Every component of your Porsche is engineered to work with every other, to deliver optimum performance. The engine oil is no exception. A true high-performance oil does far more than simply lubricate your engine. It plays a crucial role in enhancing performance, reliability, and longevity. That’s why it’s essential to select an engine oil specifically formulated for your Porsche and to change it regularly according to the service schedule. Only then can you be confident that it maintains the properties that enable your Porsche to perform at its best.
The liquid engine component
What does engine oil do?
Task 1: Lubricates
Task 2: Cleans
Task 3: Neutralizes
Task 4: Cools
Types of engine oil
The differences explained
There are basically three different classes of engine oil, each with different properties. Mineral oils are the most widely-used base oils. They can be manufactured relatively easily and cheaply by distilling and refining crude oil. Semi-synthetic engine oils are considerably higher quality, particularly with their aging resistance and thermal properties. Their production is a complex process.
Synthetic oils are manufactured by chemical synthesis and can be given very specific quality-enhancing properties. Their optimum performance makes these oils particularly suitable for high-performance engines such as the engine in your Porsche.
Single or multi-grade?
Multi-grade oils are the engine oils commonly used today. They are based on low-viscosity base oils and mixed with special additives (e.g. polymers such as polyester and polyisobutylene), so that their viscosity is only slightly reduced at higher temperatures.
With temperature having little effect on their viscosity, multi-grade oils are better suited than single-grade oils to covering a wider temperature range. They can maintain an optimal supply of oil to the engine in both hot and cold conditions. This results in greater lubrication when starting the engine from cold, reduced strain on the starter motor at low temperatures, and adequate lubrication at higher ambient and engine temperatures.
SAE classes and their meaning
The numbers above the oil application range define its SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) class. For multi-grade oils, this covers two grades e.g. 0W-40. These specify the operating temperature range for which the oil is best suited. The number before the "W" (Winter) indicates how viscous the oil is at low temperatures: the lower the number, the better the oil's fluidity. “0W” therefore denotes extremely low-viscosity oil, for use at low temperatures.
The second part of the viscosity grade (the number after the "W") indicates how viscous the oil is at high temperatures: the higher the number, the thicker the oil film. 10 would therefore represent very low-viscosity oil which is specifically designed for cold regions. In extremely hot areas, even an oil classed as “60” can be used, as it is highly viscous in its normal state. In the 0W-40 example, “40” signifies average viscosity, which guarantees optimum performance even at high temperatures.
Porsche Classic Motoroil
The elixir of life for your classic car.
Porsche Classic provides the optimum protection for your classic car, whether it features an air-cooled four- or six-cylinder flat engine, a water-cooled four- or eight-cylinder engine, or a water-cooled six-cylinder engine. Our engine oils are specifically formulated for Porsche Classic cars, engineered in Weissach, and proudly made in Germany.
Mobil 1 - The engine oil for your Porsche.
Throughout our motorsport history, we have rigorously tested numerous engine oils on the racetrack. This is how we've identified Mobil 1 to be the ideal oil for Porsche engines, whether on the track or on the road. As our global oil partner, Mobil 1 supplies the oil for both our racing engines and road-going models. All Porsche vehicles are now filled with Mobil 1 high-performance engine oil from the factory. Our partnership guarantees you maximum performance and a high-octane driving experience.