What engines is mineral oil suitable for?

There is common automotive wisdom: synthetic oil should be used for the first 100 kilometers of a car, semi-synthetic oil up to 200 kilometers, and then mineral oil until scrap metal. Following this rule can bring results. Assuming you want to kill your car... In today's article, we'll take a look at motor oil myths and suggest which cars can use mineral oil.

Shortly speaking

Mineral oils are considered obsolete by many mechanics. However, they work well in older, heavily worn units, in which synthetics rich in cleaning additives could flush out dirt and open the engine.

Mineral and synthetic oil - differences

The basis for the creation of any engine oil is oil base... We distinguish between two: mineralwhich is the result of refining crude oil, and synthetic, created in laboratories as a result of chemical synthesis. Mineral oils are made from mineral base oils, while synthetic oils are made from synthetic base oils. On the other hand, semi-synthetic lubricants are a combination of both.

Synthetic oil

Synthetics are currently in the top league of motor oils. Their advantage over minerals is associated with the construction of individual molecules. The processes of chemical synthesis, distillation, purification and enrichment with various additives make the synthetic oil particles are homogeneous are similar in size and shape. As a result, they precisely cover the engine components and reduce friction between them, protecting the drive unit from wear. Because they bind to oxygen more slowly synthetic oil is more resistant to oxidation and loss of its properties. It also copes better with extreme temperatures - it retains fluidity both in frost and in hot weather.

Manufacturers are constantly developing the technology of synthetic oils, developing various enriching, cleaning and dispersing additives. In top class products additives are up to 50% the amount of lubricant. Thanks to them, next-generation synthetics take care of the drives even more effectively, clearing them from contamination, protecting against heat and corrosion, and also reducing friction.

Mineral oil

Mineral oil molecules are heterogeneous - they resemble geometric shapes of different sizes, which means they do not completely cover the moving parts of the engine. Lubricants of this type are inferior to synthetic materials in almost all respects. They have worse lubricating and cleaning properties, and at extreme temperatures they lose density and viscosity.

Is mineral oil only for older cars?

The short answer is yes. Mechanics and specialists in the petrochemical industry agree that the use of mineral oils only makes sense for old cars: old and young as well as those produced in the 80s and early 90s. Newer units, which already include cars from the turn of the 90s and 00s, are such complex designs that only synthetics and semi-synthetics can provide an appropriate level of protection.

What is the disadvantage of mineral oil, when pouring into the oil channel of an old machine it becomes an advantage. This type of lubricant has the worst cleaning properties, which makes it does not wash away dirt accumulated in the engine. Why do we claim that this is an advantage? Scale, soot, and other deposits create a dam that prevents leakage from a high mileage drive unit. Their dissolution would be catastrophic - it would lead to leakage and clogging of the entire lubrication system.

However, when choosing an engine oil for such a heavily worn car, you should pay attention to content of detergents - the cleansing properties of the oil depend on them, and not on the base. In addition, mineral products can (more or less effectively) flush contaminants out of the engine.

The indisputable advantage of mineral oils is also their low price... A worn-out engine can "drink" up to 2 liters of oil for every 1000 kilometers, so it needs to be refueled more often. In this case, choosing a mineral oil can save you a lot of money. Especially if you consider that the older the car, the more expensive it is to be serviced ... Each squeeze of several tens of zlotys to replenish the balance means savings.

When choosing engine oil, you should stick to one rule: choose it in accordance with the recommendations of the car manufacturer and… mechanic. If a specialist decides that a different "lubricant" can be poured into the engine than the one used so far, it is worth trusting him. Regardless of whether the car's manual contains mineral or synthetic oil, it is worth reaching for products of proven brands such as Elf, Castrol or Motul. You will find them at avtotachki.com.

You can read more about motor oils on our blog:

Should you change your oil before winter?

When should you use synthetic oil?

Mixing engine oils? Check out how to do it right!