Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
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generation of heavy-duty engine oils looks like," says Josh Frederick, manager of Valvoline C&I Engineering and Technical Service. A New Category Development Team criteria and formulation limits of the new category, Product Category 11. "This team took a request from the engine manufacturers and truck manufacturers and reviewed it," says Arcy, who chairs both the PC11 NCDT and New Category Evaluation Team, the two entities guiding the new oil's development. Arcy says engine and truck makers have outlined their basic requirements to determine if the new formulation stability, aeration, shear stability and biodiesel compatibility. Frederick thinks durability is the tradeoff that concerns people the most. Users with off-road interests in particular are concerned about durability to the point that it could divide the category. "Component design is important to ensure the lower-viscosity lubricant is not sacrificing wear protection and reducing the durability of the component," says Mark Nyholm, Amsoil heavy- duty technical product manager. One avenue toward improved fuel economy, he adds, has been the integration of synthetic lubricants in the engine, transmission and differentials, where tests have shown that synthetics beat conventional oils. The reason lower-viscosity oils will improve fuel economy is simply that parts move more easily with a thin lube, so less fuel is burned, Chevron Global Lubricants' Delo Brand Manger Jim Gambill says. It's not a new approach. "We've already launched lower-viscosity oils for heavy-duty diesel engines today, and they do quite well," he says. "With the addition of [selective catalytic reduction] and movement recirculation], it's actually allowed them to change designs to be more says. "Now OEMs can change the timing on the engines and other things to make it more practical in its operation." "Rarely is a new oil developed that in performance," says Larry Beaver, vice president of technology for RSC BioSolutions, a bio-based lubricant manufacturer. "Additionally, you rarely see an environmental mandate that does not result in major negative changes to engine or drivetrain performance." Since the new needed to detergent, dispersant and As to whether PC11 oil will be compatible with earlier engines, Arcy says it's too early to say. "Some engine manufacturers don't think this will be he says. Gambill notes that over the past 30 to 40 years, the industry partnership that creates new oil categories has worked well, sharing the tens of millions of dollars in research and development to establish new oil categories. Even those oil companies have huge investments to recoup. Gambill says truck buyers trust lubricant marketers to think before instituting price increases, taking into account that the cost of trucks, parts and diesel fuel all are going up. "We've got to be responsible," he says. "We spend a lot of time as an industry on that and trying to do the right thing." Finally, a Tough Super Glue Gorilla Products Promise: • Incredible Strength • Maximum Performance • The Toughest on Planet Earth® Welcome to Tough... www.GorillaTough.com • 1-800-966-3458 for Video Scan October 2012 | Overdrive | 49 © 2012 Gorilla Glue Company Text INFO to 50298 or visit ovdinfo.com