Ford developed its spec in tandem with an innovative three-cylinder engine that is designed to reduce fuel consumption and that will be installed on most of its European cars. Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler raised its bar for fuel economy and other parameters such as tolerance of biofuels and performance at extreme temperatures. The German company incorporated – or plans to – an unusually high number of new tests that oil formulators will have to pass in order to gain Mercedes-Benz approvals.

One official said such steps are necessary at times when governments and consumers are expecting more from vehicles.

I think we have never before had so many new tests, Daimler Automotive Lubricants Manager Michael Schenk said while unveiling that companys specifications at the Uniti Mineral Oil Technology Conference in Stuttgart in March. But we are facing a number of challenges both now and in the future, and we need to address them.

Improving Engine Efficiency

The focus on fuel economy stems largely from efforts to halt global warming. Governments around the world are cracking down on carbon dioxide emissions, and the European Union has set the most aggressive mandates. Automakers will face steep fines if they fail to comply with CO2 caps that vary based on vehicle weight. As if that werent enough incentive, Ford said that increases in gasoline and diesel costs have also made fuel economy a significant criterion in consumer purchasing decisions.

Ford tackled the fuel economy challenge by developing the three-cylinder, 1.0-liter EcoBoost, which will be installed on several models in Europe. At Februarys ICIS World Base Oils & Lubricants Conference in London, Ford Powertrain Engineer Robert Haigh explained that the engine weighs just 97 kilograms and easily meets future EU CO2 limits.

To compensate for the smaller size, the U.S.-based company added a turbocharger to provide extra power when needed, and the engine reaches a maximum of 92 kilowatts and 170 newton-meters of torque. It also has split-circuit cooling to cope with higher temperatures, a variable vane oil pump and variable camshaft timing combined with an integrated exhaust manifold.

Reducing engine size may reduce fuel consumption, but it also can increase the severity of some conditions encountered by the crankcase lubricant – especially when developers try to maintain power output. Less area for oil to circulate usually means higher operating temperatures, and a smaller engine may have a higher power density, increasing potential for component wear.

Downsized engines typically operate at higher speeds and loads, Haigh told LubesnGreases. This drives the use of different types of additives in the engine oil compared to conventional technology.

The three-cylinder EcoBoost is different enough from other Ford engines that the company, for the first time, developed an oil in tandem with an engine. Ford set several goals for the oil. First, it wanted the oil itself to improve fuel economy by 0.9 percent compared to existing factory fill 5W-20 oils. The new oil also needed to be backward compatible with existing powertrains, including 1.6- and 2-liter EcoBoosts, and it was not permitted to compromise on engine protection.

Engineers decided early on that they needed a new fuel economy test, so they set out to devise a simulation of the New European Drive Cycle, a combination of driving conditions that the EU uses to measure fuel economy. The company researched a variety of existing fuel economy tests run on friction rigs, steady-state dynamometers, transient dyna-mometers and chassis rolls before adopting one that uses a transient. According to Haigh, the adopted test has the flexibility to be used with any of Fords EcoBoost engines, has a manageable cost and has good correlation with the NEDC.

Fords new oil specification, WSS M2C 948B, was activated in December. Other than the fuel economy test, it is largely based on ACEA C2, an oil sequence developed by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The Ford spec does require a multigrade 5W-20 oil compared to the 15W-40 mentioned in C2. Haigh said Ford also had to add new requirements for piston deposits because of the small size of the 1-liter engine.

Wide-ranging Improvements

Daimlers Schenk said fuel economy was also the most important priority in V2012.1, Daimlers update of a collection of specifications for standard, medium and top quality oils with standard and low ash levels for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks made by Mercedes-Benz. Daimler introduced four new chassis dynamometer tests for passenger cars, each with a different engine that corresponds to different Mercedes-Benz vehicles and all adhering to the NEDC. For heavy-duty engine oils, the company modified a test run on its existing OM 501 LA engine so that it now completes the World Harmonized Transient Cycle, a driving conditions simulation developed by the United Nations.

Daimler also had a number of other goals for its upgrade, starting with engine oil tolerance for biofuels. Unlike conventional petroleum fuels, the industry has found that fuels made from plant oils tend to accumulate in engine sumps, thus diluting engine oils. Automakers are concerned that lubricant performance could be compromised in a variety of ways, especially in light of calls to increase the use of biofuels.

V2012.1 includes a new bench test developed by Daimler to measure an oils ability to fight oxidation and maintain viscosity when diluted by biofuel. The company is still waiting for completion of two more tests of biofuel dilution that it wants to incorporate into its specs. The Coordinating European Council for the Development of Performance Tests for Fuels, Lubricants and Other Fluids (CEC) is developing a single new test of the effects that biodiesel has on four oil performance parameters: piston cleanliness; ring sticking; formation of oil sludge; and oil degradation. Schenk warned that it may not be finished for some time.

The biodiesel effects test is one of the most important tests for the whole industry, he said. Unfortunately, it is not ready. It is difficult to predict when it will be ready. I think the test development group needs more time and more money.

The second unfinished test is a CEC bench test for low-temperature pumpability of aged oils. European automakers made it a priority after a rash of engine failures during an extreme cold spate in the winter of 2008-2009. The failures were attributed to engine oils that turned to gel. This test is currently dubbed CEC TDG-L 105, and is closer to completion, Schenk said.

Daimlers update also includes:

a modified test for corrosion inhibition at high temperatures when diluted by biofuel;

a new bench test for protection of aluminum-silicon cylinder liners;

and stricter requirements for cam wear, creation of engine sludge and piston cleanliness.

Some lubricant marketers at the Uniti conference complained that the high number of new tests was an onerous burden for them. Schenk acknowledged that the new tests will increase qualification costs but maintained that Daimler had reduced the impact by developing some as lab and bench tests, rather than relying on costlier engine sequence tests.

Impact on Industry

Both Ford and Daimler said they are complying with competition laws concerning genuine engine oils. Automakers in Europe must permit lubricant companies the chance to offer competing products for their engines and not make warranties conditional upon the use of the automakers own brand of lubricant.

Fords cooperation with BP Castrol gave the lubricant company entry at an early stage of development and undoubtedly places Castrol in a strong position. Nevertheless, Ford insists it has moved quickly to be open about the new specification. Haigh said the company made the spec available on the Internet immediately after its December activation.

We have been in discussion with various oil blenders and additive suppliers and have taken them through the requirements of the specification, he added.

Daimler has also published V2012.1 on the Internet, and is ac-cepting applications for approvals.

However, Schenk acknowledged that the upgrades impact will be blunted by Daimlers schedule for phasing it in. Oil marketers will still be able to qualify oils to the previous specification for one year. Those obtaining such approval will have permission to label their products as meeting Mercedes-Benz requirements for five years after approval.

Obviously all of the auto industry shares Ford and Daimlers interest in fuel economy, but Haigh said the U.S. company does not plan to share its new fuel economy test with other original equipment manufacturers. That test is closely aligned with the technical needs of the 1-liter Eco-Boost, he said, and therefore unlikely to be of interest to other companies.

Haigh noted that Fords engine oil specifications for Europe differ from those that it uses in across the Atlantic. Fords lubricant specifications in Europe have always been different than those used in North America, he said. European specifications are based on ACEA standards and designed for use with diesel engines and longer drain intervals than those typically seen in North America.

Similarly, he added, in the future the companys European specs will probably depart increasingly from ACEAs industry standards. It is likely that Fords European oil specifications will continue to change and become more bespoke.

Schenk said specification writers – and the lubricants industry – will have more work to do in the future. Daimler has already begun work on the next Mercedes-Benz upgrade. One of the priorities for that update will be to require that oils be thinner in order to further improve fuel economy.

Its clear, with the next specification we will have to go to lower viscosity, he said.