Lubricants Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why is an engine oils 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.
Q2: Why is the choice of engine oil so important?

Oil is the lifeblood of your car. If the wrong kind is used, the engine is at risk of
increased wear and corrosion. Formation of blockages can also lead to engine
seizure. By putting Shell Helix oil in the engine, you can carry on motoring with
confidence and experience the feeling that your car has just been serviced all
for less than the cost of a tank of fuel.
Q3: How does oil protect my engine?
In many ways:

By cleaning the engine Shell Helix oils are designed to clear away dirt, debris
and deposits from engine components and to prevent blockages in important
oil ways. The oil helps to lock up the dirt and render it harmless until it is removed
at the next oil change.

By reducing friction and minimising wear Shell Helix oils form a protective film
over your engine components and have special additives that act between the
moving surfaces to prevent contact and reduce drag. This helps your engine to
operate as quietly and effectively as the designers intended.

By removing heat Shell Helix oils carry heat away from hot areas, such as
around the piston rings where the temperature can reach up to 320C, and
redistribute it around the engine.

By preventing corrosion and rust Shell Helix oils help to protect your hard-
working engine components from corrosion beyond the normal oil-change
interval. Benchmarking studies show that Shell Helix oils provide best-in-class
protection and help to extend your engines life and avoid some expensive
repairs.
Q4: 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.
Q5: Is it important to change oil and how often should I do this?

You should change your oil and filter at or before the end of oil-change intervals
indicated by your vehicle manufacturer. These are based on distance travelled
or time. Regular oil changing helps to keep your engine oil in good condition
and provide the best protection for all of your engine components.
Q6: How should I dispose of used oil?

Used oil can pollute the environment and should never be poured down the
drain. In many markets it is also illegal to do this. Instead, take your waste to an
official oil-disposal or recycling bank (these are often located at local refuse
collection points). Alternatively, ask your local authority recycling officer for
guidance
Q7: Why is Shell Helix any better than other leading brands?

We have put Shells 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.

Q8: 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.
Q9: What is Oil viscosity?

Viscosity is an important criterion of any lubricating oil. It is a measure of a fluids

thickness or resistance to flow. For example, honey is thick and water is thin, so
honey has a higher viscosity than water. Oil viscosity needs to suit the right
ambient temperatures. If its too thick when the engine is cold, it wont move
around the engine. And if it becomes too thin when the engine is hot, it wont
give the right protection to the engine parts.

Optimising an oils viscosity, or thickness, helps maximise energy efficiency while

avoiding component wear. Viscosity modifiers increase the viscosity of your oil at
high temperature but have little effect on low-temperature viscosity. These
enable your oil to flow properly when cold and also to remain thick enough to
protect your engine components at high temperatures.

Lower-viscosity grades of oil such as Shell Helix Ultra, make it easier for your
engine to start from cold because they present less resistance to moving parts
and hence take less power from your engine. This also means that you get
enhanced fuel economy. To find the right oil viscosity for your engine, check
your manufacturers guidelines and bear in mind the weather conditions you
live and drive in.
Q10: What do Oil numbers mean?

Multigrade oils are those oils that have two numbers on the grade, indicating
that the oil is able to maintain engine performance in high and low
temperatures. A multigrade lubricant minimises viscosity differences under
temperature variations.

The first number on a multigrade oil is normally followed by a W, which stands for
winter. This number represents the lubricants viscosity under lower temperatures,
giving an indication of how the oil will flow in the winter. The lower the first
number, the thinner it is at low temperatures.

The second number, which appears after the W, represents the oils viscosity
under high temperatures. The higher the number, the thicker the oil will stay at
high temperatures. Using the correct viscosity for your engine increases engine
performance, reduces engine wear and increases fuel efficiency.
In addition, synthetic oils usually have better low and high temperature
properties than normal mineral oils. This maintains protection while allowing
better fuel economy and cold starting.
Q11: What is the difference between Synthetic & mineral?

There are two main types of base oil: mineral and fully synthetic. Motor oils
labelled as part- or semi-synthetic or synthetic technology contain a mixture
of these two types.

Mineral base oils come from crude oil that is processed in a refinery to separate
out the fractions with useful lubrication properties and remove unwanted
components such as waxes. Unlike some motor oil manufacturers, Shell makes its
own top-class mineral base oils by selecting the best crudes and employing
stringent quality control procedures throughout the entire production process.

Synthetic base oils give enhanced performance because they are

manufactured using a more expensive chemical process than that used in
mineral oil production. Because of this, fully synthetic oils like Shell Helix Ultra flow
more easily at start-up temperatures, when most wear occurs. They are also
more resistant to heat and are more easily protected by antioxidant additives
(oxidation is a natural degradation process that occurs in oil over time). Plus they
are less volatile than mineral oils.
Q12: What are Performance additives?

Performance additives give extra protection to the base oil and enable it to
protect and clean your engine, helping it to work harder for longer. They come
in several kinds that must be carefully selected and blended to give top-class
performance:

Detergents keep your engine clean and neutralize the corrosive acids
that form as fuel is burned.
Dispersants remove soot and sludge and hold it in the oil to prevent
blockages. This dirt can then be removed from your engine at the next oil
change.
Anti-wear additives protect your engine by forming a chemical layer
between the moving parts. These additives are particularly important
when motoring with high loads or during engine start-up.
 Antioxidants help to delay the natural degradation of your motor oil,
hence protecting your engine more effectively for longer.
Friction modifiers reduce the drag between moving parts to increase fuel
economy.
Anti-rust additives are essential elements that prevent engine corrosion.
Q13: What are the features & benefits of Synthetic oil?

Synthetic oils have excellent viscosity control and outstanding stability over a
wider temperature range than mineral based oils.

Low overall viscosity means reduced friction in the fluid, resulting in

improved engine efficiency and fuel economy, and better flow at lower
ambient temperatures.
The viscosity of synthetic oils changes less with temperature compared
with a normal mineral oil. This means that the oil does not become too
thick when cold or too thin when hot, which reduces engines wear at
temperature extremes.
The good high-temperature properties of synthetic oils
mean that they are less prone to thinning at high
temperatures. This gives better protection at high
engine speeds (rpm) and when heavily loaded.