One of the most frequently carried out maintenance procedures on any vehicle is engine oil changes. Whether you have a sedan, SUV, or a truck, gasoline or diesel engine — you have to change your oil if you want your vehicle to last. 

While it’s not wrong to stick to the prescribed oil change intervals, there’s no harm if you change your oil a little more often. Truth be told, there’s a lot to be gained if you use high-quality synthetic oils and change your oil sooner than recommended. It’s not just us saying it, most high mileage record holders have said frequent oil changes have been the main contributing factor in getting them to millions of miles. Continue reading to know the importance of an oil change and how you can benefit from doing it more frequently.

What Does Engine Oil Do?

A vast majority of people believe that the oil inside an engine only serves as a lubricant. This is far from the truth as it has a lot more purposes. It’s this misconception that’s also the reason for people not realizing the significance of engine oil.

Lubrication

Before we discuss the other purposes, let’s touch upon the one that most people are already aware of – lubrication. By design, combustion engines have components that are in constant friction. Engine oil helps reduce friction by creating what one can call a separating film between the surfaces of these parts. 

Thanks to it, there’s reduced direct contact which in turn reduces wear and heat. Engine oil that’s in good shape boosts gas mileage, power, and the engine’s lifespan.

Cleaning

What many people don’t realize is that engine oil also works as a cleaning agent. While engine oil does help reduce the direct contact of components inside the engine, the constant rubbing does inevitably result in the creation of fine metallic particles from wear. 

These particles could damage the engine in the long run. Engine oil ensures that these particles end up getting caught by the oil filter. High-quality synthetic engine oils also feature detergents and dispersants that aid cleaning while reducing oil sludge build-up.

Cooling

This function of engine oil works hand in hand with lubrication. When you change your oil frequently, the new oil does a good job of lubricating the parts that come in contact with other components. With more efficient lubrication, there’s less friction which means the engine won’t convert its kinetic energy into heat. 

Furthermore, engine oil deals with heat through conduction as it flows through the engine. This heat is then released via a recirculating oil pump or an oil cooler in most cases.

Anti-Corrosion

The inside of an engine features metal components that are bare or lack any sort of anti-corrosive coating. This is because such finishes wouldn’t survive in a high friction and temperature environment like the inside of an engine. 

The engine relies on oil to coat the metal components and keep them from oxidizing. It’s not just oxidation though, combusting fuel also produces a corrosive acid that can damage components inside the engine. Modern synthetic engine oils feature special properties that inhibit all kinds of corrosion.

Seal

Probably one of the least known functions of engine oil is that it helps with sealing. Engine oil results in a protective layer being created between various parts which helps seal any clearances that would prove to be an issue. 

However, the most important seal it creates is the one between the piston rings and the cylinder walls. This seal helps keep what’s going on in the combustion chamber out of the crankcase. 

Why Should You Change Your Oil Frequently?

You should change your oil frequently to give your engine full protection at all times since engine oil degrades over time. It will lose its viscosity, become contaminated and generally lose its ability to lubricate the engine. This is the result of high temperatures that occur inside the engine, as well as mechanical forces that are constantly working the oil. 

Mineral engine oils were highly susceptible to these conditions and would become less effective quite quickly. Modern synthetic engine oils, on the other hand, have proven to be more durable and last longer. That said, even the best fully synthetic oil will break down over time. 

The damage degraded oil can do to engine internals is very real. It can directly affect the service life of your engine. While modern oils feature many additives, there’s a point after which they lose their abilities.

Just imagine multiple components on the inside of your engine trying to move and carry out their functions while covered in thick and degraded oil. Running an engine like this can cause irreversible damage. While every component can be replaced, this would lead to a really expensive repair bill. There’s also the likelihood of the engine seizing and at that point, you’d end up needing a replacement altogether.

Benefits of Quality Synthetic Engine Oils

Synthetic oils are designed to be much more durable. Depending on the blend you get, you’ll get better viscosity under all conditions, improved lubrication, and more effective detergents. 

On top of that, some premium fully synthetic engine oils such as Motul 8100 series, feature high amounts of esters, which in this particular case cause the oil to stick to metal. As a result, you’re getting good cold start protection as there is always an oil film covering all of your engine internals. 

Increased Protection

Speaking of protection, quality synthetic engine oils are formulated to not only last longer but not degrade as quickly as conventional oils. As mentioned earlier, engine oil reduces friction between the moving components of an engine. Synthetic oils are more resistant to mechanical sheering, which makes them more durable overall. 

Cleaner Internals

Thanks to the presence of detergents and dispersants, quality synthetic engine oils can keep the inside of an engine much cleaner than conventional oil. Modern synthetic oils also feature properties that delay sludge build-up as opposed to conventional oil which can leave impurities and deposit formations behind.

Improved Viscosity

Quality synthetic engine oils can be formulated to feature a wider range of viscosity. In other words, it can provide optimum performance across a wider range of temperatures. Due to their formula, it can flow more efficiently in warmer and colder temperatures. This is especially important when in engines that feature a turbocharger.

Recommended Interval to Change Your Oil

It is important to note that manufacturers set engine change intervals based on what it considers to be normal driving conditions. However, “normal driving conditions” vary wildly from user to user. Some cars are used more in the city while some have higher highway miles. Other factors like use in mountainous regions and duration of usage can also affect the lifespan of the oil.

As you can tell, numerous factors are at play here. We recommend shorter oil change intervals than what the owner’s manual recommends. Changing your oil every 6,000 miles is a good starting point for any vehicle out there. That is unless even shorter oil change intervals are specified by the owner’s manual.

Changing your oil is fairly inexpensive and doing it more frequently will only do good for your vehicle. Yes, it might cost you a little more but the added longevity and reliability will be worth it.

One More Thing… Take a Look at Our Quality Synthetic Engine Oils!

Firstly, if you haven’t made the switch to synthetic engine oil, there’s no reason not to! If you read about its benefits and how important oil is, you’ve probably already considered it. Before heading off this page, we recommend checking out the quality synthetic engine oils on sale at our shop. There’s nothing more an engine needs than oil, so add some to your cart now!