This is a complicated topic but I’ll try my best to summarize it as best as I could. The info here are from posts/papers/discussions that I read and are scattered across the internet but I'll be including a link to one discussions that gives you the detailed version of what I posted.

The best engine oil for your car depends on where you live, your car’s current mileage, your car’s service history, your engine’s current condition, your operating environment, mostly highway or city driving, and your desired fuel economy.

Bottom line - your car’s manufacturer recommended oil represents a compromise that may not always be in your best interest. More on this later.


Engine oil is a lubricant that (1) protects your engine from friction, (2) absorbs heat from the combustion chambers of your engine, (3) channels away the byproducts of combustion like silica, and (4) inhibits corrosion.

As oil heats up, it gets thinners and flows more readily. However, when the oil gets too thin, it does not stay on the surface of the metal long enough to act as a proper lubricant.

The goal of oil manufacturers is to prevent the oil from getting too thin when hot but thin enough to flow when very cold. Due to the dual nature of the problem, oil operating at cold and hot temperatures, designers came up with a dual grading system that accounts for both extremes.

Engine designers typically design the engine to operate ideally at 212F (100 degree Celsius of oil and water temperature) and the oil to have a weight of 10 at that temperature. The ideal engine oil weight of 10 is why you need to warm up your engine before driving to give the oil enough time to get hot. In some engines like most modern BMWs, the engines have a very high compression ratio that benefits from immediate SLOW driving upon startup.

When your car gets to 212F, the engine oil weight will be at exactly 10. Wear to your engine actually starts when the oil is too thick to lubricate the engine internals upon startup and gets diverted into the engine sump bypassing the engine when you step on the gas pedal.


Grades
The Society of Automotive Engineer (SAE) established viscosity gradings (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or 60) that are used to categorize oil. The numbers are marked on a typical quart of oil, e.g. 10W-30.

What does the 10W-30 number really mean?
The number before the W is the cold viscosity rating and the number after is the hot viscosity rating. A 10W-30 oil will behave like a 10 grade oil when cold and like a 30 grade oil when hot. In a cold climate, you want a very low number before the “W” and in a hot climate, you want a high number after the “W”.

In a country like Nigeria, you don’t really care about the number before the W because the weather does not get cold enough.

What is sludge?
Sludge is what happens in your engine when the oil additives and chemicals break down and turns the oil into gunk or tar-like substance (black custard). It can occur due to prolonged oil change intervals or due to high engine heat exposure. Sludge can/will cause your engine to seize from oil starvation.

Some engines are more prone to sludge no matter your oil change interval, e.g., Toyota and Audi engines. Here’s a Class Action Suit that has already been settle against Toyota and Lexus for sludge problems: http://www.oilgelsettlement.com/Documents/detailed_notice.pdf

In response to sludge problems, Audi/VW changed their service interval to 10,000 miles on the 1.8T engines.

Do I want greater fuel economy or greater engine lifespan?
If you only care about fuel economy, then you would want to buy the thinnest oil possible because there will be less restriction to oil flow in the engine, which is why manufacturers are now gravitating towards thinners oils like 5W-20 from 10W-30.

If you only care about greater engine lifespan, then you would want the thickest oil possible because it offers you more protection from severe operations and greater protection from heat. Thicker oil can readily absorb and retain heat from the engine but if you’re in a cold climate, this might be a problem because it might be too thick to flow through the engine when you first start the car.


Summary of the benefits of different types of oil grades

0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-40 (Fully synthetic)
1. Fuel economy
2. Performance and power
3. Protection from deposit build-up
4. Great in very cold climates

5W-30, 10W-40, 15W-40 (Semi-synthetic)
1. Better engine protection
2. Great engine protection within first 10 minutes of starting the engine
3. Three times (3X) better at reducing engine wear
4. Increased oil change intervals

10W-40, 15W-40
1. Need to change oil more often because the additives wear out and the composition of the oil changes which is not true for synthetic oils.

In Nigeria, I would say the best oil would be something around 10W-40. If you want to read more on the topic, here’s a link to a detailed discussion that will tell you everything about engine oil:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_oil

WeLl done. So educative and informative but most of d oil we have here is 20W 50 and dat is what I've been using. So is it god for my car camry 2003 becos dey wrote 5W 30 as d recommended oil on the oil cap

myke20: WeLl done. So educative and informative but most of d oil we have here is 20W 50 and dat is what I've been using. So is it god for my car camry 2003 becos dey wrote 5W 30 as d recommended oil on the oil cap

20W-50 should be very good for Nigerian environment.

Keep in mind that if your car is fairly new with very low miles, you should keep your oil weight around the manufacturer's recommendation because they also choose the oil based on the engine's characteristics. However, as your car gets older with a lot of miles, your engine's tolerances for the valves, pistons, and seals will change and you will generally benefit from oil thicker than the manufacturer's recommendation.

@ OP thanks. Which is d best 20W 50 oil to use cos now I use AP visco 2000 and someone advised me to use mobil

Very informative, Please I drive a honda accord 2003 v6. I was about changing my oil with mobil 1 0w 30. Should I stil go ahead , or get the recommended one?

Good job, Wallie!
Pls, I live in Lagos and I drive a 2007 mazda 6 with 60,000miles on it presently. I've bn using mobil xhp super 20w50 engine oil on it for about 5months now. Is it ok for a 60,000miles car or should I switch to mobil 1 synthetic oil? The car manual recommends 5w20 or 5w30.

thanks. Which is d best 20W 50 oil to use cos now I use AP visco 2000 and someone advised me to use mobil

use Mobil xhp. beware of fake cos i have seen them.
N.B buy from authorised distributor or Mobil filling station
the last one i bought was N2900.
i promise you will have no regret and will never see smoke from your exhaust any day if you change the oil often, at least once in 3 months depending on the usage

@ poster
You be witch?
My engine oil just went low yesterday and i bought one oil bit was not sure if it was the right decision,i was thinking of using goggle to find the correct oil to buy but you definitely nailed it

@ op thanks for †ђξ info, plz i use total quartz 20w50, 5000. Hw durable is †ђe quality as compared to mobile 1 which seems τ̅☺ be more popular? * Ȋ̝̊̅ use Л̴ camry 2000 v6*

Mobil oil SAE 20/50 is the best for vehicles anytime. Mobil make the best lubricants and its suitable for all enviroment.
But other engines such as motor cycle, diesel,or generator engines use different lubricant.

Synthetic oils are a complete waste of money. Abeg oil na oil. You can never go wrong with Total Quartz 5000 for any gasoline engine.

There's a new product called GULF oil and i use it for my corolla 07 nd its excellent. its 5W20 by the way

eminemkayc: There's a new product called GULF oil and i use it for my corolla 07 nd its excellent. its 5W20 by the way

believe me Gulf oil is not a new product i own engine oil distribution company.
abro oil az oil mobil oil ap

ASCON OIL IS STILL THE BEST IN NIGERIA.

moderator pls help us o.. All this oil barons and hawkers don turn this educative thread to market for their manufacturers o...abeg u guys contribute jare and stop selling oil here

tanx for this enlightening write-up, Pls what oil grade and brand is best for Honda accord 2004?

Thanks for the insight. Please i will to know the best oil grade for a 1996 Toyota Camry with over 320,000km cover

JUO: use Mobil xhp. beware of fake cos i have seen them.
N.B buy from authorised distributor or Mobil filling station
the last one i bought was N2900.
i promise you will have no regret and will never see smoke from your exhaust any day if you change the oil often, at least once in 3 months depending on the usage

I am surprised, some dealers sales Mobil xhp 2ow-50 at 2900 while Mobile Filling stations sales at 3150 per 4L.

You can get 5w20 and 5w30 oils now. The brand is MileMaster and they are Synthetic blends from America. A company in Yaba ( SOLUTIONS PLUS ) sells them. Their nos are 0803 555 9999, 0708 555 9999, and 0809 555 9999.

A full list of their sales outlets nationwide is available from their website www.solutionsplusltd.com/where-to-buy/

JUO: use Mobil xhp. beware of fake cos i have seen them.
N.B buy from authorised distributor or Mobil filling station
the last one i bought was N2900.
i promise you will have no regret and will never see smoke from your exhaust any day if you change the oil often, at least once in 3 months depending on the usage

Please, which one is better... Mobil XHP and Total quarts 5000 for my sienna and infiniti

lol.....oil na oil, every body just they call em OWN BRAND. if I like I go vex pure groundnut oil or palm oil inside my engine, after all it will still lubricate. lol, joking anyways. Now on a more serious note, I tried this lubstar oil with my GENERATOR ever since the sound of my generating set has been kool and it has not given me problems in a long time. I hope to try this oil on my Nissan xtrail s.u.v. it is also 20,50 just like the mobile I normally use. I just wana give it a try. ANY ADVICE?

Nice topic.

Just bought my Camry 2000 with millage of 213557....... What oil do you recommend pls as for today I was told megarich 20w50 turkey made is cool and cheaper..... But I am tempted to buy hardex 5w 30 7litre as it appear cheap also and fully synthetic..... Thanks

cfanfx:
Just bought my Camry 2000 with millage of 213557....... What oil do you recommend pls as for today I was told megarich 20w50 turkey made is cool and cheaper..... But I am tempted to buy hardex 5w 30 7litre as it appear cheap also and fully synthetic..... Thanks

Just open the hood and see what's written on the oil cover.
Better buy Toyota motor oil 5w30 or Mobil 1 5w30 for the good of your engine

what do you guys think about SHELL HELIX5 20W 50............... THANKS

Plz what brand of oil can I use to service my camry 2013 with 100k mileage