If you follow any kind of automotive business news, you know that more motor oil manufacturers are refocusing their efforts to create environmentally friendly products in order to reduce their ecological footprints. What a lot of drivers don’t know is that while these strategically created motor oils are in fact better, it’s just as easy to reuse your old oil as long as it meets certain American Petroleum Institute standards. The best motor oil for your car depends on your car, but it also depends on what’s in it.
Determining the right motor oil for the job
What is motor oil, anyway? We’ll put it this way: Without motor oil, your car simply wouldn’t run. Motor oil is made of either petroleum-based or non-petroleum-based chemical compounds, and it serves to lubricate combustion engines in order to prevent them from overheating while they operate. That’s why most auto workers recommend your car gets an oil change every three months or 3,000 miles — whichever comes first. But it’s not just cars that benefit from the wonderful properties of motor oil.
The world of combustion engines
Obviously, cars, trucks and buses need motor oil to run fluidly. But other structures that rely on internal combustion engines — where fuel meets an oxidizer — include motorcycles, go-karts, snowmobiles, boats, tractors, aircraft and sometimes generators, too. Grabbing the right product off the shelf from motor oil manufacturers will allow your machine to keep running, but it helps to know what to look for in an oil.
Taking care of your car
While not enough oil can lead to overheating, loading up your engine with too much oil can cause the crankshaft (which produces the motion of the machine) to dip into it. This can churn air into the oil, causing foaming and fluctuations in pressure — all very bad things for your engine. A healthy car is just like a healthy person: They can both do their jobs more effectively. Always know how much oil you’re using when you’re working under the hood.
Taking care of the planet
As we mentioned before, plenty of motor oil manufacturers are working to create a more energy-efficient and reliable product that is simply better for the environment. Additionally, recycling used motor oil can help save both money and the scores of resources it requires to make a new batch. It takes 42 gallons of crude oil to crank out a mere 2.5 quarts of new motor oil, but the same amount can be produced simply by recycling one gallon of old oil. Think about that the next time you’re in your auto parts store.
Motor oil manufacturers are looking toward the future, and for good reason. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 2 gallons of used oil could power an entire home for 24 hours. In other words, it pays to recycle. So, what are you waiting for? See this link for more.