Type
-
Mineral. The name of this type is due to the fact that the oil is entirely of “fossil” origin - its components are hydrocarbons obtained during the distillation of oil. This type of oil appeared first and is still used today, however, it is gradually losing ground to synthetics and semi-synthetics. This is due to the fact that pure mineral oils are significantly inferior in characteristics to these two types. In particular, they do not tolerate both high and low temperatures - they can thicken and even freeze at -15...-20 ° C, and when they boil, they severely clog the engine. Oxidation of such oil occurs faster, which requires more frequent replacement. In addition, many modern engines put forward quite stringent requirements for the quality of fuels and lubricants, into which mineral oils simply do not fit. On the other hand, brands of this type are easy to produce and inexpensive.
—
Synthetics. Such oils are produced artificially, using chemical synthesis (hence the name). They appeared as a means of overcoming the shortcomings of mineral varieties and have proven themselves to be excellent in this role, because The technology for the production of synthetic oils makes it possible to create liquids with almost any characteristics - resistant to cold, not prone to oxidation, a certain viscosity, etc. On the other hand, this technology is quite complex and expensive, which consequently af
...fects the price of the product.
- Semi-synthetic. Such brands of oil are mixtures of mineral and synthetic components and, accordingly, are a cross between the two types described above. They are much cheaper than purely synthetic oils, and although they are inferior in characteristics, they are in many ways superior to purely mineral products. Semi-synthetics are considered the best option for cases where oil consumption is high, but mineral varieties cannot be used - for example, if you often have to drive long distances in cold weather, or if the engine in a car for long trips has high demands on the quality of the lubricant.
— Flushing. Low-viscosity motor oils with a special package of detergent additives based on potent chemicals, used to maintain the internal components of the power unit in proper cleanliness, remove varnish deposits, accumulated dirt and slag, and neutralize acids formed in the engine. Flushing compounds are recommended for use when switching from one oil to another (based on base, viscosity or manufacturer), when purchasing a used car with an unknown service history, when there are visible carbon deposits under the valve cover, and under severe operating conditions of the engine.Engine
Type of engine for which the oil is designed. If compatibility with your type of engine is not directly indicated in the oil specifications, you should not use this brand. The fact is that all types of modern engines have their own characteristics, and a lubricant not designed for these features can increase wear, reduce power, or even lead to breakdown. Modern oils can be produced for the following options:
—
Petrol. A four-stroke internal combustion engine (ICE) running on gasoline is implied. The main type of motor for modern passenger cars, it is also quite common in medium and high power motorcycles.
—
Diesel. ICE on diesel fuel.
—
Gas-gasoline. Petrol engine (see above), supplemented by gas-balloon equipment and capable of using natural gas as fuel. One of the main features of working on gas is the high operating temperature.
—
Hybrid. Most often, hybrid cars combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and can be powered by either one or the other. Both the design of the "hybrids" themselves and their engines can have significant differences from classic cars.
—
2-stroke. Two-stroke internal combustion engines are widely used in motorcycles — in particular, almost all scooters, many entry-level and mid-level motorcycles, as
...well as tools like chainsaws, are equipped with such engines. Their main feature is the use of a fuel-oil mixture instead of a separate filling of gasoline and oil.
There are brands of oil that are compatible with several types of engines at once.Volume
The nominal capacity of the package, in other words, the volume of oil supplied in this packaging option.
Depending on the purpose of the purchase, the type of vehicle and other factors, the optimal volume will be different. So,
liter bottles are useful for replenishing the oil supply, or for tasks that do not require high consumption (for example, infrequent work with a gas tool); a capacity of
4 liters is designed for a complete oil change in a passenger car; the volumes required by trucks can reach tens of liters; and for car parks, service stations and other similar organizations, oil is produced in barrels of about
200 liters.
Compliance
International standards, compliance with which is stated in the characteristics of this brand of oil. In modern brands of oil the following options may be found:
— API is a standard developed in the USA by the American Petroleum Institute. Provides two separate classifications - for gasoline (
API SG,
SH,
SJ,
SL,
SM,
SN,
SN Plus) and for diesel engines (
API CI-4,
CH-4,
CG-4,
CF,
CE,
CD); in the first case, the first letter in the standard designation is S (for example, API SL), in the second it is C (for example, API CI-4). If the oil is suitable for both types of engines, a double designation is used - for example, API SL/CI-4; in this case, the index of the type for which the oil is best suited is put first (in our example, this is gasoline). The standard also includes the classification of two-stroke engines - TA, TB,
TC,
TC+,
TD.
— ACEA is a standard used by the asso
...ciation of European automakers of the same name, an alternative to the American API. Includes three classes: A/B - all oils developed before 2004 for different types of engines. Actually, until 2004 there were two classes here - A for gasoline engines and B for diesel engines; then they were combined ( A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4 and A5/B5). However, separate designations can still be used. C - oils for all types of engines, meeting the Euro-4 environmental standard and compatible with additional equipment such as catalysts and particulate filters. APEA C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5 occur. E - a separate class for diesel engines of heavy equipment, including special ones. It is marked APEA E4, E6, E7 and E9.
— JASO — developed by the Japanese Auto Standards Association. It is one of the main modern standards for oils for gasoline motorcycle engines, within this purpose it has two classes - F for two-stroke engines, namely FA, FB, FC, FD and M for four-stroke (subclass MA for wet clutch MA-1 and MA -2, MB for dry). As well as a new GLV-1 approval for ultra-efficient gasoline engines and hybrid power plants.
— ILSAC is a standard created jointly by the American and Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Associations. Used for oils designed for passenger cars with gasoline engines. There are only five ILSAC categories ( GF-2, GF-3, GF-4, GF-5, GF-6A), in general they are similar to certain API categories (see above), but differ in increased requirements for energy saving and limitation of harmful emissions .
A list of specific oil standards recommended by the manufacturer for a particular engine is usually indicated in the official vehicle specifications. Note that many standards are interchangeable; compatibility data (as well as a description of each individual category) can be found in specialized sources.Manufacturers approvals
Tolerance can be described as an individual automaker's own standard, developed for a specific engine or engine line. It includes all the requirements that an oil must meet in order to be optimally suited for a particular engine. The list of these requirements is much wider than in generally accepted standards (see above). This is due to the fact that many of the manufacturer's developments applied in the motor and affecting the requirements for oil are still too specific and cannot be included in the general rules (and some cannot be taken into account also because they are classified information) . Many famous car brands have their approvals (
BMW,
Fiat,
Ford,
MAN,
Mercedes-Benz,
Opel,
Renault,
Peugeot and Citroen,
Volvo and
VW concern); to obtain approval, each brand of oil undergoes very rigorous tests, and only after them does it receive the right to indicate information on compliance on the packaging.
This information, of course, is not necessarily indicated for all car models. However, if the tolerance data is in the official specifications of your car, the search for the right brand of oil is gr
...eatly simplified — the compliance of the oil with this tolerance automatically guarantees optimal compatibility with the car. In other words, instead of specifying a whole set of parameters (appointment, viscosity, etc.), it will be enough to make sure that there is a tolerance.
