Identifying the right car oil is an exercise fraught with a considerable amount of risk. While there’s plenty of benefits such as longer engine life, smoother revs and increased performance, not to mention, fuel mileage too; there’s also the risk of engine damage & expensive repairs, should one get this wrong.
This is why, it is crucial for owners to learn about the right oil for cars used by them. The first place to look for information on this is the owner’s manual that is supplied by the manufacturer with each new car. It usually states the parameters of the oil that is recommended by the factory.
Each engine is built to its own set of specifications and manufacturers of new cars test oils extensively, before recommending a particular one to be used by owners. Often, they’ll also suggest suitable upgrades, but this isn’t a widespread practice, just yet.
Those twin alpha-numerical denominations by the sides of car oil cans and on their labels are another indicator on whether they’d be suitable for you. Typically speaking, lower the numbers, thinner the oil & better the flow as the mercury drops. But that second number is a dual purpose one. A higher rating here indicates that not only is the oil thicker, making it better suited to warmer temperatures, but also the fact that it’ll be resistant to thinning as the engine heats up to operating temperature.
While mineral oils were all the rage back until some years ago, the raft of new cars being launched have seen a switch to semi-synthetic oils with a composition that consists of mineral base as well as an engineered one. These form the best middle ground between the expensive performance of fully-synthetic oils, as well as the cost effectiveness and widespread acceptance of mineral source ones.
Synthetic car oil is a great option for those with a penchant for high performance and have the engines to boot. They help run cooler, enable increased performance to be extracted for a longer time & their drain intervals too tend to be longer than their mineral/mixed blend counterparts.
But all things said and done, the right oil for cars at the end of the day is the one that is replaced at manufacturer suggested intervals or sooner. You see, the oil that runs inside the engine is like blood to living beings. It is beneficial on multiple counts and must be refreshed regularly. And while at it, the oil filter should be replaced too, at all times. Following this simple piece of advice helps go a long way in extending the life of the engine.
