In response to earlier topics about oil additives and how good engine oils are...

 

Only top-tier oils (the best and most expensive) are formulated for the best performance. Whether they could be significantly better (for normal use) is doubtful. The reasons for this are...

 

1. Oil additives do some wonderful things like reducing friction, reducing wear, reducing oxidation and dispersing soot particles etc.. But, only so much is beneficial, because...

 

Additives to reduce wear and friction COMPETE with each other, and there is only so much surface area within an engine.

 

Additives do not LUBRICATE. The base oils lubricate the engine, so excess additives merely get in the way of this.

 

Also, excess additives can result in the formation of deposits and other problems like excess wear. You need a suite of engine tests to prove the benefits of an engine additive/new oil, as there are many factors to consider.

 

It would be possible (and is done in some counties) to have different oils designed for different engines (ie, their condition - age/cleanliness/wear) and different driving styles, to optimise different performance characteristics. You could make an oil which lasted for a long time but which might be poor wrt fuel economy (for eg.) or make one to optimise power at the expense of engine wear, ie. you cannot optimise ALL aspects of an oil without compromise. Top-tier oils are designed for AVERAGE driving conditions in good, modern engines.

 

 

The other point to bear in mind is that engine oils are designed for engines which have been looked after. What I mean by this, is that if your engine has become fairly dirty, an ordinary engine oil will most probably not clean it out (although a good one can in time) as well as a purpose-designed cleaning oil. BUT, you would not be wise to use a cleaning oil as standard, because it would probably not be good for your engine. When you remove dirt from your engine, you don't want it circulating round for long. the idea is that you minimise the build-up of dirt, but have some dispersants and detergents to lock away the small amounts which will inevitably be generated during normal use.

 

Engine cleaners are probably a good idea, but for regular use, you are probably best using a good quality oil and changing it at least twice as often as recommended.

plus of course oil additives = extra mass! :D

Not if you get a carbon fibre engine oil;) :D

 

 

Mark

lol! :D