Here are some recent insights on motor oils and test procedures from Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained.

Younger car owners may be surprised to hear this, but we used to absolutely obsess about motor oil. Viscosities, types, brands, and ratings were once the subject of endless debates among enthusiasts—it was one of the leading areas of discussion, in fact, on barstools and barber chairs across the land. Those days are for the most part behind us, because both engines and lubricants are now much better than they used to be. And as a result, engines live far longer than they used to, and engine failures, especially due to poor lubrication, are far less commonplace.

One of the major breakthroughs came a few decades ago with the development of synthetic motor oils, and Mobil 1 has been an industry leader in both the technology and marketing of synthetics. In this video, produced by Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained and sponsored by Mobil 1, we learn some of the current issues in engine lubricants and the testing methodologies used to manage them. There’s a lot of good info packed into this 12 minutes, so let’s dig straight in.