For any car engine to run smoothly and to have a long life it needs proper maintenance that includes oil which lubricates the engine. But there’s much more than just lubrication to the engine oil. In today’s topic, we are going to learn everything about engine oil and its importance.
Different grades of Car Engine Oil and the Nomenclature
Before getting into the types of engine oil let’s learn about the oil grade. There is a scale developed by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) to grade the oil based on its viscosity and its ability to get thicker and thin in cold and Hot working conditions. For instance, let’s consider a 5w-30 oil, ‘W’ here stands for winter and the numbers represent the viscosity or flow at different temperatures. ‘5’ is the viscosity at cold temperature and ‘30’ is the viscosity at its working temperature, so lower the number better the oil. During winter the oil tends to stay thinner and helps in the cold start.
SAE Grades for Engine Oil
There are different grades of oil available in the market like 0w-30, 5w-30, 10w-30, 10w-40, 20w-60. We at pitstop have suggested the best grade of engine oil for your car for enhanced engine life & better performance.
Functions of Car Engine Oil
Engine Oil and Its Uses
The primary role of engine oil is to minimize friction and reduce wear, engine oil also serves a lot of purposes.
- Cleaning
It cleans all the accumulated sludge, small debris from the engine so the oil flows well. This helps to keep your car’s engine running for a longer time. - Cooling
We all know the kind of temperatures the engine works at and all the mechanical parts under friction need cooling, so lubrication provides a sufficient amount of cooling the parts need. - Corrosion resistance
All the combustion occurring in the engine causes the metal parts to oxidise and corrode over time. Engine oil with all the additives helps slow down the corrosion process and gives it a longer life. - Acts as Sealant
The space between piston and cylinder is not smooth which increases the roughness over time, so the lubricant acts as a seal improving efficiency and performance.
Types of Engine Oil
There are 3 different types of engine oil namely:
1. Conventional Oil or Mineral Oil
Shell Mineral Oil
It is a lubricant obtained from crude oil which does not have any artificial additives added to it. This type of oil exhibits excellent lubrication at high temperatures for a decent amount of time until it loses its properties. This is the cheapest type of oil available. The typical life of this oil is 6 months or 6000 km, oil has to be replaced in this interval.
2. Semi-Synthetic Oil
Shell Semi-Synthetic Oil
It is a mixture of both synthetic oil and mineral oil. The oil costs little over conventional oil but it exhibits some of the benefits of synthetic oil. The properties are better than conventional oil improving the performance and reliability of the engine. The life of this engine oil is 10,000 km or one year whichever comes earlier.
3. Synthetic Oil
Shell Synthetic Engine Oil
The oil consists of chemically compounds that are artificially made. This improves the quality of the oil improving its lubrication, efficiency, resistance to corrosion, viscosity index. But the downside is that it costs a lot compared to semi-synthetic oil. The life of this engine oil is 15000 km or one year whichever comes earlier.
Why choose Pitstop for your car?
Pitstop and Shell
Shell, a globally renowned engine oil brand has pioneered in the field of automobile. Pitstop uses the world’s favourite Engine oil from Shell for better mileage, smooth running of the engine and prolonged engine life. The benefits of using Shell fully synthetic oil are:
- Protects from engine stress
- Protection for extreme engine temperatures.
- Superior piston cleanliness.
- Better fuel economy.
So, what are you waiting for? Download the Pitstop App and book a car service now!
