There is no right answer to that question. It very much depends on your car, It’s age and the type of driving you do. One could say that the best oil for the car is the one recommended by the car’s manufacturer. This is a good path to take if you are unsure as the engine and the oil work closely together and chemical engineering is so sophisticated that oils can be formulated to work better in specific engines, however, you may pay more for the privilege. The symbiotic relationship between oil and engine is more prominent with motorcycle oil. However, should you decide to choose your own oil there are some qualities it must have and that’s what this article will discuss.
Probably most important is the presence of additives. Additives are used the adjust the way oil behaves under certain conditions. When oil gets cold it becomes thicker, or to put it correctly, more viscous. Viscous liquids do not flow readily (think honey) and so when the engine starts up in cold weather, the oil is thick and takes time to reach the moving part it is supposed to be lubricating. Parts which are already moving. So the job of viscosity index modifiers is to stop the oil from thickening too much when cold. Additives also clean the engine by removing carbon deposits that accumulate as a by-product of the combustion process.
At the end of the day, as long as the grade is correct and the oil is approved by the API or SAE you won’t have much to worry about. Technicalities can be argues over by purists but for the average driver there’s really not much difference between them all. There is no such thing as the best synthetic motor oil, it all horses for courses.
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