Comparison Shell Helix HX7 5W-40 4 L vs Shell Helix HX8 5W-40 4 L

- Mineral. The name of this type is due to the fact that the oil is entirely of “fossil” origin - its components are hydrocarbons obtained during the distillation of oil. This type of oil appeared first and is still used today, however, it is gradually losing ground to synthetics and semi-synthetics. This is due to the fact that pure mineral oils are significantly inferior in characteristics to these two types. In particular, they do not tolerate both high and low temperatures - they can thicken and even freeze at -15...-20 ° C, and when they boil, they severely clog the engine. Oxidation of such oil occurs faster, which requires more frequent replacement. In addition, many modern engines put forward quite stringent requirements for the quality of fuels and lubricants, into which mineral oils simply do not fit. On the other hand, brands of this type are easy to produce and inexpensive.

— Synthetics. Such oils are produced artificially using chemical synthesis (hence the name). They appeared as a means of overcoming the shortcomings of mineral varieties and have proven themselves to be excellent in this role, because The technology for the production of synthetic oils makes it possible to create liquids with almost any characteristics - resistant to cold, not prone to oxidation, a certain viscosity, etc. On the other hand, this technology is quite complex and expensive, which consequently affects t...he price of the product.

- Semi-synthetic. Such brands of oil are mixtures of mineral and synthetic components and, accordingly, are a cross between the two types described above. They are much cheaper than purely synthetic oils, and although they are inferior in characteristics, they are in many ways superior to purely mineral products. Semi-synthetics are considered the best option for cases where oil consumption is high, but mineral varieties cannot be used - for example, if you often have to drive long distances in cold weather, or if the engine in a car for long trips has high demands on the quality of the lubricant.

The type of vehicle or other unit for which the oil is designed. Different types of cars have different features, which are taken into account when developing motor oils:

— Passenger cars. Passenger cars are characterized by high speeds at low loads, which led to the use of engines with relatively low torque.

— Trucks. For trucks, high speed is of secondary importance, but they have to deal with heavy loads and the engines must "pull" accordingly.

— Motorcycles, scooters, snowmobiles. Among two-wheeled vehicles, two-stroke engines (see “Engine”), whose requirements for oil characteristics differ from four-stroke engines, are very popular. In addition, motorcycle engines (including four-stroke engines) are in most cases equipped with the so-called. “wet clutch” (as opposed to the dry clutch used in cars), and also operate at higher speeds.

- Water transport. Most engines installed on motor boats, boats and yachts are two-stroke. However, they operate in different modes than motorcycle ones (in particular, they use water cooling instead of air), which necessitated the use of specialized oils.

— Agricultural machinery. Agricultural machinery predominantly uses diesel engines; At the same time, the speed of movement for such units is not critical, but hi...gh traction and resistance to loads, on the contrary, are of decisive importance.

— Gasoline tools. Engines for gas-powered tools are in many ways similar to those described above for motorcycles - in particular, they are often made two-stroke.

— Flushing. Low-viscosity motor oils with a special package of detergent additives based on potent chemicals, used to maintain the internal components of the power unit in proper cleanliness, remove varnish deposits, accumulated dirt and slag, and neutralize acids formed in the engine. Flushing compounds are recommended for use when switching from one oil to another (based on base, viscosity or manufacturer), when purchasing a used car with an unknown service history, when there are visible carbon deposits under the valve cover, and under severe engine operating conditions.

Please note that recommendations for use are not categorical: for example, some chainsaws allow the use of motorcycle or even automobile oils, and for trucks, “agricultural” oil may be suitable. On the other hand, compliance with a general purpose does not guarantee that the oil will be suitable for a particular unit: for example, formulations for gasoline engines cannot be filled into a diesel passenger car. So this parameter is not final, but only preliminary: having decided on the purpose, you need to select a specific oil based on more detailed characteristics (engine type, SAE indicators, manufacturer tolerances - see below).

International standards, compliance with which is stated in the characteristics of this brand of oil. In modern brands of oil the following options may be found:

— API is a standard developed in the USA by the American Petroleum Institute. Provides two separate classifications - for gasoline ( API SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM, SN, SN Plus) and for diesel engines ( API CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF, CE, CD); in the first case, the first letter in the standard designation is S (for example, API SL), in the second it is C (for example, API CI-4). If the oil is suitable for both types of engines, a double designation is used - for example, API SL/CI-4; in this case, the index of the type for which the oil is best suited is put first (in our example, this is gasoline). The standard also includes the classification of two-stroke engines - TA, TB, TC, TC+, TD.

— ACEA is a standard used by the association of European automakers of the same name,...an alternative to the American API. Includes three classes: A/B - all oils developed before 2004 for different types of engines. Actually, until 2004 there were two classes here - A for gasoline engines and B for diesel engines; then they were combined ( A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4 and A5/B5). However, separate designations can still be used. C - oils for all types of engines, meeting the Euro-4 environmental standard and compatible with additional equipment such as catalysts and particulate filters. APEA C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5 occur. E - a separate class for diesel engines of heavy equipment, including special ones. It is marked APEA E4, E6, E7 and E9.

— JASO — developed by the Japanese Auto Standards Association. It is one of the main modern standards for oils for gasoline motorcycle engines, within this purpose it has two classes - F for two-stroke engines, namely FA, FB, FC, FD and M for four-stroke (subclass MA for wet clutch MA-1 and MA -2, MB for dry). As well as a new GLV-1 approval for ultra-efficient gasoline engines and hybrid power plants.

— ILSAC is a standard created jointly by the American and Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Associations. Used for oils designed for passenger cars with gasoline engines. There are only five ILSAC categories ( GF-2, GF-3, GF-4, GF-5, GF-6A), in general they are similar to certain API categories (see above), but differ in increased requirements for energy saving and limitation of harmful emissions .

A list of specific oil standards recommended by the manufacturer for a particular engine is usually indicated in the official vehicle specifications. Note that many standards are interchangeable; compatibility data (as well as a description of each individual category) can be found in specialized sources.

An engine oil quality standard that VAG considers essential for correct operation when used in the engine of its vehicles. For various engines (respectively, car brands) there is a standard, among which there are 500.00, 501.01, 502.00, 503.00, 503.01, 504.00, 505.00, 505.01, 506.00, 506.01, 507.00, 508.00, and 508.00 ,

An engine oil quality standard that Porsche considers essential for correct operation when used in the engine of its vehicles. For various engines (respectively, car brands) there is a standard, among which are A40, C20, C30 and C40.

An engine oil quality standard that BMW considers essential for correct operation when used in the engine of its vehicles. For various engines (respectively, car brands) there is a standard, among which are Longlife-98, Longlife-01, Longlife-04, Longlife-12 FE, Longlife-14 FE + and Longlife-17 FE +.

An engine oil quality standard that Mercedes-Benz considers essential for correct operation when used in the engine of its vehicles. For different engines (respectively, car marks) provides its standard, among which there are 226.5, 226.51, 226.9, 228.5, 229.3, 229.5, 229.5, 229.5, 229.5, 229.5, 229.7, 229.5, 229.5, 229.5, 229.3, 229.5, 229.31 , 229.5

An engine oil quality standard that the car manufacturer Opel and GM consider essential for correct operation when used in the engine of their vehicles. Different engines (respectively, car brands) have their own standard, among which are 6094M, 4718M, Dexos 1, Dexos 1 Gen 2, Dexos 2, Dexos D, GM-LL-A-025, GM-LL-B-025 and OV0401547.

An engine oil quality standard that the PSA Group considers essential for correct operation when used in the engine of its vehicles. For various engines (respectively, car brands) there is a standard, among which are B71 2290, B71 2294, B71 2295, B71 2296, B71 2297, B71 2300 and B71 2312.