What is the role of a lubricant?
Any vehicle owner knows that lubricants are vital to the correct operation of your engine; in particular they reduce wear. But it also has other, less well-known functions:
- Cools hot areas of an engine and moving parts.
- Reduces friction: A lubricant helps to improve engine efficiency and helps to reduce fuel consumption.
- Protects mechanical parts against wear and corrosion: guaranteeing long life and efficiency of the engine.
- Keeps the engine clean: it helps to guarantee long engine life and helps to keep all engine parts in a good and clean condition, while evacuating any impurities to the oil filter and through oil changes
Why is an engine oil’s ability to cleanse important?
Keeping engine components clean is essential as it keeps them in good condition. If your engine components are dirty, oil may not be lubricating and protecting the engine properly. Dirt build-up can also lead to premature engine damage. Shell Helix engine oils are designed to clean and protect engines for improved performance.
What is engine oil made from?
Engine oils are made up from three important ingredients – base oils, viscosity modifiers and performance additives. These are carefully selected and skilfully blended to enable the oil to provide maximum engine protection.
Why is Shell Helix any better than other leading brands?
We have put Shell’s years of know-how in oil development into every aspect of the Shell Helix formula – from the base-oil technology through to the additives’ selection and blending. We have also channelled the experience we have gained in supporting leading racing teams, such as Scuderia Ferrari, into the Shell Helix formula. It is designed to meet challenges, so no matter how stressful your driving conditions, Shell Helix will help to clean and protect your engine.
Why should I buy Shell Helix when I can buy additives off the shelf and mix them with existing oil?
Adding an uncontrolled volume of additives to your oil is like putting salt on your dessert. It takes years of additive blending experience to come up with the right formula for Shell Helix oil, and the way the various additives are mixed in with the base oil is crucial to the oil’s overall performance. So our strong advice is “do not add additives” if you aim to get the most from your car. The addition of additives may lead to expiration of the vehicle manufacturer’s guarantee.
Will I really notice the difference if I don’t make frequent oil changes?
Not changing your oil on a regular basis can significantly reduce the level of protection provided against engine wear. Engine oil acts as a reservoir for all kinds of by-products that form when the fuel burns, including soot, sludge, water and acidic material, as well as unburned and partially burned fuel. At the same time, the stress placed on the oil during engine operation gradually depletes the components that determine the oil’s performance. Refreshing the oil on a regular basis ensures that the right balance of components is present in the oil.
It also removes waste materials that might otherwise result in increased deposit formation, corrosion of metal components and increased wear.
Why not just keep topping up the engine oil?
If you simply keep on topping up your oil, you put more stress on the older oil that remains in the engine. And this stress issue has become worse in recent years as lighter, modern engines now run with about 25% less oil in their sumps. Shell Helix oil has a powerful ability to clean up your engine components and goes on keeping engines clean through to the next oil change.
