Two components determine how well motor oil will perform in your car. One factor is the base oil, and the other is the combination of chemicals (additives) that are added to the base oil.

Base oils
Mineral and synthetic are the two primary types of base oils. Mineral oils are by-products of refined crude oil. Refining helps reduce the impurities, but leaves molecules of all shapes and sizes. Synthetic oils are man-made compounds whose molecules are all the same size and shape. Consequently, synthetic oil has less friction and performs significantly better than mineral oils.

There’s been sizable growth in the use of synthetic oils over the years. In fact, synthetic oils are often what the factory puts in many new performance and luxury cars.

Additives
Regardless of the base oil used, chemicals must be added to give motor oil the characteristics needed to do its job. Typical additives that may be added to base oil include detergents to reduce the formation of residue, defoamants to deter absorption of air, anti-wear agents, antioxidants and others.

Although additives are typically only 15 to 25 percent of the make-up of motor oil, they can impact a lubricant’s performance much more than the base oil. For instance, mineral-based motor oil with a very good additive package can easily outperform synthetic motor oil with a mediocre additive package.

There is no easy way for a consumer to determine the quality of motor oil’s additive package. Price is often an indicator of quality since the more advanced additive technologies cost more to produce. Performance is the ultimate measure of additive package quality.

Advances in lubrication
Some of the biggest technological advances in lubrication are now coming through advancements in chemical additives. These breakthroughs have been developed by a handful of companies that specialize in high-performance lubricants, as opposed to major oil companies whose primary focus is refining and selling crude oil byproducts like gasoline and other fuels.

One high-performance lubricant company, Royal Purple, has developed lubricants that outperform both leading mineral oils and other synthetics. Their oil has been reported by numerous independent sources to dramatically reduce engine wear, increase horsepower and torque, and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Cars using their oils can also go further between oil changes, saving the owner time and money, and reducing the impact on the environment. More information about their products is available at www.royalpurple.com.

How to choose:
Mineral-based (conventional) motor oils — These are the cheapest and most widely available oils. They typically use standard additive packages that provide minimum levels of performance and protection.

Synthetic motor oils — These man-made oils are more expensive that mineral-based oils but are still widely available. Their performance advantages come predominantly from the synthetic base oil used. They have a longer service life and offer some improvements in protection. They typically use the same additive packages found in mineral-based oils.

High-performance ‘specialty’ synthetic motor oils — These motor oils are the most technologically advanced oils. Although they significantly out-perform mineral-based or synthetic motor oils, they are about the same price as standard synthetic motor oil. They are typically only available through auto parts stores and select oil change centers. These oils primarily differ in their use of more advanced, proprietary additive technologies.

Still confused? For a used car with little life left in it, stick with the cheap mineral-based motor oil. For a car you plan to keep for a few years and want to get a little better performance from, you should at least upgrade to synthetic motor oil. To get the most performance out of your car, truck or RV, or to protect a vehicle you really care about and want to last, upgrade to a high performance motor oil.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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(ARA) – With vehicles staying on the road longer than ever, the harsh conditions of the daily drive can take their toll over time. Americans spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to and from work according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. As the amount of time a vehicle stays on the road increases, so does the amount of maintenance required to keep it running.

There are ways to increase your car’s longevity. Three of the most important areas to maintain are your engine, your tires and the exterior of your vehicle.

Motor oil is the lifeblood of an engine as it lubricates vital engine parts. With vehicles being built to last longer, the demands placed on motor oil have increased. It is imperative to utilize a durable motor oil that can stand up to the constant stress of everyday driving. Quaker State is a brand that prides itself on its ability to keep an engine performing at its peak while offering a full line-up of products specially formulated to meet the needs of today’s drivers. The entire line-up of Quaker State oils are designed to minimize friction-related wear two times better than industry wear standards.

“While regularly changing engine oil is perhaps the most essential maintenance task drivers can perform,” says Mark Ferner, Quaker State technical specialist and ASE-certified master technician. “Checking wheel alignment, tire air pressure and having regular tune-ups can also contribute to helping keep your can on the road longer.”

A very important, and often neglected, maintenance area on your vehicle is your tires. When temperatures rise, the air inside the tire expands. This can mean you are driving on overinflated tires — ultimately resulting in premature tread wear. Tire tread is crucial during emergency situations; a quarter inch of tread depth could affect your stopping distance by 180 feet. Improper or neglected maintenance of tires and wheels can cause extensive damage and lead to pricey repairs.

While some tips may help keep a vehicle running smoothly, it is also important to protect the exterior of the vehicle. During the winter months, salt, sand and road grime can severely damage the finish of a vehicle. Another concern is more than one-third of car owners use non-automotive products when washing their cars, which can cause considerable damage and lead to costly repairs. Washing and polishing a car with quality cleaners and waxes goes a long way toward protecting the vehicle’s exterior.

Following these tips and performing regular maintenance on a vehicle’s exterior as well as under-the-hood are critical steps in helping to extend the life of any vehicle. For more tips and advice about increasing vehicle longevity visit www.QuakerState.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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“My dad raced when I was growing up and, even from a young age, I knew it was something I really wanted to do,” says Berrier, who got his start working on Busch Grand National cars at a local track where he learned the ins and outs of what it takes to win.

Here he shares some thoughts on an incredible career:

Q: How does it feel to be the crew chief for a Daytona 500-winning car?
I have to admit it was pretty cool to win. Not many people get a chance to work on a car that runs in the Daytona 500, much less win the whole thing. But after a little while of enjoying the win, it was back to the grind. We had to focus on our upcoming projects and winning the Daytona 500 just made me want to win the next race even more. There’s no better feeling than that!

Q: How would you describe your job?
The bulk of my job used to focus on maintaining and modifying our cars while also helping to develop new strategies and ideas. But because the cost and logistics of what we do are much more complex than they were even three years ago, my job is now focused on logistics and planning for the team. We approach every decision from a business-minded angle, so it’s important that we’re fully utilizing our resources to obtain the best possible advantage over the competition.

Q: What’s the single biggest challenge to being successful in NASCAR?
The biggest challenge in NASCAR is the time commitment to the job, whether you’re a crew chief, driver, or part of the pit crew. I’m in our facilities every day except the days we are at the track. That ends up being Monday through Wednesday, with half a day on Thursday before we travel to the race. We’re also on the road every Thursday through Sunday for 38 weeks, with an additional ten test days spread out throughout the year. When things might not be going as well as you’d like, you really have to get in there and focus on what’s going right. This is a demanding job but it can also be very rewarding.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you during the race weekend?
Well, that’s not exactly an easy answer as there are no “typical” days when it comes to racing. On Thursday afternoons we leave the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) facilities and fly to the race location. We have just enough time to check into the hotel and then it’s lights out because we know we have a long couple of days ahead of us.

The team will get to the track early on Friday morning so we can settle into the garage area and get the car ready for inspection. After we go through inspection, the first practice session of the day takes place, with our qualifying runs scheduled at around 3 p.m. After we’ve qualified for the race on Friday, we have two Saturday practice sessions to test our modifications and make sure everything is running like it should be.

Then it’s on to Sunday, the most exciting (and longest) day of the weekend. It all starts at 6 a.m. when we make any last minute adjustments before our pre-race inspection. The races typically start at around noon and can last up to four hours. Cars that finish in the top five must go through a post-race inspection to make sure everyone was playing fair. Once the inspection is over, we load up the truck and race to the airport to catch the first flight home. It makes for a long weekend but it’s always a fun one.

Q: As part of the sponsor relationship, is Shell or Pennzoil providing special fuel or motor oil for the race team?
RCR not only has a new sponsor in Shell but a new technical partner as well, with Pennzoil supplying motor oil and lubricants products for all RCR vehicles. We work with Shell and Pennzoil engineers and scientists to develop and race some of the most technologically advanced motor oils. The fuel we use on the race track must be provided by NASCAR’s official fuel supplier.

But off the track, I’m always looking to get the most out of my vehicle so I use Shell. In fact, a lot of the guys on the team drive cars that recommend higher-octane fuel so we use Shell V-Power because it’s a premium fuel with added cleaning power, five times the cleaning agent required by federal government standards, in fact. We also like that it’s in part a direct result of the technical collaboration between Shell and Ferrari in Formula One.

For more information about the benefits of using Shell V-Power over any other conventional fuel, log on to www.shell.com and type “V-Power” into the search box.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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