Choosing the correct engine oil for your vehicle is crucial when you live in a hot climate. Anyone who knows much about vehicles knows that engine oil is the lifeblood of the engine. Lubrication protects internal engine parts and reduces the friction that wears an engine out. Oil that is too heavy to reach every nook and cranny of the engine, or engine oil so light it is useless, too often give a false sense of security. The owner is then surprised when the engine needs serious repair or replacement, thinking he had done everything he could to care for it.
Consider the ambient/surrounding temperature where you drive. Find this out by checking local weather forecasts and climate history. Make sure first that your area really is classified as a hot weather climate. Use a “hot weather oil” if your local area temperature is found to be truly hot temperate zone.
Analyze your driving. Categorize your trips as short, moderate or long/highway mileage. Think about the terrain within your usual driving range. Is it smooth, flat, straight and paved the whole way, or is part of it rough, dirty and dusty and goes up and down steep hills?
Check your total mileage on your vehicle and the vehicle’s age. Older vehicles will have a different lubrication requirement than the new vehicles. New vehicle engines are built much tighter, meaning very little clearance between internal moving parts. Select a thinner oil for these newer engines.
Consider the speeds at which you normally drive. Think about the fact that high engine speeds heat the oil much hotter and quicker. Extended drives at high rates of speed have a direct bearing on your oil choice.
Take all the factors of Steps 1 through 4 into consideration. Narrow down your choices to the multi-viscosity oils which are the industry recommended oils for such high temperature climates. Select a reputable 10W30 or 10W40 weight oil for your older vehicle in a hot climate. Choose a lighter multi-viscosity oil like 5W20 or 5W30 for newer vehicles.
Check your owner’s manual first and foremost. Buy and use only the recommended range of oil weights the manual recommends. Do not get inventive or experimental and stray from what the maker of the vehicle states is the required oil for that particular engine.
