Engine Guards: How Additives Fight Against Wear and Tear
Your car engine is like the heart of that sprinter, always racing, giving its best performance. Now, this marathon of driving nonstop, the poor engine oil additives play the unsung heroes; they see everything goes right. These small mighty warriors are packed with strong ingredients meant to keep moving metal internal parts gliding, not grinding, against one another.
The engine oil alone could do a pretty reasonable job, but it was like a cake without frosting, just the base. Then come the additives to turn these simple bottles of engine oils into bottled superheroes. And people ask, “Why mix additives in?” What if a knight went into some crucial battle not donning his armor? Crazy, right? The same thing happens with engine oils not using additives: under-dressed against the challenges lying ahead.
What do these additives do, precisely? First of all, they create extremely thin veils of protection over those places in an engine which suffer most from friction. Unlike some Teflon pan that reduces sticking, these additives stop the pistons and bearings from saying too much of a rough ‘hello’ to each other. This way, they avoid friction and other wear and tear, meaning they will not have monstrous bills later on for repairs; that is one nasty surprise nobody wants in his morning coffee.
Now, considering that each additive is different in function, taking this hypothesis one step further, some would liken dispersants to cleaners of the engine: they clean up any soot, old oil, and grime that might attempt to stay behind.
If it weren’t for their interference, this type of goodies would build up in the engine, rather like unwanted guests at a family reunion. Meanwhile, antioxidants stand watch, fighting the menace of oxidation, which turns oil into a sludgy mess. When aging and oxidation finally do occur with the oils, it’s like milk gone sour-and nobody wants to pour that into morning cereal.
Next up come anti-wear additives: they absorb the impact-the padding on a footballer-so as not to be so bruised up by scratches and other damages. Your engine might not win the Super Bowl, but surely will be well protected. What is interesting, however, is the mixology done along the way. In fact, the engineers do not merely throw a whole load of chemicals together willy-nilly. It is a dance-a tango, if you would allow yourself to think about it-where each has its rhythm and move that complements others.
Turbocharge your ride: How to choose car additives that work
You fumble your way practically through the automotive world, trying to get out of a corn maze blindfolded: you spin, you crash, you wonder if someone’s just watching, laughing even. Among this quagmire of options and suggestions, one buzzword leads the chorus: engine oil additives. The holy grail promising to extend your vehicle’s life, improve the performance of the engine, and even make your in-laws like the way you drive.
Cut to the chase: these small magic solutions promise the sky. Like that infomercial product one ordered this past Christmas, not all of them deliver on promises. Well, the question now would be, what is the secret behind picking the right one? It all starts with really knowing your car inside and out, understanding what it really needs. Every car has its quirks, just like that one friend who can tell if you don’t use real milk in their latte.
For a moment, consider driving: are you the speedy sort that thinks it’s a contestant in the Sunday rally, or the cautious driver, who treats every red light as if it might be the last one before a speed camera? Some just help to heighten performance–lubing up those innards to fight off friction. Others work to help things to be clean and efficient. Think of them more as a car nutritionist, advocating a balanced intake with a good antioxidant profile.
To this is added, of course, the question of the fuel additives themselves. Anyone who ever put the wrong kind of gas into a car knows the engine may tolerate it but most definitely will not thank you for it. Fuel additives promise to clean and detoxify your engine from build-ups that have been gunning down the works over a period. Yet, some claim the normal intake of quality gasoline is as good or at times even better than most of these additives.
Wear protection-one would instinctively think-would be for your car engine like that veteran prize-fighter in the ring: it takes all that beating over time. Wear protection additives are like coaches, sustaining for as long as possible the wear to which in due course time subjects engines. It may even become more critical in those older cars where their coughing and wheezing engines struggle through.
Temperature plays a part, too. Somebody who is living in a cold climate may want additives designed to lower viscosity. That type of product is like your engine’s winter gloves; it just makes sure it doesn’t seize up on a cold morning.