ภาษาไทย
English
Engine oil 101: how can rookie drivers choose the right engine oil
Rookie drivers, are you having a hard time selecting the right engine oil for your car? Does it get even more confusing when visiting the shop and there are so many different formulas of engine oil? With many numbers and many viscosity grades, what if you bought the wrong one?
Today, PTT Lubricants is here with the Engine Oil 101, an ultimate guide for new drivers that will help you understand more about the engine oil. Once you finish reading it, you can be confident in selecting the correct engine oil for your vehicle!
Type of engine oil
Before learning how to choose the engine oil, it is important to understand the different types of engine oil first. There are 3 types of vehicle engine oil which are:
1. General grade engine oil (Mineral oil)
This is an engine oil produced from mineral base oils refined from crude oil. It has the shortest service life of only 3,000 - 5,000 kilometers but also is the cheapest choice as well.
2. Synthetic technology engine oil or semi-synthetic oil
This engine oil is the combination of synthetic base oils and mineral oils in different proportions. Synthetic technology engine oil is highly popular due to its high quality and reasonable price. It can be in service for 7,000-10,000 kilometers.
3. Fully synthetic engine oil
This type of engine oil is produced from synthetic base oil, making it highly efficient and has the longest service life of 15,000-20,000 kilometers. With such qualities, the price is also higher as well. The fully synthetic engine oil is suitable for those who want to take special care of the car or daily use it.
Choosing the right engine oil
There are 3 main factors in choosing engine oil:
1. Choose based on the engine type
There are two types of car’s engine: gasoline engines and diesel engines. It is recommended to choose engine oil that matches the type of your engine to ensure maximum efficiency of engine lubrication.
2. Viscosity grade
When choosing the viscosity grade, it is important to consider the type of the engine to ensure that the engine oil will effectively enhance engine efficiency. Rookie drivers can check the recommended viscosity grade from the manual of the car. The grades are generally indicated by SAE standards such as 0W-20, 5W-30 and 15W-40, etc.
In SAE standards, the higher the number on the back, the higher the viscosity of the oil (thicker). If the number on the back is small, that means the engine oil will also be clearer or less thick. When choosing the viscosity grade of the oil, apart from referring to the grade specified in the manual, you will also have to consider service life of the car and individual use as well.
3. Standard
Standards and the appropriate viscosity grade for each engine are generally set by automobile manufacturers and will be specified in the car manual. Therefore, it is important to choose an engine oil that meets the standards specified in the manual to ensure that your engine can work at its full efficiency in all operating conditions.
Now that you have finished reading this Engine Oil 101, you may still be a rookie driver, but no longer a rookie engine oil buyer. You can buy a high quality engine oil that is suitable for your engine at every FIT Auto, PTT Station or any store that carries PTT Lubricants products near you 💙
Source :