Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/642741
"We anticipate that some fl eets will want to be the earliest adopters of the highest- performing newer engines, along with high- performance FA-4 oils. These fl eets will probably share a commitment to meeting aggressive sustainability-related goals." Whitacre says that from a fl eet perspec- tive, the split category designation primarily refl ects 30-weight oils, since 40-grade oils have viscosity that is much higher than the FA-4 category will allow. However, he cautions that there is the possibility of confusion with 30-weight oils within the PC-11 framework. Both 10w-30 and 5w-30 PC-11 formula- tions could be marketed as CK-4 or FA-4 depending on their high-temperature high-shear (HTHS) viscosity, Whitacre says. "Some will be backwards-compatible and will meet the CK-4 requirements," he says. "But there will also be a new subcat- egory called FA-4 that will encompass oils that are thinner." For those reasons, Whitacre stresses that work is ongoing at API to fi gure out exactly how the industry will communicate all of this information to fl eets, technicians and drivers. "The key here is that people have histor- ically focused on the SAE viscosity grade when selecting heavy-duty engine oil," he says. "Now the emphasis will be on both the SAE grade and the API category. Those criteria will be more important than ever before, especially for both low- viscosity or conventional formulations." 18 www.FlatbedTruckingJobs.com March 2016 PRODUCT PROFILE PUZZLE Answers on page 22.