Whether you’re travelling, going from point A to point B or perhaps going for a spirited drive, our car and bikes plays a major role in our daily lives. However, in order for a vehicle to withstand such tremendous wear and tear for a long period of usage, the motor oil in the vehicle’s engine has to withstand such demanding task. So, having a good motor oil is very important and many would be wondering how do we know and choose a good motor oil?
So, in this article, we are going to learn what makes a good motor oil with Katsuya Arai, Managing Director R&D from Motul. A further short introduction for Arai-san, he is currently based at Japan and working with Japanese OEM to develop racing fluids as well as doing advance research projects for sustainability, new powertrains and so forth. Therefore, Arai-san is the best person to explain what is a good motor oil to us.
Firstly, Arai-san explains about the basics of an engine and motor oil. An engine has to avoid high wear and requires to be lubricated properly for driving and riding. The engine also has to be cooled with coolant and oil as there are still engines available in air-cooled layout. So, a motor oil helps to provides lubrication, anti-wear and heat transfer in an engine. Along that, most combustion engines process will lead to some debris which is called sludge. Usually, the sludge will attached itself to motor oil and a special detergent is added to suspend the sludge in the base oil. Hence, the motor oil is really important to deliver optimum performance for a long period.
Viscosity for motor oil is also important as explained by Arai-san. Essentially, there are three types of viscosity in motor oil; Kinematic viscosity, related to oil pressure, High-temperature high-shear-rate (HTHS) viscosity, to indicate the oil thickness and viscosity for pumping oil for cold climate. These three types of viscosity in motor oil are important as they played a role in cold startup during winter and oil film thickness under high pressure and temperature.
Motor oils are also divided by fully-synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral, where Arai-san agreed that it can be class as high, mid and low tier motor oils, respectively, for marketing purposes. Arai-san further explains that a synthetic motor oil is better for modern cars because a synthetic motor oil process is developed to eliminate every single element which could accelerate oxidation. The process will also allowed for an improved flow and operate better in high and low temperature.
Onto the main highlight, Motul 300V, the motor oil often regarded one of its advantage is ESTERcore technology. Arai-san carefully explained that ESTERcore technology is developed based on Esters and other base oils to maximise the oil film thickness and and its resistance. The ESTERcore technology was also studied by the team to check on beneficial gains and the result is positive and amazing. With ESTERcore technology, the Motul 300V is able to maintain oil film thickness and maximise the power output without any compromise on reliability.
On how to choose a good motor oil question, Arai-san told that cars and bikes need to look out for few certain aspect. Users should know their average mileage and what type of roads they are traveling on (tarmac or gravel) as well as to look for motor oil that has received the American Petroleum Institute (API) certified mark as it guarantees the quality of the motor oil by marketers and manufacturers. Therefore, as Motul products are API certified mark, quality and performance are guaranteed for car and bike owners. As for those who are using their cars and bikes for racing purposes, the Motul 300V is the perfect choice because of the various viscosity grades, optimised for modern and classic vehicle, and reliability.
Regarding on whether to change motor oil on every 5,000 kms or later, Arai-san said it depends on the severity affecting on the vehicle performance such as startup, fuel economy and performance. If you’re having fuel economy and performance on your cars or bikes right now, then perhaps it is time to change your motor oil now.
Given the chance to drop further questions to Arai-san, I asked are there any fuel efficiency and performance benefit to use a high performance motor oil on a daily car or bike. He told that, for Motul 300V range, there are improvement to fuel efficiency and performance for daily usage of cars and bikes.
In conclusion, a good motor oil will give drivers and riders an ease of mind on startup, fuel economy and performance for daily drive and spirited drive. So, if you’re someone who loves taking care of your car or bike, make sure to get a good motor oil today such as Motul 300V range as it delivers benefits and reliability as well as proven on race tracks too.
This article is written based on an online media event with Katsuya Arai, organised by CBR Media. Photos are credited to Motul.