\nEngine wear<\/td>\n | <\/p>\n After years of using it and many miles passed, the engine can wear out. The only thing you can do to prolong their lives is to use an engine oil in order to minimize the engine wear and extend its life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What to look for<\/h2>\nMaking the right pick isn\u2019t as easy as it seems. It is far more complicated than buying kitchen oil, as I guess you don\u2019t check several parameters when picking\u00a0cooking\u00a0oil.<\/p>\n To start with, there are three basic things you need to do<\/em>. Start with checking your car\u2019s manual<\/strong> and you will find the suggested oil weight there.<\/p>\nNext thing you need to do is to check for the starburst symbol<\/strong> on the package, which is an indicator that the particular oil has been tested but also approved by the American Petroleum Institute.<\/p>\nFinally, pick the right viscosity<\/strong> according to your vehicle\u2019s normal operating temperatures. You can find this info in the owner\u2019s manual as well.<\/p>\nHowever, you need to learn much more until you can make the right pick.<\/p>\n Labels<\/h3>\nAll of the labels that can be found on the\u00a0package,\u00a0have a meaning. But in order to differentiate the products, you need to understand what the label is telling you.<\/p>\n These are the labels with their meanings:<\/p>\n \n- API \u2013 I already mentioned this one, it proves that the product meets the SL service standards<\/li>\n
- SAE \u2013 stands for Society of Automotive Engineers and is provides the viscosity number<\/li>\n
- Starburst symbol \u2013 proof that the product has passed all SL service tests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Viscosity<\/h3>\nThis is the simplest possible definition \u2013 the resistance of the fluid to flow<\/em> that can be rated at 0 degrees F (the W mark represents winter) and 212 degrees F. These temperatures are in correlation with the weather conditions and is something you need to consider.<\/p>\nFor example, an oil with 20W-50 is more\u00a0viscous\u00a0in both hot and cold temperatures than a 10W-30 does.<\/p>\n What is the logic behind this explanation?<\/em><\/p>\nOn hot temperatures, the oil is thin, and\u00a0in\u00a0cold temperatures the oil is thick<\/strong>. As I said above, the oil has additives \u2013 in this situation, they help you not to thin the oil very much which so the oil will have different viscosity rates\u00a0at\u00a0different temperatures.<\/p>\nThat resistance explains the second number (10W-30) and bigger number means more resistance<\/em>.<\/p>\nEnough of this, let\u2019s keep things simple \u2013 when you drive the car, the engine heats up the oil and it needs to stay thick. So, follow the user\u2019s manual to find the right viscosity for your vehicle.<\/p>\n Oil is life<\/h3>\nSeriously, engine oil is the food for the engine \u2013 the oil\u00a0lubricates all the moving parts and keeps them clean<\/em>\u00a0so the engine as a system will function properly.<\/p>\nSo many products<\/h2>\nYou have decided to buy a motor oil, you take your card go to the market and stand in front of the shelf with\u00a0huge\u00a0variety of engine oils. You are aware of what you need to look for, you took your car\u2019s manual with you, but that just seems like not enough.<\/p>\n Types comparison<\/h2>\nConventional oil, synthetic oil, high mileage oil\u2026 what should you choose? Understanding the difference between these types can be really tough. In order to make things easier for you, I decided to make a comparison.<\/p>\n High mileage oil vs synthetic oil blend vs conventional<\/h3>\nNowadays, vehicles are designed to last longer, of course, if you take care of them. If you carry\u00a0about\u00a0your car, you will reach far more than 75,000 miles.<\/p>\n Older cars, or cars with more mileage will start leaking oil at some point. This means that it is time to do some changes and refill the oil tank more often, which wouldn\u2019t be the case if you own a brand new car.<\/p>\n The reason for this is that the seals have hardened over the years and they may start leaking oil or, much worse situation \u2013 they can crack<\/em>.<\/p>\nThis means you need an oil that can go through the pores of the seals, bring back their shape and boost the flexibility<\/em>. In order to achieve this, you will need a higher mileage oil<\/strong> made from special ingredients.<\/p>\nRemember when I talked about viscosity? Well, higher mileage oils have higher viscosity<\/em> compared to other types. This will help you with the issue of\u00a0worn\u00a0out engine, and increase the actual performances of your vehicle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Synthetic blend oil<\/strong> is a mixture of synthetic and organic oil. Why would someone mix them? Because this combination provides great protection for high heats and heavy loads.<\/p>\nAs you may have guessed, this oil type is used primarily by pickup drivers<\/em>. If we forget about the protection it offers for a minute, here is another reason why people use it \u2013 it is economic<\/em>. It needs more time to turn into vapor, which we cannot say for other oil types and the result of that is no oil losing.<\/p>\nHowever, if you make a comparison between the prices, you will notice that the conventional oil is just a bit more expensive<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conventional<\/strong>, or regular<\/em>, is the standard oil for the vehicle. Most of the vehicle manufacturers, produce several types of their oils with different viscosities. Basically, you will find three types:<\/p>\n\n- 5W-20<\/li>\n
- 5W-30<\/li>\n
- 10W-30<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This types cover every possible vehicle<\/strong> and are designed for different temperatures. The thing you must remember is not to let the indicator warn you that you need to change the oil<\/em> \u2013 do that regularly. The ideal interval is every 4 months or after every 4000 miles.<\/p>\nSemi-synthetic oil vs fully-synthetic oil<\/h3>\nSynthetic oils can be split into two sub-categories: semi-synthetic oils and fully-synthetic oils. What are the differences?<\/p>\n Firstly, semi-synthetic oils<\/strong> are cheaper<\/em> which is basically normal, since they don\u2019t have the same ingredients as the full-synthetic oils.<\/p>\nNext, semi-synthetic oils are a combination of synthetic and mineral oil<\/em> which can offer you higher protection. In addition, many drivers prefer this oil mostly because of economic reasons \u2013 it is cheaper and it doesn\u2019t evaporate as other types.<\/p>\nOn the other hand, fully-synthetic oils<\/strong> are clean synthetic oils with no additional types of oil<\/em>. This is the best choice for your engine as it will give you maximum protection and\u00a0high-level\u00a0performance. Even though they are more expensive, the difference isn\u2019t much big.<\/p>\nIs synthetic oil better for high mileage cars?<\/h2>\nIf you are looking for a consistent but also superior performances<\/em>, then your choice should be synthetic oil.<\/p>\nIt is up to you to decide what oil type is better, but consider these facts before deciding. Synthetic oils have several advantages for sure \u2013 they offer protection in a wider range of temperatures<\/em>, even higher than the engine\u2019s maximum. Plus, they are thinner<\/em> and are not as degradable as the mineral oils<\/em> and are fuel efficient as well.<\/p>\nWhen to switch to synthetic oil in a new\u00a0car?<\/h2>\nPeople are often afraid to switch to synthetic oil as they think that would bring more disadvantages than advantages. However, in this section you will learn that there are many benefits from the switch<\/em>, so you would like to do it immediately.<\/p>\nThere is no coming back<\/h3>\nIt is not true that the switch from mineral to synthetic oil is a one-way transition<\/em>. You can go back to it whenever you like, even though I doubt that you would ever want to go back.<\/p>\nNot compatible with older vehicles<\/h3>\nAnother myth that is completely wrong \u2013 synthetic oil would leak where other types won\u2019t<\/em>. Synthetic oils may just offer better performances and seals protection.<\/p>\nThe point is that you don\u2019t need to worry about unnecessary things \u2013 it is completely safe to switch to synthetic oil without any engine damages or future consequences.<\/p>\n Can you?<\/h2>\nCan you mix semi and fully-synthetic oils?<\/h3>\nAbsolutely not<\/strong>. If your intention is to switch between these types, then okay, just make sure you use a flushing oil before. But don\u2019t even think of mixing them together, as that would not only change the\u00a0ratio but can cause serious damage to the engine.<\/p>\nCan you mix semi-synthetic with conventional oil?<\/h3>\nYes, you can<\/strong>, as there is no possible damage of doing that. But notice one thing \u2013 the conventional will reduce the benefits of the semi-synthetic which is superior. Even it is possible without any harm to the engine, I wouldn\u2019t recommend you creating this mixture.<\/p>\nCan you switch from synthetic to regular oil?<\/h3>\nAs I mentioned before, just as you could switch from regular to synthetic oil, there is absolutely no problem to do the same thing in the other direction<\/strong>. You can switch from synthetic to regular oil without any damage to the engine.<\/p>\nWhat happens if you use regular oil instead of synthetic oil?<\/h2>\nWell, oil is oil, so it whether it is synthetic or petroleum based, it will work fine. So, probably there is not a big difference, as you need to consider many things before you can choose the oil type.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t any guarantee that one of it will prolong the life of your engine, even though the synthetic oil is in favor as it has better chances.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s make a little comparison<\/em> \u2013 if you are living healthy and have enough physical activities, you are more likely to live longer, but no one can guarantee you that.<\/p>\nOil additives<\/h2>\nFor better oil performance, there are many additives. In addition, here are most of them:<\/p>\n |