What Oil Does My Car Take?

For anyone who has wondered, “What oil does my car take?”, you’ve come to the right place. Considered the lifeblood of internal combustion engines (ICE) from high-end Ferraris to mainstream Toyota models, motor oil is a critical component in keeping your car running as it should.

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Ferrari

Ferrari is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars, supercars, and luxury grand tourers founded by and named after Enzo Ferrari in 1939 – originally as Auto Avio Costruzioni due to legal complications with Alfa Romeo. Ferrari famously only produced roadgoing sports cars as a means of funding its racing exploits, which include multiple F1 World Championships and wins at Le Mans and various other prestigious races. Today, Ferrari is one of the most valuable brand names in the world, limiting production of its highly-sought-after models to maintain desirability, which is in no short supply when they’re powered by some of the world’s most advanced V6, V8, and V12 engines.

Founded

1939 (as Auto Avio Costruzioni)

Founder

Enzo Ferrari

Headquarters

Maranello, Italy

Current CEO

Benedetto Vigna

Today, we’ll be going over the basics, answering commonly asked questions, such as: What’s the recommended engine oil for my car? We’ll be diving into the technical side of this important fluid, and generally aiming to ease any concerns you may have.

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Why Engine Oil Is The Lifeblood Of Your Car

Before answering the best oil for my car question, it’s worth understanding why exactly engine oil is considered the lifeblood of your vehicle. Much like when you rub your hands together quickly to warm them up on a cold day via friction, an ICE is constantly rubbing its internal components against one another. But these components are made from metal and though they’re not quite touching, the speed at which these components move generates quite a bit of friction and heat.

Step on the gas and watch your tachometer zip up to 4,000 rpm – 25,000 in the case of the wild Omega 1 turbine engine – then do the math on how many times per second your engine is internally rotating. The answer is more than 66 times… per second (at 4,000 rpm that is). Pretty quick. The only thing preventing, say, your piston from rubbing directly against its cylinder wall at those speeds is a thin layer of engine oil. Hence, the lifeblood analogy. Engine oil flows throughout the inside of your ICE to keep all those metal components sliding smoothly.

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Different Types Of Engine Oil

Just like there are different types of vehicles with different types of engines – think turbocharged four cylinders, naturally aspirated V6s, and big Dodge Durango HEMI V8s – engine oil comes in more than one flavor. To competently answer the question – “What is the best oil type for my car?” – you should first get a handle on how oil is categorized.

Conventional Engine Oil

Also known as mineral oil, conventional engine oil was the first type ever developed. Based on refined crude oil, this engine oil variant is typically found in older vehicles. With its lower resistance to heat and oxidation, conventional oil is where the 3,000 miles between oil changes rule-of-thumb originated. Though it doesn’t last as long as synthetic oil, the conventional stuff is less expensive.

Synthetic Engine Oil

Fully synthetic engine oil is a type of chemically altered oil that features special additives to increase its heat resistance and thereby last longer between changes. This higher thermal stability can lead to as many as 6,000 miles of use before requiring it to be flushed and changed. Some manufacturers recommend stretching that interval to 7,500 or even 10,000 miles on modern cars. As a result, synthetic engine oil can be on the expensive side.

Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil

Blending conventional engine oil with some properties of the synthetic variety results in semi-synthetic engine oil blends. Using this type of engine oil on an older car can bring increased oil performance over conventional oils without the high cost of full synthetic.

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Engine Oil Grading System Explained

You’ve likely come across terms like 5W-30 or 10W-20 when having an oil change performed on your car. These letters and numbers aren’t just for decoration. They relate to the viscosity of the given engine oil, which describes the speed at which it flows. A higher viscosity oil is thicker and flows more slowly versus a thinner viscosity oil with a lower number that flows more easily. The Society of Automotive Engineers developed this oil grading system encompassing 14 different classes.

The number in front of the W (which stands for “winter”) relates to how the oil flows at cold temperatures, like upon startup. The number that comes after the W describes the viscosity, or flow rate, once the engine is warmed up to operating temperature. In both cases, a smaller number means the oil has lower viscosity, with the opposite true for bigger numbers. This explains why 5W-30 is such a popular grade of engine oil on new cars today, as the lower viscosity is ideal for protecting the advanced technology employed in modern car engines.

What Happens If You Use The Wrong Type Of Engine Oil?

If you end up filling your car with the wrong type of engine oil, there are a few common symptoms that will indicate you’ve made a mistake. Should you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to drain the oil and replace it with the right stuff to avoid internal engine damage over time.

Reduced Engine Responsiveness

Let’s say you fill up your engine with a higher-than-recommended viscosity. In this scenario, you may notice unresponsiveness in the engine, particularly during startup. Because the oil is more viscous, it is more resistant to flow. As a result, the engine has to work harder to overcome this, which could lead to difficulty getting the engine fired up.

Burning Smell

On the other hand, if you were to use an oil with too low a viscosity, you might get a whiff of something burning. Due to its propensity to flow more thinly, the engine could experience a higher level of friction internally, which in turn can burn the oil and give off an unpleasant aroma.

Leaking Oil

For those with an older high-mileage vehicle that typically runs conventional engine oil, be aware that filling it with synthetic can lead to leakage. Synthetic oil’s flow characteristics are generally designed to allow easy flow through extremely tight spaces, which could mean leaks around worn-out seals and gaskets.

Poor Fuel Economy

Reduced fuel economy is one more indicator you’ve got the wrong oil in your car, usually one with too high a viscosity. In this case, that thicker oil means the engine has to work harder to overcome the flow resistance and for an ICE to work harder, it’s going to require more fuel.

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What Kind Of Oil Does My Car Take?

As we’ve laid out here, it’s important that you put the right type of engine oil in your car to keep it running as efficiently as possible and to prevent long-term damage. To determine the oil your car’s manufacturer recommends, just open up the owner’s manual, flip to the index, and pull up the page explaining this. Alternatively, you can pop the hood and take a look at the oil cap as it is typically printed with this information. If you prefer a quick internet search, this Motor Oil Finder from Castrol should steer you in the right direction.

Sources: Mobil, U.S. Lubricants, Valvoline, Castrol