Get the right oil for easy winter start-ups

Cold weather driving is hard on a vehicle, especially at start-up. To minimize winter wear and tear on your engine, your choice of motor oil is key. A few cold-weather preparatory procedures and the right type of motor oil can make the difference between your vehicle breaking down and leaving you stranded and you making it home.

Choosing The Right Motor Oil

Consider the vital role of an engine lubricant, the lifeblood of a vehicle. Choosing the right oil can save you money by preventing unnecessary repairs and breakdowns, and helping your engine run more smoothly.

The oil used in your car is composed of two primary ingredients: base oil and additives. Base oil, which makes up between 80 to 85% of oils, allows the motor oil to perform its primary function, lubricating the engine system's moving parts to protect them against wear and tear from friction. Since base oil alone is not enough to properly protect your engine, chemical additives help perform a wide variety of functions under a wide range of engine operating conditions. These additives include:

• Detergent/dispersant additives
• Rust and Corrosion inhibitors
• Anti-wear additives
• Viscosity modifiers and pour point depressants

Oil Certification and Standards

Look for products that carry the American Petroleum Institute (API) Quality Marks. They will bear the API Service Symbol "Donut" which indicates that the oil product meets specified quality requirements.

The "Donut" is divided into 3 parts:

1. The top half describes the oil's performance level
2. The center identifies the oil's viscosity
3. The bottom half tells whether the oil has demonstrated energy-conserving properties in a standard test in comparison to a reference oil.

Canadian Tire High-Performance Oil Product Exclusives!

• Mobil 1 Extended Performance (EP) Synthetic Motor Oil - Mobil 1 Extended Performance formulas are guaranteed to protect for up to 20,000 kilometres, or one year. Its proprietary formulation helps extend engine life by reducing wear and oil breakdown, even with today's longer service intervals. Suitable for cars, vans and light trucks.
• Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Motor Oil - Unlike regular synthetic oil, Valvoline MaxLife is an advanced synthetic with special additives to fight the effects of aging. If you use synthetic motor oil in your engine and it has 120,000 kilometres or more, then MaxLife Synthetic is right for you. It provides special seal conditioners, additional anti-wear additives and extra cleaning agents to extend the life of your engine.
• Castrol 5W40 Synthetic Motor Oil - For those with Volkswagen vehicles with diesel engines, Castrol 5W40 synthetic is recommended in the owner's manual.

Viscosity

While API ratings refer to an oil's quality, you need to look at the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), for the grade ratings. These ratings describe the oil's function and viscosity standard.

It is important to understand the viscosity when choosing the appropriate oil for the driving environment. Viscosity refers to the thickness of an oil and is a measure of an oil's ability to flow at a particular temperature. 93% of engine wear occurs at start-up, making it critical to choose the oil that will provide lubrication to engine parts as fast as possible. Always check your owner's manual for the recommended grade for your vehicle.

A viscosity rating appears on all oils Canadian Tire sells. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has set low (0° F)  and high (212° F) temperature requirements for oil. Most oils today are multi-grade viscosity and are able to meet both high and low temperature requirements. Multigrades are easily recognized by the dual viscosity designation. For example, 10W-30 where the 10W is the winter designation and the 30 is the high temperature designation. A smaller first number means better flow to vital engine parts in cold starts.

Oil Types

Canadian Tire has the largest assortment of engine lubricants in Canada. So which type of oil is best for you?

• Conventional - Conventional motor oils are mineral-based oils that originate underground and are pumped out as crude oil. They are then refined to improve performance properties and additives are blended in. As long as you adhere to your manufacturer's suggested oil change interval, conventional oils should meet your needs and provide an adequate level of protection.
• Synthetic Blends - Synthetic Blends contain a mix of mineral base fluids and synthetic base fluids. Blends are ideal if you have special needs such as pulling a trailer or cold weather starting and want an extra layer of protection for your engine. They provide better protection than conventional oil, but not as good as full synthetic oil.
• Synthetic - Synthetic oils are engineered to do the job of conventional oil, but they do it much better. Although a bit more costly, these "super lubricants" can save you money in the long run. Synthetics are manufactured specifically to stand up to the severe conditions under which conventional oils may falter. They perform better under extreme conditions, making them more efficient on start-up.
• Winter - The cold winter can be harsh on your vehicle as your engine goes through increased stress on start-up. Quaker State Winter Synthetic Blend is specially formulated for these cold conditions and is exclusive to Canadian Tire. It also continues to work effectively in warmer temperatures.
• High Mileage - High Mileage oils are specially formulated using premium base oils plus two additives, which are suited to older engines. The first is a burnoff-inhibitor, which helps prevent the oil from burning off if it gets past an engine seal into the combustion chamber. The second is a "seal conditioner" that would minimize the leak should seals become leaky.

A quick guide to the different grades of oil

Always check your owner's manual for the recommended grade for your vehicle to ensure vehicle warranty is not compromised.