If fuel is sustenance for your car, engine oil is the crucial blood pumping through its beating heart - the engine - lubricating it and ensuring that it runs as smoothly as possible at all times. By offering vital protection, it's also meant to extend your engine's lifespan even amidst harsher use.
Thanks to the higher quality base oils used in synthetic oils, we've moved away from mineral oils over time - and towards the former instead - in most of the modern cars we drive today. Synthetic oils are typically created from chemically modified materials such as petroleum components, but the base material is almost always distilled crude oil.
Still, synthesis processes and formulae often differ from brand to brand; no two synthetic oils are truly the same. Here, we take a look at what a well-formulated engine oil should do.
1) Performance: Ensure your car's engine performs optimally by offering consistent lubrication
No, we're not necessarily talking about performance in the sense of horsepower gains. For your engine to be performing at its best, however, your engine oil should ideally flow freely soon after you start it. This ensures that its parts are properly lubricated and remain protected from friction and wear.
While engine oils that have slightly higher viscosities at operating temperature (i.e. when the engine is already running) are suited to Singapore's warmer climate, our island's small size means our day-to-day driving will invariably comprise a certain proportion of shorter journeys.
Throw in the fact that most of our cars today come with Stop-Start functionality, and there are bound to be instances in which our engines have yet to fully warm up before they are turned off again.
Singapore should never reach such temperatures - but Mobil 1 engine oils can apparently still flow freely at temperatures as low as negative 40°C. Your engine is protected as soon as you start your car.
2) Protection: Be resistant to degradation itself, thus preventing engine failure
The inner workings of our cars are not exempt from the laws of science.
As with other oils, chemical reactions also occur within engine oils when they are subjected to heat (the process is known as 'thermal degradation'). This causes their viscosity to change, which can then result in a reduced level of oil flow.
Apart from increased friction between metal surfaces, the decreased oil flow can even lead to the buildup of deposits while also increasing oil consumption. The consequence? Serious damage to your engine over the long run.
Of course, this is why oil changes at regular intervals are crucial to maintaining the health of your car's engine oil. But on its own, a well-formulated oil should also be able to guard against extreme temperatures and harsh usage. In fact, it can even provide added convenience to a driver with the promise of longer intervals between oil changes.
Mobil 1 engine oils have always provided up to 10 times more protection against high temperatures with the company's signature Triple Action Formula. This has been taken a few notches higher with the all-new Triple Action Formula+, which provides up to 30 times more protection.
3) Cleanliness: Also serve as a cleaning agent for your engine parts
Apart from protecting your engine, keeping it clean is yet another crucial role that synthetic engine oils play.
There are two main aspects to how the oil cleans your engine. Firstly, by constantly circulating the engine, engine oils are meant to help carry contaminants away from the engine components.
The second aspect, however, is related to the fact that synthetic oils also have a variety of cleaning additives incorporated into their formulae. These help to protect engine components against deposits and sludge, while keeping piston rings clean.
Yet another example of how these additives work is by neutralising acids that are produced as the engine is running - either by reactions of the fuel in blow-by gases, or by the breakdown of the oil's hydrocarbon structure.
With these issues in mind, the active cleaning agents in Mobil 1's Triple Action Formula+ don't just help to fight sludge; they can even prevent 99.9% of the harmful acid contaminants that damage your engine!
Mobil 1's Triple Action Power: Performance, protection and cleanliness
As the first widely-available synthetic oil to hit the market - all the way back in 1974, in fact - Mobil 1 has been constantly refined over time, both to give drivers better peace of mind, and also enhance their driving experience with better engine performance.
Having been put to test not just in the lab and on the road, but also on the track, its engine oils are crafted to meet the toughest real-life conditions all over the world. You'll note that the company even works with Formula One's reigning team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, for whom it has been the official lubricant partner since 2017.
Its 'Triple Action Power' formula is specially created for drivers by delivering outstanding engine protection, cleanliness, and protection. It can also guarantee protection for your engine for up to 10,000 miles (16,000km) between oil changes.
Mobil 1's latest addition, Triple Action Power+, takes this even further not just by enhancing all of three aforementioned areas - protection, cleanliness, and protection - but by bringing in the added benefit of engine efficiency for better fuel economy. Its complex formula is also engineered for more complex and hybrid engines.
Mobil 1 Triple Action Power+ is now available at authorised automotive retailers and workshops. For more information about Mobil 1, please visit https://www.mobil.com/en/sap/our-products/mobil-1, https://shopee.sg/mobil1official or, https://www.lazada.sg/shop/mobil/.
