AUTONEWS

Why you shouldn’t use racing oil in regular cars

Racing oil is great for cleaning your engine, and can even improve power, but it’s not designed for long drain intervals.

Motor oil is a science these days. Depending on the application, it can have completely different formulas, viscosities, and additives, mixed and matched to achieve the best possible efficiency, longevity, or performance. That’s why you should only use the oil your engine was designed for, even if there’s a “better” one.

Lake Speed ​​Jr. of the YouTube channel “The Motor Oil Geek” explains the issue by showing the wear effects of three different types of oil. He elaborates that while racing oil can still have all the right properties, even surpassing the factory-recommended oil for your car, it’s still not a good idea to use it at the same intervals as standard oils.

All modern synthetic motor oils have a certain amount of antioxidants, or additives to stabilize them at high temperatures. This allows the oil to remain effective for a period of time without deteriorating from use or aging. Regular car oils have much more of these additives, making them suitable for drain intervals of 15,000 kilometers and more. Speed ​​Junior says that racing oils don’t have nearly the same amount of these additives, which means they won’t last as long. This isn’t a problem for racing applications, as the oil in racing engines is changed much more frequently. However, if you leave racing oil in your car’s engine for 15,000 kilometers, you’ll actually be exposing it to increased wear, even if it’s a higher-quality oil.

Speed ​​compares racing oil to racing tires. Racing tires have a softer compound, which gives them better grip. However, the softer compound wears out much faster than the harder compound with regular tread patterns, which is what production tires are made of.

So, the next time you're thinking about putting expensive racing-spec oil in your vehicle, think twice, because it could cost you dearly.

Autonews