Compatible for virtually all models of diesel engines and a more direct replacement for prior generation CJ-4 oils, CK-4’s proliferation into the market has been fairly widespread. However, developed specifically for 2017 model year and newer engines, FA-4 has been slower to filter into the market.
Chevron North America Commercial Sector Manager James Booth calls the slow migration toward FA-4 “a little disappointing” but Shell Lubricants OEM Technical Services Manager Stede Granger notes oil manufacturers expected it would take time for trucks that require FA-4 oils to make their way into fleets. He adds that the product has taken longer to build a customer base is no surprise given that potentially not every truck in a fleet could use it.
“It has been a slow progression and some fleets will not use FA-4 oils until a majority of their fleet requires the oil,” he says, adding that testing of Shell Rotella FA-4 oils has increased. “With trucks in a fleet for about five years, many of the older trucks are still being phased out and we expect the use of FA-4 oils to increase.”
Freightliner and Western Star trucks in North America are factory-filled with FA-4 oils, and Detroit engines going back to 2010 EPA-complaint engines have been approved to use it. Paccar, Volvo and Mack have yet to sign off on FA-4, but the latter two are developing a new VDS-5 specification, which Granger said will likely incorporate the FA-4 specification and make the oils applicable to their trucks.
“This will help the industry continue to move towards and adopt FA-4 oils as newer engines and specifications become a larger proportion of the market,” says Darryl Purificati, OEM technical liaison for Petro-Canada Lubricants.
Cummins, in its X15, and Navistar, for its A26 engine, have also approved the use of FA-4 oils.
“I think it all depends on hardware, field test experience, engine designs and internal testing,” ExxonMobil Commercial Vehicle Lubricants Applications Engineer Paul Cigala says of growth in the use of FA-4 formulas.
The slow migration to FA-4, lubricants which are blended to thinner viscosity grades to boost fuel economy and lower emissions compared to CK-4 oils, is not unlike that of CJ-4 10W-30 oils earlier this millennium in that its adoption will take time “as units are replaced with assets that have more fuel efficient powertrains,” Purificati says.
“The transition to FA-4 engine oils is a step change for the heavy-duty industry,” he adds, “and it follows the widespread adoption of CK-4 engine oils, which was arguably the largest industry change in 10 years.”
Navistar was the first to start to factory fill with 10W-30 in 1998, with Volvo following a decade later, but Booth says most OEMs didn’t start until 2013.
“It was then two years later where we saw most large fleets adopt 10W-30,” he says. “By comparison FA-4 is seeing higher adoption. Today, Detroit is the only OEM factory filling with API-FA-4, but because of their large market share, that represents 35 percent. We anticipate FA-4 will represent 54 percent of the factory fill market in 2020 as other OEMs endorse FA-4.”
“This time, unlike the transition to 10W-30 oils, wear protection is not a concern to the customer,” Cigala adds, noting another contributing factor to slow adoption is that FA-4 oils are not approved for use in reefers or APUs. “Once the reefer and APU piece is taken care of, fleets will slowly adopt FA-4 oils. The big thing is fleets don’t want to stock two engine oils in their shops for the chance of misapplication by techs and drivers, and the inability to purchase FA-4 oils on the road.”
While the number of heavy-duty trucks with engines approved for API FA-4 is relatively high, Booth agreed fleets have been reluctant to stock an oil not approved for all their units.
“What we have seen in practical terms is that if a fleet of 100 has just one engine not approved for API FA-4, they will not adopt FA-4,” he says.
In somewhat of a twist of fate, Booth says many of the fleets currently adopting FA-4 oils were early adopters of 10W-30.
“They typically are fleets accumulating high mileage per unit (and therefore have high fuel costs),” he says, “and their fleet truck age is two to four years.