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Look on the shelves in auto parts stores and you'll see oils labeled for all kinds of specific purposes: high-tech engines, new cars, higher-mileage vehicles, heavy-duty/off-road SUVs. You will see a also wide selection of viscosities. On the front of these engine oil containers, you’ll see the oil’s specified viscosity rating. Just think of viscosity as “thickness.” A few common motor oil viscosities include 5W-30, 10W-40, and 20W-50, though there are many more. These are considered to be multi-grade oils and contain additives to tailor their viscosities to various engines’ requirements and operating temperatures.
The numbers you see on a motor oil bottle range from 0 to 60 and are determined in laboratory tests by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). These numbers refer to viscosity with the lowest numbers representing the thinnest, and therefore the "thinnest" oil. The “W” stands for “Winter,” and indicates that the oil that will maintain its viscosity even in cold winter temperatures.
The need for multi-viscosity oil is somewhat obvious. When the weather changes, it has a dramatic effect on the viscosity of oil. For example, straight 30-weight oil may be ideal for a summer road trip when the engine is always nice and hot, but straight 30-weight oil would turn to sludge if you drove up to the mountains for a ski trip in the winter. On the other hand, straight 5-weight oil would work best in the middle of winter when temperatures hit the single digits, but would provide very little lubrication when summer rolls around. Use 5W-30 and you have all the bases covered.
Most motor oils on the market today are multi-viscosity oils, meaning they are formed from different grades of oil and share the characteristics of both thick and thin oil.
The primary functions of multi-viscosity motor oil are:
If you refer to your owner's manual, you'll know what the car manufacturer recommends for a brand-new vehicle. The proper viscosity may also be stamped on the engine oil cap.
Motor oil can be segmented into four basic varieties:
Premium Conventional Oil: This is the standard new-car oil. When using Conventional motor oil, changing the oil and filter regularly becomes even more important than when using Synthetic blends or Full Synthetic motor oil. A 4000 miles/4 months oil change interval is good practice. The absolute minimum is twice a year. If your car has an electronic oil-change indicator on the instrument panel, do not exceed its warning.
Synthetic Blend Oil: This type of motor oil is a mixture of synthetic oil and conventional oil. This oil is formulated to provide protection for heavier loads and high temperatures. This generally means they're less unstable and they evaporate far less, which reduces oil loss (and increases fuel economy). They're popular with drivers of light trucks & SUVs. Synthetic blend oil is substantially less expensive than full synthetics. Usually just pennies more than a premium conventional oil.
Full Synthetic Oil: This oil is intended for high-tech engines, Corvettes or Mercedes-Benz, etc. These oils pass stringent special tests, they typically have superior, longer-lasting performance in all critical areas, from viscosity to protection against deposits. Full synthetic oils flow better at low temperatures and maintain peak lubricity at high temperatures. So why wouldn't everyone use full synthetic? Answer: Fully synthetic motor oil is NOT CHEAP and not every engine needs it. In fact, there may possibly be some features that your car's engine needs that the synthetics don't have. Once again, refer to your owner's manual.
High Mileage Oil: These days, The average car on the road is over 11 years old. High-mileage oils are formulated with these high mileage vehicles in mind. They usually have higher viscosity. As engines age, their parts often wear down. As a result, there can be more space between the parts of a 80,000 mile engine than in that of a brand new car. For older vehicles, consider a high mileage oil help fill in the extra space. High mileage oils are formulated with seal conditioners that flow into the pores of the engine seals to restore their shape and increase their flexibility. They also may have more viscosity index improvers in them and as a result, they cam seal piston to cylinder clearances more effectively. High-mileage oil may also higher anti-wear additive content in order to slow the engine wear process.
Choosing the right oil filter. If you elect to upgrade your motor oil from the manufacturer's recommendation, you should also upgrade your oil filter. Standard quality filters are often made with the 3,000 to 4000 mile oil change interval in mind and may go into 'bypass' mode shortly thereafter. There are a number of premium oil filters on the market. Check the recommended filter change interval on any filter you purchase.
At Texas Tire Sales in Weatherford Texas, the starting price for an average synthetic blend oil & filter change is $24.95 for a gasoline engine before any promotions or coupons which we offer on a regular basis. Our basic oil change service includes:
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