by Garrett McKinnon
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Summer 2011 Issue

We've all heard the old saying that cleanliness is next to godliness—which probably makes my closet a little bit unholy. But there is a point to that saying. After all, how many of us really like to live in filth.

One place where grunge should certainly not call home is inside your engine. Even tiny particles of dirt, dust, sludge, etc. can do significant long-term damage if allowed to circulate in an engine for too long. That's why motor oil is formulated to "grab" those particles and keep them in suspension until they're trapped by the oil filter.

The simple truth is, however, that not all motor oils are created equal when it comes to their ability to clean the inside of your engine. At high temperatures, under high loads or long service, some conventional motor oils can break down and actually contribute to the sludgy mess they're trying to prevent.

High quality synthetic motor oils are designed to take the abuse. Some specially formulated synthetics not only lubricate moving engine parts to reduce friction and power loss, they also help keep engines clean by seeking out and dissolving contaminants into the oil before they can form deposits in the engine. These formulations help keep engines as close to factory clean as possible, and far exceed the most stringent car manufacturer standards for cleanliness and protection. They go way beyond just lubricating an engine! But, not all synthetics are created equal and in some cases synthetic doesn't always equal better. Be sure to choose quality synthetic motor oils.

You don't have to take our word for it, either. Some racecar teams use the exact same synthetic motor oil in their racing engines that you can purchase at automotive service facilities for use in your car.

One such team is Penske Racing, which uses Pennzoil Ultra Euro formulation in its Honda Indy V8 engines as they run in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series (including this month's Indianapolis 500 race). These high-revving 3.5L V8 engines (about the same size as the engine in a Camry or Sentra, but with eight cylinders instead of six) can generate about 650 horsepower and turn faster than 10,000 rpm, or nearly twice as fast as a typical passenger car engine. That level of performance demands a hard-working motor oil to keep the engine clean.

"The engines we build are designed to deliver extremely high power outputs and reach very high engine speeds in each race, and our dyno testing has demonstrated that Pennzoil Ultra provides the top-tier lubrication performance that our engines require," said Roger Griffiths, technical director of Honda Performance Development.

While your car's engine may not work as hard as an IndyCar racer's engine, chances are it still works pretty hard, especially when you're hauling the soccer team to a match on a 90° day or towing a boat to the lake. To make sure your car's engine is staying as factory-clean as possible, ask your service technician about synthetic motor oil and why it could be right for you.