5 Things To Know About Semi-Synthetic Engine oils

Motor oil is the most important fluid of a motorcycle. Like blood in our body, it circulates through the engine cleaning slug, reducing friction and giving a healthy and smooth ride. But just knowing that motor oil is important for your bike is not enough, you should also know what type of oil suits your requirement and what grade of oil is best suited for your bike’s engine. 

Lets start with the broader classification, Motor oils are of three types, Natural or Mineral, Semi-Synthetic or Synthetic Blend and Synthetic oils. We had already discussed 5 Things To Know About Synthetic Oil and which oil will suit your motorcycle more

Semi-Synthetic oils are a blend of Mineral oils and Synthetic oils. The ratio of the mixture usually varies within 25:75 and 35:65 of Synthetic and Mineral oil respectively. Mineral oils are natural oils treated for engine use. Prolonged use of these oils without change causes sludge to settle in engines and they also become problematic in extreme temperature conditions. Synthetic oils, on the other hand, have special additives to enhance use in extreme temperature conditions like sub-zero temperatures or raging heat of the racing engines and they also clear out the sludge formed in the engine. These oils are very costly compared to the mineral oils and also, extreme conditions are not faced by a usual customer. As a result, Semi-Synthetic oil becomes a perfect choice for daily use. They are equipped with the synthetic additives to enhance the performance of the engine with the base of Mineral oil to keep the cost low.

5 things to know about Semi-Synthetic Engine oils

1. CONTENT

Semi Synthetic oils are a mixture of Synthetic and Mineral oils in the ratio between 25:75 to 35:65 depending on the grade and the manufacturer. By mixing the two in an optimum ratio, these oils have additives of the synthetic breed with a base of the long trusted Natural oil.

2. USE

Semi Synthetic oils are not made to operate in extreme temperature conditions but still tackle the hot-cold variations better than the natural oils making them perfect for everyday use in moderate climatic conditions. They provide a wider operating temperature range with added specially engineered molecules to reduce sludge formation and friction.

3. ECONOMY

Semi-Synthetic oils are less costly than fully Synthetic oils which help in the economy of bike maintenance. These oils contain only about 25 percent synthetic oils which help in reduced cost of the oil and with a wider oil change interval, these oils are ideal for an economy power blend.

4. CHANGE

Changing Semi Synthetic oils is also the same as changing any other oil in the engine. This oil can be easily used after draining Natural or Synthetic oil without using any other additives. Users can also top up existing Natural/Synthetic oil with a Semi-Synthetic variant without having to drain the original fill.

5. GRADES

Like the Synthetic and Natural, Semi-Synthetic oils also have grades and are not uniform for all bikes. 

Grade 10W40 represents:

a) ‘10’ stands for the viscosity grade when the engine is cold

b) ‘W’ simply stands for winter to denote the minimum temperature of the engine

c) ‘40’ is the viscosity grade of the oil at engine operating temperature

The lower the W number, the better the oil will perform under cold conditions.