What’s the one-car maintenance rule they always tell you? Change your motor oil!
There’s a good reason for this. Without motor oil, your car won’t run. It’s the most important fluid in your engine, keeping everything working smoothly.
Motor oil lubricates moving parts, reduces friction, and helps control the engine’s temperature. But not all motor oils are the same. Using low-quality or the wrong oil can cause your engine to wear out faster, lower fuel efficiency, and even lead to engine damage.
So, what makes high-quality motor oil better? Why is it important? And how can you make sure you’re using the right oil for your car?
High-Performance Motor Oil – At a Glance
High-performance motor oil is made with top-quality ingredients and special additives to protect new types of car engines. These engines are smaller, have turbochargers, use gasoline direct injection (GDI), and often turn off and on to save fuel (like in stop/start systems).
Modern GDI engines are super powerful and use less fuel than older engines. But because they work harder, they can wear out faster and face a problem called low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) — that’s when fuel in the engine burns too early and causes damage.
That’s why Fubex High-Performance motor oil has smart technology built in. It helps protect your engine from damage, reduces wear, and keeps your car running strong and smooth.
The Difference Between High-Quality and Low-Quality Motor Oil
When you go to the auto parts store, the motor oil section can be confusing. You might see words like synthetic, conventional, or high mileage. But what do they really mean?
High-quality motor oil is made with better base oils and extra ingredients that help it work well. Here’s how it differs from cheaper oils:
- Better Thickness: Good oils stay thick and work well in different temperatures. Cheap oils break down fast and don’t protect your engine as well.
- Cleans the Engine: High-quality oils have detergents that clean the engine and stop sludge from building up. Low-quality oils don’t clean as well, which can cause dirt to pile up inside.
- Lasts Longer: High-quality oils resist breaking down from heat and air, which means they last longer and protect your engine better.
- Burns Less: Low-quality oils burn off faster, which means you need to add oil more often, and your engine gets dirtier.
Choosing the right motor oil is about more than just filling your car up. It’s about helping your engine run better and last longer. Make sure to choose a high-quality oil that matches your car’s needs for the best results!
What Makes High-Performance Motor Oil Different From Regular Oil
High-performance motor oil is usually synthetic, which means it’s made in a lab to be stronger and better than regular oil. It’s specially made for modern engines and racing cars that need extra protection and power. Let’s break it down:
1. Base Oil (The Main Ingredient):
- High-performance oil: Uses synthetic base oils. These are made to be really smooth and stable, even in tough conditions.
- Regular oil: Uses mineral oils, which come from cleaning up crude oil. They’re not as advanced as synthetic oils.
2. Additives (Helpful Ingredients):
- High-performance oil: It has special stuff added, like protectors for engine seals, anti-wear agents, and cleaners. These help the engine stay safe from heat, pressure, and damage.
- Regular oil: Has some additives, too, but not as many or as strong. They’re okay for normal driving but not great for high-stress engines.
3. Performance:
- High-performance oil: It gives better protection, works better in heat, and doesn’t break down as fast.
- Regular oil: Works fine in regular engines but might not hold up under heavy use or extreme conditions.
4. Special Additives:
- High-performance oil: Might have extra ingredients to fix problems like LSPI (a kind of engine knock-in direct injection engines) or help stop oil leaks in older engines.
- Regular oil Usually doesn’t have these extra features.
In simple words, high-performance oil is like giving your engine a power-up—it helps it run smoother, last longer, and handle tough situations better. Great for powerful or modern engines!
How to Pick the Right High-Quality Motor Oil
Now that you know why high-quality oil is important, how do you pick the best one for your car?
Check Your Owner’s Manual
Start by looking at your car’s manual. It tells you which oil is best for your car, including the right viscosity (like 5W-30 or 10W-40) and if you need synthetic or conventional oil. If you’re unsure, our mechanics can help!
Go for Synthetic Over Conventional
Synthetic oils are better than conventional oils in almost every way. They last longer, handle heat better, and protect your engine more. They cost more at first, but you won’t need to change the oil as often. Need advice? We can help you figure out what’s best for you and your car.
Think About High-Mileage or Performance Oils
If your car has over 75,000 miles, high-mileage oil helps protect seals and prevents leaks. If you drive a performance car, you might need special oils that can handle high speeds and tough conditions. Have questions? We’re here to help!
How Often Should You Change Your Oil?
Even the best oil doesn’t last forever. Here’s how often you should change your oil:
- Conventional oil: Every 3,000–5,000 miles
- Synthetic blend: Every 5,000–7,500 miles
- Full synthetic: Every 7,500–10,000 miles
These are just estimates. It’s always better to change it a little earlier. If you drive in heavy traffic, or drive in extreme weather, you might need to change your oil more often.
What Does Motor Oil Do for Your Engine?
Even if you don’t know a lot about cars, you should know that the engine is the most important part of any vehicle. It has many moving parts that work together at high speeds and temperatures.
Why High-Quality Motor Oil is Important
Motor oil is super important for keeping your engine running smoothly. Here’s what it does:
- Lubrication: It helps reduce friction between the metal parts, stopping them from wearing out too quickly.
- Contaminant Removal: It catches dirt, debris, and other stuff, stopping them from building up and causing problems.
- Corrosion Protection: It covers metal parts to keep them from rusting.
- Sealing: It helps make sure the pistons and walls of the engine stay sealed and work well together.
That’s a lot of important jobs! So, remember—your engine needs motor oil to run right. But just having oil in your engine doesn’t mean it’s working as well as it could.
Synthetic Oil vs. Synthetic Blend vs. Conventional Oil
Motor oil is made from two main parts: base oil and additives.
The base oil makes up most of the motor oil (about 70% to 90%). The additives help the oil do its job better.
What is Base Oil?
Base oil comes from crude oil, which is cleaned and processed in a factory. The more it’s cleaned (refined), the better quality it becomes. Cleaning removes stuff like wax and sulfur. Oils that work well in both hot and cold temperatures and have fewer impurities are considered higher quality.
Types of Motor Oil
1. Synthetic Oil
This is the best kind. It’s made using the highest quality base oil. It works great in both hot and cold temperatures and has very few impurities.
2. Synthetic Blend Oil
This is a mix of both high-quality and lower-quality base oils. It’s better than conventional oil but not as good as full synthetic.
3. Conventional Oil
This is regular oil made from lower-quality base oil. It still works, but it doesn’t protect your engine as well, especially in extreme temperatures.
What Is the Thinnest Motor Oil?
Right now, 5W-30 and 5W-20 are the most common motor oils used in cars. But a thinner oil called 0W-20 is quickly becoming more popular and may soon be the top choice for many vehicles.
Even thinner than that is 0W-16, which is the thinnest motor oil used in cars today. In the future, motor oils might become even thinner as car engines keep getting smaller and more advanced.
How to Know Which Oil to Use?
Not sure which oil your car needs?
- Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual.
- Or you can use tools like the Castrol Oil Selector to help you find the right one.
Remember:
Thinner oils flow faster and help your engine run better, especially when starting the car in cold weather!
Conclusion
Choosing the right motor oil for your car is crucial to keeping your engine running smoothly and lasting longer. Regular oils might work for everyday cars, but high-performance oils are designed to handle tougher conditions and provide better protection, especially for high-performance or racing engines.
While they may cost a little more, the benefits of using high-quality oil—such as improved fuel efficiency, cleaner engines, and better protection—make them a smart investment.
So, always check your car’s manual and choose the right oil for your engine’s needs. With the right oil, your car will run smoother, last longer, and perform at its best.
Motor oil is super important for your car, but it’s often forgotten about. Remember, when it comes to keeping your engine safe, quality oil is key!
FAQs
Q1: What is the shelf life of motor oil, and how to store it properly?
Unopened motor oil usually lasts about 2 to 5 years, depending on the type. To make sure it stays good for as long as possible, it’s important to store it the right way. Please keep it away from moisture, air, and very hot or cold temperatures. This helps keep the oil in good condition.
Q2: What is high-performance motor oil?
High-performance motor oil is made with high-quality synthetic oils and special additives to protect and improve modern engines, like those with turbochargers, gasoline direct injection (GDI), and start/stop systems. It helps these engines run better and last longer.
