Just as you can find different types of engines on the market, the manufacturers of engine oil They offer different compounds that are appropriate for each engine model and depending on each use. Before find out which one is the best car oil, it is key to know what it is for. There is a lot of talk about oil being a guarantee of engine life… And that is so, mainly due to three reasons:
- Reduces friction between the moving components, thus avoiding early wear of the mechanical parts.
- Serves as a coolantsince it prevents the engine temperature from rising due to friction.
- Prevents corrosion and helps keep the car engine clean. As it keeps the waste in suspension, it is trapped in the filter.
Its importance for mechanics is such that you should always check the car’s oil level. Furthermore, as it suffers wear and tear from use and gets dirty, from time to time it is necessary to change it for a new one (it is one of the keys to car maintenance). ¿When to change car oil? The most appropriate thing is to comply with the oil change intervals set by the manufacturer for each car, and use them as a reference. Then, another factor comes into play, the type of oil your vehicle uses.
Types of car oil
There are two main types of oil:
- Mineral oils: They are a direct result of the distillation of petroleum. If you use mineral oil, it is advisable to change it at least once a year even if you have not reached the kilometers stipulated by the manufacturer.
- Synthetic oils: This distilled and refined base undergoes a transformation process in the laboratory until it meets certain characteristics. They have an advantage over the former, since they improve engine protection, and maintain their more stable properties for longer. Despite this longer useful life, although they should not be exceeded two years of use.
If we had to opt for one of the two, the synthetic is always the best optionsince using mineral oil requires changing it more frequently. This factor eliminates its advantage, the price (around 25 euros for each change), and with a synthetic oil the engine is better protected.
What is the best oil for your car?
Of all the properties of oil, the most important is viscosity, which is the resistance offered by oil molecules when they flow. It should not be confused with the viscosity indexwhich indicates the variation of viscosity as a function of temperature.
Good car oils must be fluids at low temperatures to adhere to metal surfaces when the engine is cold, from the moment it is started. At the same time, maintain sufficient viscosity when heated so as not to drain easily.
When buying a can of oil you can notice that letters appeartype of compound, (monograde or multigrade) and viscosity grades. Multigrade oils have the viscosity of a monograde 15 at low temperatures and a monograde 40 at high temperatures, thanks to the special components that make it up (which do not allow the oil to be dense in winter and very liquid in summer).
Letters and numbers are used to classify oil model based on the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and API or American Petroleum Institute system. The SAE defines the viscosity grade of the oil. Normally you can see two figures. The first refers to cold (at –18°C), and the second refers to hot (at 100° C).
If your car indicates 20-40 oil in the maintenance book, for example, you can lower the first figuresince sometimes this reduction improves cold starting (the oil will reach all corners better) and can even reduce consumption. Never choose a higher primer figure as it may not flow fast enough at low temperatures. consumption, but never increase it.
Regarding the second figureit is not advisable to go up or down from the amount set by the manufacturer. If you lower it, the oil would be too thin when hot and the engine could have problems when maximum performance is required.
For those who are not experts always It will be more convenient to take the car to a workshopwhere they make the change properly and recycle the used lubricant. It is also advisable to replace the filters with each change, since if you do not do so the oil loses its properties more quickly and does not perform its function correctly.
