How to Choose Engine Oil

How to Choose the Right Engine Oil for Your Car

Changing engine oil is one of the fundamental activities affecting the lifespan of the vehicle. However, due to the significant construction differences between the engines available on the market, there is no universal oil – those available differ significantly in terms of viscosity classes and the composition of the oil itself. What is the best oil for your car? What do the popular symbols mean?

Oil Designations – What Do They Mean?

The main and most important designation contains two numbers and the letter W. They indicate the oil’s viscosity in the SAE classification, which distinguishes between winter and summer engine oils. As modern oils are multi-season, packages display a symbol consisting of two numbers. For example, synthetic engine oils usually have a very low number in the front (indicating high resistance to low temperature), such as 0 or 5, and a high second number (greater resistance to temperatures), often appearing as 40 or even 50. A typical synthetic engine oil may appear in the form of 5W-40. For semi-synthetic, a common value is 10W-40, and for mineral 15W-40 or 15W-30.

Engine oil specification is also determined by a classification indicating the quality of the oil, affecting which engine it can be used in. One of them is the American API classification, which codes quality classes using two letters. For Diesel oils, they start with the letter C, and for gasoline engines S. The second letter in alphabetical order indicates quality (A – lowest, N/J-4 – highest gasoline/Diesel).

Alternatively, you may encounter European classification ACEA markings, which use Ax/Bx designations. Most universal oils have designations like SJ/CF, in order of application significance in a particular engine.

How to Choose Oil and What is the Best Engine Oil?

Producing a car engine involves complex calculations, concerning both the forces acting within the unit and the temperatures generated during operation. Therefore, the manufacturer always knows best which oil best suits a particular engine. Such information can usually be found in the vehicle’s manual. While oils of recommended viscosity and class should definitely be used, it is not necessarily essential to choose the recommended manufacturer. Usually, the choice of a particular manufacturer is not determined by quality or economic reasons but by the relationships linking lubricant manufacturers with car manufacturers. Engine oils like Mobil enjoy a very good reputation both among users and vehicle mechanics, and are also used by many manufacturers as the standard in factory cars.

A separate matter, narrowing the choice of oil somewhat, are manufacturer standards – e.g., VW 506.01. They highlight which specific oil will be suitable for a selected car model. This constitutes an additional point of attention when choosing a lubricant. Fortunately, Mobil oils offer almost all manufacturer standards in their range.

What to Do to Avoid Problems?

If you still have trouble choosing the appropriate best engine oil for your vehicle, feel free to contact our service. We not only assist in selecting the right lubricant but as an authorized distributor, we also offer them at attractive prices. We also help with the selection of other types of oils, such as industrial oils or gear oils. Feel free to contact us!