Everything You Need To Know About Motor Oil

Have you ever wondered what motor oil really does and why it’s so critical to your engine’s health? Read on to learn what you need to know about engine oil.

Many car mechanics will tell you that consistent oil changes will extend the overall lifespan of your vehicle’s engine. But that doesn’t explain what motor oil does or why it’s so critical to engine health. Because knowledge is power, this article will review everything you need to know about motor oil and hopefully help you make more informed decisions on how you care for your vehicle.

What Does Motor Oil Do?

Motor oil, also known as engine oil, lubricates the moving parts within your engine to minimize friction, thus, decreasing wear and tear. Additionally, when your engine is running, it produces byproducts like acid, soot, and metal particulates that can cause damage to your engine. Through dispersant additives, the engine oil will take hold of these byproducts and prevent them from coming into contact with other parts. In these ways, engine oil prevents part corrosion and optimizes your engine’s performance, extending its lifespan.

What Are Viscosity and Film Strength?

Viscosity and film strength are two of the most common terms you’ll hear. Viscosity, in scientific terms, refers to how resistant a fluid is to flow. The thicker the oil, the slower it flows, with the opposite applying to thinner oils. In fact, that’s what the numbers on your engine oil container mean—they can tell you how resistant to flow the oil is.

While you want the oil to flow freely through your engine, you need to remember that there’s a delicate balance. If your oil is too thin, it won’t have enough film strength and will break down too easily, causing your engine components to wear down faster. Film strength refers to the oil’s ability to lessen friction. If your oil is too thick, your car won’t start in cold temperatures, and the oil won’t move freely enough to lubricate efficiently.

What Types of Motor Oils Are There?

There are quite a few types of engine oils available on the market, all of which serve different engines that experience different conditions. To keep things simple, we’ll cover the four overall types of engine oil: synthetic, synthetic blend, high mileage, and conventional oil.

Synthetic oil is 100 percent chemically engineered. Due to its higher viscosity levels, it has great resistance to corrosion, making this oil best for high-performance vehicles. Synthetic blend oil uses a mixture of conventional base oil (crude oil) and synthetic oil to garner the benefits of fully synthetic oil for a fraction of the price. High mileage oil is for vehicles that have driven over 75,000 miles. Companies formulate it specifically to reduce smoke, emissions, and oil burn-off. Lastly, conventional oil consists of highly refined crude oil. But it typically doesn’t have the additives that other oils do to protect the engine from byproducts and overheating.

Now that you’ve learned what you need to know about motor oil, you can determine which oil is right for your engine.

UP IN NEWS

• Things You Need To Know Before Restoring a Classic Car
• Aston Martin Vantage on a Winning Streak as Focus Switches to 2023 Asian Le Mans Series
• Hyundai Donates $50,000 to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• A Czech Icon Reborn: Praga Presents the Praga ZS 800 Motorcycle
• Vehicle Modifications That Can Help Protect Your Car

---

For all the latest automotive news, reports, and reviews, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Instagram, which is updated daily.

---