Passenger car motor oil specifications are currently moving through what could prove to be one of the most challenging and telling times of change in the products lifecycle.
While you can be sure that simultaneous development of the upcoming API SP and ILSAC GF-6A and GF-6-B engine oil specifications will be costly and time consuming, the next generation of GMs Dexos1 is adding to the challenges.
But before we get to Dexos1, appreciating the depth of the challenges the industry faces starts with a look at the evolution of the API, ILSAC and Dexos1 specifications.
As the illustration below shows, the American Petroleum Institute established its Service Categories in 1970, beginning with SD; at the same time, it designated as obsolete categories SA through SC. From then on, the average interval between upgrades has been 5.7 years, and on two occasions only three years. The next change, from API SN to SP, is expected to leave an eight-year gap between upgrades.
Most of the upgrades focused on the addition of and improvements to detergents, dispersants, viscosity index improvers, corrosion inhibitors, oxidation inhibitors and other performance additives. In 1992, however, there was a marked shift in focus when the auto industrys International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee introduced the GF-1 specification. This specification focused on fuel economy, volatility, phosphorus content and other factors.
Since the introduction of GF-1, there have been four upgrades to the ILSAC specification, bringing us to the current GF-5. Introduction of each upgrade was aligned with that of the next API Service Category. This meant additive companies could simultaneously work on formulating motor oils to meet both the ILSAC and API specifications, allowing them to manage costs and allocate resources. Blenders and marketers also benefited from managing one specification change rather than two.
This is not to say that developing motor oils to meet ILSAC and API specifications is an easy process; its anything but. It requires an enormous amount of money, years of research and testing and a high degree of collaboration between ILSAC, API, the American Chemistry Council, SAE International, ASTM International and others. The best example of this is seen in the Herculean task the industry now faces to move from ILSAC GF-5 to GF-6A and GF-6B.
This move will require two entirely new and five revamped engine tests. Whereas this alone is a very tall order, ILSAC GF-6 will also require formulators to strike an exceedingly difficult and sensitive balance between engine durability and fuel economy, and fuel economy retention. In addition, the new specifications will require formulators to address low-speed engine pre-ignition, wear protection for timing chains and valve train components, more demanding high-temperature high-shear limits, and other performance requirements.
Having the ILSAC and API specifications on the same timeline takes a significant level of stress off the product development process. The same cannot, however, be said for changes to the Dexos1 specification.
Rather than continuing to recommend ILSAC/API motor oils, as it had done for decades, General Motors broke away from the collaborative system in 2010 to create its own – Dexos1.
Dexos1 is not an oil brand, but a GM motor oil specification. It is a warranty requirement for all GM vehicles starting with model year 2011, and lubricant manufacturers and marketers meeting the specification must pay GM a licensing fee to display its trademarked Dexos1 Approved logo on their products. Because of this, when first introduced, many felt it was little more than a way for GM to increase revenue through a motor oil licensing program. In fact, a number of major oil companies initially refused to license their products under the Dexos program.
Now that the dust has settled, 116 companies representing a total of 474 motor oils worldwide have Dexos1 licenses. And considering that GM currently commands a new-car market share of just over 17 percent and roughly 25 percent of the U.S. car parc, you can be sure Dexos1 is real and here to stay.
Although the first Dexos1 specification, now known as Dexos1:2010, came out fairly close in time to ILSAC GF-5/API SN, the same cannot be said for Dexos1:2015. The performance requirements for Dexos1:2015 are already written, additive packages exist, and the updated products will be required for all GM vehicles beginning with model year 2017. This is nearly two years before the anticipated launch of the next ILSAC/API categories. As such, it has the potential to significantly impact the cost and complexity of additive development – and the number of Dexos1:2015 approved motor oils in the market. So watch the gap.
Tom Glenn is president of the consulting firm Petroleum Trends International, the Petroleum Quality Institute of America, and Jobbers World newsletter. Phone: (732) 494-0405. E-mail: tom_glenn@petroleumtrends.com