Operating in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainability in all its aspects at the heart of its projects and activities to contribute to people's well-being.
Contact TotalEnergies:
Bartosz Cyran | bartosz.cyran@proautomotive.pl | +48 662 454 679.
Legal Notice:
The terms „TotalEnergies”, „TotalEnergies Company” or „Company” in this document are used to refer to TotalEnergies SE and consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Similarly, the words „we”, „us” and „our” may also be used to refer to these entities or their employees. Entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly holds shares are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE is not responsible for the actions or omissions of these entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a range of economic data and assumptions made in the particular economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove inaccurate in the future and are subject to many risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries undertakes to publicly update any information or forward-looking statements, objectives or trends contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information regarding risk factors that may affect the financial results or operations of TotalEnergies is contained in the most recent Registration Document, the French version of which has been filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and in Form 20-F filed with US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)O TotalEnergies Marketing Polska
