By the time January 2016 rolls around, we should be seeing oils from the first new oil category in 10 years hitting the market. The work being accomplished today in this category, currently called PC-11 (proposed category 11), will reap benefits for fleets for years to come. Just how much, though, will vary, it seems, based on manufacturer and what claims you believe.
During presentations at the Shell Technical Centre in Hamburg, Germany, back in August, Dan Arcy, global OEM technical manager;Keith Selby, global technology manager, heavy duty oils; and Chris Guerrero, global marketing manager for Shell, talked about low-viscosity oils, the advances being made towards PC-11, and most important, fuel economy claims.
One interesting tidbit that came out of the presentations was what test will not be used on the PC-11 oils. While the push for a new oil category is being driven by the quest of OEMs for any edge possible to meet greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy regulations, the oils themselves will not be tested for fuel economy benefits. There will be 11 different tests in all on the oils, but not one of those tests will be to benchmark fuel economy gains by using the oil, Arcy said.
More fleets are switching to lower viscosity 10W-30 oils, he added, as they are seeing improved fuel economy and less wear on components with the oil, and Shell itself is studying “ultra-low viscosity” oils, Selby said. Lower viscosity reduces engine friction and therefore improves fuel economy, and more fleets are starting to see those benefits, Arcy said.
As Arcy pointed out, there are a number of variables that influence oil’s impact on fuel economy, including engine model. So the idea that a single fuel economy test could—and should—be conducted on PC-11 might be unrealistic. On the flip side, without a benchmarking test to compare oil brands, claims of fuel economy improvements could vary widely and prove quite untrue.
“When you are presented with data from oil companies, you really have to ask where that data came from because it can really vary based on operation,” Selby said. The percentage of fuel economy gain can vary based on engine type, engine oil and engine operation (torque and speed), Selby noted in his presentation.
Guerrero referenced this point when speaking about how keeping claims realistic is important for building trust among customers. “[Customers] appreciate the realistic numbers,” he said. “They sometimes are numb to the [inflated] numbers that are being thrown out. As one guy said years ago, ‘If I used everything people tell me saves fuel, I’d be selling diesel back.’ ”
Still, claims made by lubricant companies serve as a good reference point as to the savings possible but should not be taken as gospel. To prove that point, Arcy talked about three tests run by Shell on its Rotella T5 10W-30 FE oil. Those tests resulted in mpg benefits of 1.6%, 3.3% and 1.57%. The variations are explained, in part, by the operating conditions, Arcy said. And that is why claims can vary—because results will vary.
Oil manufacturers can make a claim about fuel economy improvement, but the real results are under your own hood. “You can run it in the labs and you can run API tests, but you have to get out in the real world [for actual results],” Arcy said.
Sound advice to remember for any fleet looking for a fuel economy edge.
