A new heavy-duty diesel engine oil standard is scheduled to be unleashed on the trucking industry at the end of next year.
For as long as there have been automobiles there have been lubricants for them, but the game is starting to change like never before.
CJ-4, today’s heavy-duty diesel engine oil standard first made available in October 2006, will soon be supplanted by Proposed Category 11 (PC-11).
Engine oils are often slightly refor- mulated to give users a boost in fuel economy, improve engine life or to give the oil an uptick in drain intervals, but rarely does something like PC-11 come along that will turn an entire engine category on its head.
Len Badal, Chevron Lubricants Delo Global Brand Manager, says PC-11 has been developed to help OEMs improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions; to provide improved engine protection with the use of lower viscosity HDMOs; to maintain protection of emission systems with Diesel Particulate Filters and Selective Catalytic Reduction; and to improve performance under high temperature engine operation.
And because all that isn’t complicated enough, there will be different categories for PC-11 oils. As many factory fills and fleets have slowly shifted toward lower-viscosity engine oils, PC- 11 will split categories to accommodate traditional 15W-40 engine oils as well as lower-viscosity grades.
That means not only will you have a new product to sell, you will also have to understand which of your customers need which category.
PC-11A, which will be licensed as API CK-4, will retain historical limits for high-temperature, high-shear viscosity and will be backward compatible with all trucks that use the current CJ-4 oils and will serve as a direct replacement for the diesel engine oils.
PC-11B, which will be licensed as API FA-4, will have lower HTHS properties and will not be backward compatible with previous generation API “C” categories. This category is developed for model year 2017 engines for OEMs seeking to achieve improved fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions.
Effective 2017, heavy trucks will have a new higher standard for fuel efficiency and PC-11 oils are being designed to help trucks clear those hurdles. Fuel and emissions improvements aside, the Engine Manufacturers Association has also charged PC-11 oils with the task of improving oxidation stability and shear stability, resistance to aeration and facilitate the use of biodiesel fuel.
That’s a pretty extensive list of improvements for a product that has already well-served its purpose for nearly a decade.
It’s also possible that in your quest to help your customers, you’ll have to better understand their equipment. PC-11 formulas aren’t for everyone; at least the first wave of formulations are not likely to be. The challenge in servicing your customers will come in trying to help those intrigued with the new category and educating them on how best to proceed forward.
Many OEs will almost certainly approve the use of new grades of PC-11 in older equipment, but its always best to follow OE recommendations when floating in unchartered waters.
In the meantime, the line for more information forms around your customer service team, and they have barely 18 months to figure it all out.
