Motor oil is the lifeblood of your engine. Just as your body operates best with a specific blood type, your engine operates in a similar way. Do you know what type of motor oil helps protect and optimize your engine’s output?

When you take your vehicle to a service department for an oil change, do you know which oil to request in your vehicle? With so many motor oil choices available, it can be confusing to know what type of oil will work the best in your vehicle’s engine. The easiest answer to this question is found in your owner’s manual. For most passenger car and light truck gasoline engines today, any oil that meets the American Petroleum Institutes “SH” rating. While that’s a pretty broad range of oils, here is a breakdown of the different types and functions of motor oil to help you choose which type is best for your engine.

Every motor oil is rated by viscosity, which indicates the oil’s resistance to flow. The higher the viscosity the slower it will flow. Most engine wear occurs immediately after a cold start, so it’s important to have oil that is thin enough to circulate easily.

5W-30 - most new engines today require a multi-viscosity oil for all-round driving. The lighter 5W-30 oils contain friction reducing additives that help improve fuel economy, and also allow the oil to quickly reach critical upper valvetrain components when a cold engine is first started.

10W-30, 10W-40 - used in older engines and engines that are driven at sustained highway speeds during hot weather.

20W-40 - used in high RPM, high-load applications primarily and are not recommended for cold weather driving.

Synthetic oils are also an option when choosing the right oil for your vehicle. Synthetic oil offers greater engine protection in high temperatures, increased durability and a better all-around performance than ordinary petroleum-based oils. These can cost up to three times as much as ordinary petroleum oils because they are manmade rather than refined. The premium priced synthetic oil is recommended for vehicles operated in extremely cold or hot climates, turbocharged or supercharged engines, performance or high output engines, vehicles used for towing and anyone who wants ultimate engine lubrication and protection. Synthetic oil improves the performance of your engine in virtually every aspect:

• Superior temperature resistance. Synthetics can safely handle higher operating temperatures without oxidizing (burning) or breaking down. The upper limit for most mineral based oils is about 250 to 300 degrees F. Synthetics can take up to 450 degrees F. or higher. This makes synthetics well-suited for turbo applications as well as high RPM and high output engine applications.
• Better low temperature performance. Synthetics flow freely at subzero temperatures, pouring easily at -40 or -50 degrees F. where ordinary oils turn to molasses. This makes for easier cold starts and provides faster upper valvetrain lubrication during the first critical moments when most engine wear occurs.
• Better engine performance. Synthetics tend to be more slippery than their petroleum-based counterparts, which improves fuel economy, cuts frictional horsepower losses and helps the engine run cooler. The difference isn’t great, but it can make a noticeable difference.
• Longer oil change intervals. Because synthetics resist oxidation and viscosity breakdown better than ordinary motor oils, some suppliers say oil change intervals can be safely extended — in some cases stretched to as much as 25,000 miles. Such claims are justified by the fact that synthetics don’t break down or sludge up as fast as ordinary mineral-based oils do in use.

Synthetics are available in the same grades as ordinary motor oils (5W-30, 5W-20 and 10W-30) as well as “extended” grades such as 15W-50 and even 5W-50.

Are you still unsure of what oil is best for your engine? The next time you take your vehicle for service at the Honda of Wesley Chapel Service Department, be sure to talk with our knowledgeable service advisors to determine what type and viscosity of engine oil will help keep your engine running like new for years to come.

Source: [Yahoo.com]