Discovering the Best Lubricant for Your Application

By Michael Kaufman

Many people don't recognize that each oil is unique and that there truly is a difference in quality and performance between each different oil and each different brand. They do NOT all offer the same benefits and drawbacks to the consumer. Once an individual finally realizes that there IS a difference, they often begin a quest of epic proportions to find "the one" that will best protect their vehicles and/or equipment. I hope, within this article and some subsequent follow-ups, to help guide an individual through that process of finding the right oil for their application.

Legendary Lubrication Dreamland

Of course, many people make the assumption, as they pursue their "ultimate motor oil" that there must be a "best oil" that will fit everyone's needs. Some SUPER oil which will, undoubtedly, serve everyone perfectly. But, the extraordinary engine oil paradise that they are looking for is a legend at best. It simply doesn't exist|cannot be found.

Despite the desire of of oil companies or distributors to imply otherwise, it is not at all possible for ANY single brand of oil to be a perfect fit for every application, no matter how wide the product range of a particular brand may be. There will ALWAYS be certain applications and situations which require a switch to a different brand. As an example, even though AMSOIL, NEO and Redline are of much higher quality than many other motor oil brands, NONE of them can meet the needs of all applications.

You need to understand the needs of your application before you can ever find the BEST motor oil to lubricate your engine (or other component). Then you need to avail yourself of the valuable motor oil information that can be found around the net (being careful not to just blindly accept everything you read) and use that information to establish which oils fit your needs best.

Only by following this pattern can you really make an educated decision regarding what oil will be able serve the needs of your application(s) and keep your vehicles and equipment running well in the long term.

The choices that you make (synthetic or petroleum, 10w40 vs. 15w40, CJ-4 or CI-4) are likely of little consequence, no matter what anyone tells you, except in the sense that those choices should be ones that will best meet the needs of your application. As long as they do, it really doesn't matter what oil or brand you choose. - 21392

About the Author:

This is only the intro to a series of articles focused on helping you find the best motor oil to lubricate and protect YOUR engine. To get the full scoop on what you should be looking for in an oil and how to find it, check out the rest of this "Find Your Best Oil" article series on my Motor Oil Bible Blog.