THE RIGHT MOTOR OIL FOR CARS AND MOTORCYCLES: HOW TO CHOOSE IT

Performance, reliability and safety: to get the best engine performance it is important to choose the right engine oil whether it is a car or a motorcycle.

Features, functions, types: there is so much information to know to better orient yourself in choosing the most suitable engine oil for your vehicle.

We will try to clarify this by answering the most frequently asked questions about engine oil.

ENGINE OIL: MAIN FUNCTIONS

The engine oil has the purpose of protecting the metal surfaces from wear and reducing the friction between the mechanical parts of the engine in contact and moving between them.

In addition, the oil contributes to the cooling of the mechanisms by transferring the heat from the warmer areas to the colder ones, keeping the mechanical parts clean by counteracting the formation of deposits and keeping the contaminants in suspension, allowing the seal (sealing function)  between the elastic bands and the cylinder.

WHAT IS MOTOR OIL COMPOSED OF?

The different types of  engine lubricants  consist of:

• Base oil (solvent substance with lubricating properties inside which the additives are dissolved) may be of mineral origin, deriving from the distillation of petroleum, synthetic, deriving from industrial processes of chemical synthesis or from the careful treatment of products derived from the distillation of petroleum , regenerated, derives from the industrial treatment of waste oils.

• Additivation packages, a set of chemicals necessary to give the performance to the lubricant and which determine its specifications (API, ACEA, Constructors, etc.).

• Improving the rheological characteristics, they are substances that act on the flow characteristics of the lubricant, allowing a good fluidity at low temperature (facilitating the starting of the cold engine) and at the same time an adequate viscosity at high temperature (a fundamental requirement for effective lubrication and engine protection in operation). These substances are generally polymers capable of increasing the viscosity index so as to counteract the effect of the decrease in viscosity with increasing temperature. Other substances, such as pour-point improvers, are able to allow the oil to flow at a low temperature, inhibiting freezing.

The elements listed above make up the finished engine oil, however, they do not certify its quality.
To obtain a high-quality motor oil it will be necessary to know how to choose the best quality elements and mix them in the specific doses in relation to the use to which the oil is destined.

WHAT ARE THE ADDITIVES USED IN ENGINE OILS?

• They make the engine oil suitable for use in specific applications
• They act on destructive processes caused by combustion, rust/corrosion, deposits/dirt
• Extend the life of the lubricant by counteracting degradation processes such as contamination, acidification, thermal oxidation, soot/sludge dirt
• They improve specific physical properties of the engine oil such as anti-foam properties and pour point

WHAT IS THE VISCOSITY OF AN ENGINE OIL?

Viscosity is one of the most important features for a  car  or motorcycle engine oil :

• the viscosity of a fluid measures its resistance to sliding, and represents its internal friction;
• viscosity changes with temperature and pressure changes;

In the case of a liquid:

• decreases exponentially with increasing temperature
• increases with increasing pressure
• decreases with increasing shear stress (shear, true only for certain liquids such as lubricating oils)

Old cars tend to burn a lot of engine oil and to fix them you may have to spend a fortune. Another option would be selling your car for cash – Ultra Cash For Cars will assess your car and offer you the best value for it. We are a car removal service in Adelaide and will tow your junk car for free. Contact Us now and get the cash for your car.