1. Home
  2. Automotive Guides
  3. Oils, fluids and greases
  4. Choosing the best winter motor oil
Oils, fluids and greases

Choosing the best winter motor oil

Operation of the car does not always have to be expensive, as long as we decide to universal solutions. This approach has inherent limitations. Does this also apply engine oil?

Motointegrator
2016/11/30
Choosing the best winter motor oil

Hi drivers before the first frost raises the question, „Is the winter should change the oil?” On this question, under certain conditions, you may be given an affirmative answer. What more inquisitive users of cars and car fans probably ask, „Why?” We will try to explain in the following text.

For a start – a little bit of history

Some users may think that fashion to change the engine oil on the season, ie. For the winter and summer, as well as tires for winter and summer, it is a fad and an attempt to pull the driver of the cost. Many believe that it is a figment carmakers who want to earn as much as possible, and that this trend has appeared recently. But just change the oil every certain number of kilometers, regardless of how long it will take to achieve the recommended interval. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Even before the Second World War, exactly at the beginning of the 30s of the last century, the famous manufacturer of motor oils Mobil assured that their new oil jednosezonowy Mobiloil Arctic provide light start in the winter and optimum performance during adverse weather conditions. As you can see, „fashion” This is more than 85 years. Thus the opinion that it is a modern invention of marketing is not supported by the facts.

Manufacturer recommended the replacement of oil for the winter and the summer. Oil summer did not provide for adequate working conditions at very low temperatures, but on the other hand, did not mean that the variant winter wrong cope with high temperatures – according to assurances, this oil worked great even when heated to 200 degrees Celsius engine.

Of course, by today’s standards it is a little low limit, since the top oils for sports cars have to cope with temperatures often exceeding even 300 degrees Celsius. However, the most important thing is that already in the 30s of the twentieth century there was a division between winter and summer oils.

Change the oil before winter – it makes sense!

Engine oil quality is more important in winter than in other seasons. The temperature conditions are not so extreme at the time, and its fluctuations – high (eg. From 20 to up to 200 degrees Celsius in a few minutes). For the engine very low temperature has fatal effects – especially during start-up. It is in such moments suitable oil quality is crucial. Many experts ensures that in winter the best choice is synthetic oil, which wins many ways of semi-synthetic and mineral oils. These, in turn, do better in the summer, at higher temperatures.

So if every day we use semi-synthetic oil or mineral, the change to a synthetic before the winter can be a very good idea. Moreover, engine oil loses its parameters with each defeated kilometer. It is exposed to high temperatures, and oxidize. The result of this is a change of physicochemical properties. What is the conclusion? Well, lost productivity resulting in deterioration of low-temperature properties. From them depends on the efficient operation of the car in the winter – smooth start-up, lubrication „cold”, etc. Synthetic oils are degraded more slowly, so they last longer optimal operating parameters.

Synthetic oil optimal choice in winter?

Synthetic oil is the best solution for users of cars, who often use the car in winter. If the manufacturer of the car recommends the use of such oil to the engine, which works under the hood of a particular model, you should not have any qualms about replacing.

Modern synthetic oils not only higher, but the mid-range, after the vehicle is started quickly they reach the head of the piston, connecting rod bearings extreme, and other far points of the lubrication. For comparison, the mineral oil at low temperatures even need several seconds to reach the right temperature, and therefore the optimum density and viscosity suitable for the protection of all components of the engine.

If the car you use rarely, and runs 20,000 kilometers per year are for us an abstraction, replacement of mineral oil to synthetic is not required. However, if the daily use of the car and overcome them hundreds of kilometers, and start the engine several times a day is a standard oil change will be very desirable.

Recommendations from Motointegrator

See all guides

Do you have a problem with a car? Book a visit at the nearest workshop

See all workshops