When it comes to taking care of your car, it’s important to know what type of oil to put in your car’s engine. Simply put, your engine needs lubrication in order to keep working. After all, it contains thousands of moving parts, including cams, valves, pistons and bearings – parts that rely on an adequate amount of lubrication to ward off unnecessary wear. Failure to put the right type of oil in your car’s engine – or any oil at all – can spell disaster, especially since engine repairs can end up costing you thousands of dollars.
So what kind of oil should you put in your car? Most people wish that question was easy, but the answer is actually a bit more complicated. It actually depends on not only what your car’s manufacturer calls for, but also the tasks and conditions your car’s engine are subjected to. The vast majority of people who drive ordinary vehicles may only need what’s recommended by the manufacturer, but those living in hot climates may need different oil that can stand up to the heat. This also applies to people who own vehicles equipped with high performance engines that require a higher standard of care and lubrication.
The best answer is to check your car’s owner’s manual in order to find out the right type of oil for your car. This information can often be found in the Maintenance portion of your manual. If you’ve can’t find your owner’s manual or bought a car that didn’t come with one, this information can be found on a number of Internet sources, although these sources may not be as definitive as your owner’s manual. In the vast majority of cases, your car may require 10w-30 oil. Some newer cars require 5w-30. For older vehicles with over 100,000 miles on the odometer, it may be best to stick with 10w-30 or 10w-40 oil.
Now you’re probably thinking “what does 10w-30 or 5w-30 stand for?” These special designations, found on nearly every bottle of motor oil sold, are used for classifying the different viscosities, or “weights” of oil. These weights are determined by laboratory tests conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE. Generally speaking, the heavier the weight of the oil, the higher the number assigned to it. 10w-30 and SAE 10w are generally all around oils that are thick enough to provide the necessary lubrication at high temperatures, while 5w-30 excels at reducing friction, promoting both better fuel economy and better cold starting performance in colder climates.
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