Chosing Automobile Engine Oil

There are many types of oil on the market from many different makers and each will claim to be the best oil for your car. They'll claim to have the best year-round protection even when they don't know where you live. As engine technology improves, perhaps the oils will improve too. Until then, here is this...

When chosing oil for any type of engine, the important thing to consider is the thickness of the oil which is identified by the oil's "weight.". The higher the weight - the thicker the oil. Got it?

Engine oil serves two functions. It lubricates the moving parts, and it helps keep the engine from overheating by reducing friction between those moving parts. When you pour oil in your engine, it drains right down to the bottom and settles in the oil pan. When you start your engine, that oil is basically splashed around to coat whatever is near.

Oil behaves like pancake syrup. When it's warm, it's thin and runny. When it's at room temperature, it's thick and not quite as tasty. A thin oil (low weight) it will drip back down into the pan more quickly than a thick oil and therefore won't cling to those moving parts quite as long. The hotter the engine gets, the thinner the oil gets. So, you need an oil that will be as thick as your engine can handle so that as it heats, it won't become too thin. If you live in a climate that is hot year-round, use a thick, high-weight oil.

Some will say that if the oil is too think, it won't run down fast enough to carry away the heat from the engine. Yes, that is true. However, oil is not designed to cool the engine. Oil is designed to prevent heat buildup. There is a big difference. Oil is not a remedy for heat, it is a prevention of heat.

Your car's engine does not get hot from the small explosions of gas burning inside the engine. That heat is expelled with the exhaust air. Your car's engine gets hot from the heat that is generated by the friction of the moving parts within. If you reduce the friction, then you reduce the amount of heat that is generated. That is what oil does. Therefore, it needs to coat, stick and stay put.