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| Just about everybody wants to make their car do something better than what it does. Maybe its to be faster, look better, sound better or if you own a 4x4, go over bigger bumps. I've worked in the car audio industry for many years and you would be amazed by how many people spend money on enhancements and upgrades but still have leaky engines, bald tyres and cracked windscreens and thats just for starters. The first step into making a car peform better is basic maintenance. Its very simple when you think about it. If you've lost 10 or 20% of your power because of an engine that hasn't had a tune up or oil change since Michael Jackson had credibility then it doesn't make sense to spend hundreds of dollars on a performance accessories in order to get back up to where you started. A vehicle that has an oil and filter change every 10,000km as well as a tune-up, filters and plugs changed (as required), coolant checked and drained as needed, belts inspected etc will blow the doors off an identical vehicle that hasn't had any of the above. It will go faster, be more drivable, far more reliable and use less fuel in the process. When it comes to resale time it might just pay off. Engine Oils It doesn't get more basic than this. Crap oil , crap engine. If there is one thing you can do to seriously shorten the performance and life of your engine then its not to change the oil; its the equivalent of human blood to your vehicle. Oil must be changed regularly which will generally depend on how and where you drive. A good rule of thumb is every 10,000km which is generally what manufacturers recommend. If you drive your car hard all the time, do heavy towing or off-road work or simply drive in dusty conditions then at least change the oil (and filters) every 5000km. Not that many years ago 5000km services were often included in the factory mainenance schedules for most cars. It didn't have much to do with how the car was running but engine oils weren't that good and really did have to be changed far more frequently. Doing all the other work made a lot of money for the dealerships and even now there are 5000 kay services indicated in your handbook. Don't worry missing them; it will not void your warranty under normal usage conditions.! Of course checks should be made every month at least; oil, coolant etc as well as tyre pressures but aside from that you'll be fine. Oils have come a long way particularly in the last 10-15 years as engines are being built with tighter tolerences than ever before as the average consumer becomes more and more demanding in his or her expectations of what a car should do. To keep pace with these leaps and bounds in engine development, exotic materials, advanced manufacturing techniques and the closest of tolerances have been incorporated into every new car produced today whether it be a family sedan, sports car or 4x4. These tolerances and materials need equally advanced fluids and lubricants to keep them performing as the manufacturer (and ultimately you) intended. Going cheap is better than nothing at all but if you're here looking at this site I'm thinking you are a little keener than that. The oil that is recommended by the dealer is one I've used in a range of cars over the years; Castrol Magnatec 10W-40. Oil must be matched to your car according to climate (ie temperate range) but for most areas here in Australia this is the stuff to use. You'll need a 5 litre pack as the Sportage has a 4.2 litre total oil capacity including filter. That leaves a little left over for any top ups along the way although 1 litre top up packs are also available. I think I pay around $25 AUD for a 5 litre. Oh and a tip. I buy my own oil and take it along to the scheduled service; its the same as the dealer uses but they charge over $15 more for exactly the same stuff. There are cheaper oils and dearer oils. Stay away from the ultra-cheap no-name generic or supermarket brands; they're cheap and not much better than the dirty stuff you're just about to drain out. They don't stand up to high temperatures or have the necessary detergents to deal with the contaminants that will find its way into your oil. In fact some oils are recycled would you believe and I wouldn't even kill the weeds in the yard with the stuff. Castrol are happy to recommend Castrol GTX3 should you be a little more budget conscious which is a quality 15W-40 mineral based oil though doesn't match the amazing start up protection properties of the Magnatec. Start up and the first couple of minutes of engine operation is when the most wear occurs and modern multi-valve engines demand relatively viscous oils that circulate quickly from start up. Fully synthetic oils are great but very expensive and personally I think a bit of an overkill for most engines. Sure it won't hurt them but unless you drive a car with a very highly stressed performance motor its an expensive exercise for the marginal increase in power you may achieve by using this stuff. The Sportage engine certainly incorporates current technology (ie multi-valve, multi-cam) and achieves a respectable power output compared to other 2.0 mills but would hardly call it a stressed engine. Stick a turbo on and run 13 pounds of boost then maybe so but for the rest of us save your hard earned cash. If you do want to use expensive high performance oil then Mobil 1 and Castrol's new fully synthetics are hard to beat. Mobil 1 has been around since the mid-80's and has earned a lot of street cred during its evolution. Castrol has recently introduced the 'Formula R' range which is my pick. There a four oils in the range with the 0W-40 or 5W-30 being the most suitable for the Sportage mill. Be prepared though; an $85 price tag will probably induce heart failure so you might have to break the news gently to the Mrs. when you explain what you spent the money on. |
| Oils & Oil Filters |
| Castrol is only one of many brands of top quality engine oil suitable for use in the Sportage. Brands such as Mobil, BP and others have excellent websites that incorporate a recommendation chart to help you select which lubricant they produce is best suited to your vehicle. BP recommend either Visco 3000 or Visco 5000; Mobil recommends its fully synthetic (and expensive) Mobil 1 and Synth S range and Castol recommends GTX Magnatec or GTX3. If you want to spend up big on synthetic oil, check out Castrol R. Its all good stuff; you choose 'cuz its you money. They're all quality brands. |
| Oil Filter Expensive engine oil isn't much good without proper filtration. While a good oil maintains its inherent protection properties at all working temperatures and conditions its still a medium for carrying particles such as minute metal particles and contaminants. The filter seperates these from the oil recirculating clean lubricant throughout the motor. Generally filters need to be replaced every second oil change depending on the vehicle and usage though if you're going to the trouble for a few extra pesos then throw on a new filter every oil change (10000km); it can't hurt. I change oil and filter every 5000km; $25 for Magnatec oil' $15 for a Valvoline filter and 20 minutes of my time keeps 20 KIA running smoothly. Filter quality varies with some of the cheaper no-name ones prone to their internal paper filters collapsing leaving the engine full of contaminated oil not to mention bits of oil filter blocking the oil pump which is terminal. Here in Australia there are fairly well know mass produced brands such as Ryco which seem to be fine by all accounts and used by many manufacturers as OEM equipment. Theres always somebody who makes something better for the performance orientated driver who wants the best. K&N Filters have a good rap in the filter business though better known for air filters. |
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| Ryco Oil Filter part number for the Sportage is Z429 (1996-current) Valvoline Oil Filter P/N # V040 (@ $16.00 from Super Cheap Auto) K&N Oil Filter P/N # HP-1006. |
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