The right motor oil matters

More people plan to keep their vehicles for much longer, and they’re taking a new look at optimum performance and mileage of their cars and trucks. There are meaningful differences in motor oils. Motor oil matters, and choosing the right one can have a major impact on how well a vehicle runs. Selecting the right oil is the quickest and least expensive way to improve a car’s performance and reliability.

Two components determine how well motor oil will perform in your car. One factor is the base oil, and the other is the combination of chemicals (additives) that are added to the base oil.

Base Oils

Mineral and synthetic are the two primary types of base oils. Mineral oils are by-products of refined crude oil. Refining helps reduce the impurities, but leaves molecules of all shapes and sizes. Synthetic oils are man-made compounds whose molecules are all the same size and shape. Consequently, synthetic oil has less friction and performs significantly better than mineral oils.

There’s been sizable growth in the use of synthetic oils over the years. In fact, synthetic oils are often what the factory puts in many new performance and luxury cars.

Additives

Regardless of the base oil used, chemicals must be added to give motor oil the characteristics needed to do its job. Typical additives that may be added to base oil include detergents to reduce the formation of residue, defoamants to deter absorption of air, anti-wear agents, antioxidants and others.

Although additives are typically only 15 to 25 percent of the make-up of motor oil, they can impact a lubricant’s performance much more than the base oil. For instance, mineral-based motor oil with a very good additive package can easily outperform synthetic motor oil with a mediocre additive package.

There is no easy way for a consumer to determine the quality of motor oil’s additive package. Price is often an indicator of quality since the more advanced additive technologies cost more to produce. Performance is the ultimate measure of additive package quality.

Advances in Lubrication

Some of the biggest technological advances in lubrication are now coming through advancements in chemical additives. These breakthroughs have been developed by a handful of companies that specialize in high-performance lubricants, as opposed to major oil companies whose primary focus is refining and selling crude oil byproducts like gasoline and other fuels.

How to Choose

• Mineral-based (conventional) motor oils — These are the cheapest and most widely available oils. They typically use standard additive packages that provide minimum levels of performance and protection.

• Synthetic motor oils — These man-made oils are more expensive that mineral-based oils but are still widely available. Their performance advantages come predominantly from the synthetic base oil used. They have a longer service life and offer some improvements in protection. They typically use the same additive packages found in mineral-based oils.

• High-performance ‘specialty’ synthetic motor oils — These motor oils are the most technologically advanced oils. Although they significantly out-perform mineral-based or synthetic motor oils, they are about the same price as standard synthetic motor oil. They are typically only available through auto parts stores and select oil change centers. These oils primarily differ in their use of more advanced, proprietary additive technologies.

Still confused? For a used car with little life left in it, stick with the cheap mineral-based motor oil. For a car you plan to keep for a few years and want to get a little better performance from, you should at least upgrade to synthetic motor oil. To get the most performance out of your car, truck or RV, or to protect a vehicle you really care about and want to last, upgrade to a high performance motor oil.