Oil for the engine is of great importance, its quality instantly affects the performance of the car and the total resources of the machine. The oil is intended for lubrication of rubbing, rotating parts, as well as their cooling during operation. It is poured through the oil filler neck located on top of the engine on the valve cover.
There are certain requirements for oils. First of all, engine oil must be stable under various operating conditions. When cooling and heating, its structure should not change. Finally, motor oil for a car must have a constant viscosity.
What oils provide the above conditions and meet all these requirements?
First of all, they are divided into the following categories: mineral, synthetic and semi-synthetic.
Mineral oils are obtained by refining oil. This engine oil is unstable under certain conditions. This means that when the engine is operating in various modes, the likelihood that the mineral oil does not retain its chemical properties is quite high. Simply put, this type of product will not provide the proper lubricating effect to rubbing surfaces. Unfortunately, as the motor temperature rises, the viscosity of the oil increases, and its lubricating properties deteriorate.
Another thing is synthetic engine oil. In terms of its operational characteristics, it is significantly superior to mineral. All because synthetics are created in an artificial way. That is, the stability indicators of this type of product are an order of magnitude higher due to the fact that a synthetic base is present in its structure. Synthetic oil has been widely used in the engines of modern cars due to its stable viscosity and excellent washing and lubricating properties.
Semi-synthetic oil is a mixture of mineral and synthetic look. Its main advantage is a lower price than that of "synthetics". At the same time, stability indicators during engine operation are somewhat lower. A good option for the application of "semi-synthetics" is an engine that has a significant mileage, since the synthetics will burn out.
Which oil to choose?
In fact, choosing a motor oil is not an easy task. There are a lot of options in the modern automotive market. Does this raise some doubts - synthetic or mineral? The answer is obvious if you understand the basic operational characteristics of a particular engine. For example, if a motor has high mileage, its rubbing parts are worn out. It follows from this that pouring “synthetics” into the engine does not make sense, since this oil is thinner than mineral oil and will quickly burn out. This is expensive engine oil, and it will often have to be added, which is economically disadvantageous. In this case, mineral or semi-synthetic oil will be the most profitable option.
By the way, mineral oil needs to be changed much more often than synthetic. "Synthetics" is less susceptible to temperature extremes, maintains operational performance longer, and has better viscosity. This allows the use of synthetic oil in engines operating in different climatic conditions, with variable loads and various speed conditions.
In general, it is not recommended to save excessively when choosing engine oil for an engine. But it’s important not to harm, trying to make life easier for the motor. It must always be remembered that the engine resource depends on the quality of the engine oil . This means that by buying a better quality oil, the owner will protect himself from subsequent problems that arose when it was necessary to repair the engine. The choice is yours.