Engine Oil Types and Differences

Every combustion engine uses some type of lubricant for its operation, because during operation there is displacement of moving parts and the oil prevents excessive friction between the metal parts, reducing heat generation and wear. In addition, the oil promotes cleaning, carrying impurities from the burning process, fuel residues and microparticles generated with the wear of the metal of the engine's internal parts. In automotive engines, lubricants have evolved rapidly in recent years, and a wide variety of types, brands and specifications are available on the market. The main classification of engine oil is its viscosity, which represents its flow capacity, the higher the number, the "thicker" the oil and the smaller the more fluid, so it is possible to imagine that in more modern engines, where the clearances are smaller, the materials used in the manufacture are nobler and the performance numbers are much higher, there is a need for very thin oils, which protect the engine, without hindering its high rotations and working temperatures. Thus, since flex engines, it is not used, for example, 20w50 oil, being quite common the 10w40 and especially the 5w30. More recently, the smaller, factory turbo engines, In addition to the viscosity classification, there is another one, which indicates the level of oil technology, which is the API classification, in it the letter next to the S, indicates the comparative stage that the product is in, so the higher the letter in the alphabet, more recent is the product, that is, an SL is older than an SM, and the SN is superior to it, and so on. Another common term when talking about oil is Mineral, Semi-synthetic and Synthetic. These 3 types are differentiated by the production process, the mineral being a type of oil extracted entirely from petroleum, the synthetic, totally produced in the laboratory, and the semi-synthetic a mixture of the two. Obviously the synthetic type has greater control and qualities such as oxidation stability, resulting in a product with a longer exchange interval, usually around 10,000 km. Mineral oil, as it has less additives and less control in its production process, has a useful life of around 5,000 km or 6 months after being placed in the engine. The semi synthetic, being a mixture, is in the middle of the road, with a change interval of around 7,500 km. The trend in the market is for synthetics to dominate store shelves and indications in manuals and gradually stop hearing about this differentiation. It is important to point out that when it was introduced on the market, synthetic oils were not missible to minerals, and several defects in engines were caused by their mixing, in the habit, for example, of filling the engine oil level, without observing what was previously used, common practice at gas stations. Today, the 3 types are missible and even if they are mixed (wrong practice, but it can happen) the engines do not suffer damage. for example, to top up the engine oil level, without observing what was previously used, a common practice in gas stations. Today, the 3 types are missible and even if they are mixed (wrong practice, but it can happen) the engines do not suffer damage. for example, to top up the engine oil level, without observing what was previously used, a common practice in gas stations. Today, the 3 types are missible and even if they are mixed (wrong practice, but it can happen) the engines do not suffer damage. Regarding the application, every manufacturer informs one or more types of oil possible to be used in its engine, indicating the viscosity and API classification, in addition, it also indicates an oil brand, as it trusts the additive package of that manufacturer. Additives are responsible for better internal engine cleaning, for example, or for reducing some specific type of noise, but the performance and efficiency of the product is even indicated by viscosity and API, so it is possible to use brands other than those indicated in the manual without prejudice as long as with the same viscosity and API equal to or higher. To know more click the button below.