Beyond your OEM, seek the insight of your lubricant supplier. Lubricants are one of the most cost effective and immediate ways to reduce fuel consumption, yet they make up approximately 1% of the total budget for most fleets. Lubricant marketers spend millions of dollars testing their lubricants under various conditions, and in multiple engine types, so they can offer oil recommendations and advice on overall lubrication programs and efficiencies.

We offer full-service support including technical guidance to assist customers with their purchase throughout the lubricant application. The customer is fully backed by a no-nonsense warranty.

Today’s powertrains run hotter and for longer, so it’s important to ensure that your engine is protected at all times. Saving fuel at the expense of protecting your engine is not a compromise worth taking. Look for oil that provides superior protection under all operating conditions.

When switching to low viscosity engine oils, there are a few things you should look out for:

The HTHS (High Temperature High Shear) value signifies the oil’s viscosity in the bearings and highly loaded parts at operating temperature. Lower HTHS generally equates to better fuel economy, but if you go too low, other issues can emerge. It’s important not to consider just one parameter but take a holistic view.

In some cases, a change in viscosity grade has been known to cause an issue with the oil pressure indicator. At low revolutions per minute (RPM), it is possible to trigger a low-pressure warning, which could lead to the powering-down of an engine. Sometimes it could be an issue of an electronic update so that the new oil pressure becomes the new normal as opposed to flagging it low compared to the previous higher viscosity oil. OEMs and lubricant experts can support in distinguishing which engines are likely to experience issues with changes in viscosity and work to find solutions to any complications that may arise.

This is particularly important if you manage a fleet. After obtaining advice from OEMs and lubricant providers, target a representative group of trucks in your fleet and run a trial with candidate lower viscosity oils. Finding a group of trucks which represent the varying range of operating conditions you experience will allow you to see where the greatest benefits can be captured. It is also important to identify any engines that may not be good candidates for lower viscosity oils, e.g. older engine designs, in order to prevent increased oil consumption or bearing wear.

Lower viscosity transmission and axle oils can contribute equal or greater fuel savings than the heavy-duty diesel engine oil, with no reduction in durability. Many of the above guidelines also apply when considering new driveline oils but once more, choosing the correct fluid should be done by considering various elements and not just one parameter.

When making a change of this nature, it is important to have all the facts. An established used oil analysis program should be used to assess the impact of new oil on engine durability and oil performance. It is important to be able to track wear metals and ensure that the new oil has the performance traits required to protect the engine throughout the drain interval. In addition to flagging critical issues like coolant contamination, the oil analysis data may also reveal whether you can safely extend your drain intervals, leading to further cost savings.

In recent times, awareness of our collective impact on the environment has increased demand for fuel saving initiatives. In fact, many countries across the globe have committed to reducing carbon emissions. Through new legislation and collaboration with OEMs, there are plans in place to reduce consumption of fossil fuels in heavy-duty vehicles. However, it’s not just the environment that will benefit from these changes.

Fuel is one of the leading operating costs for heavy-duty trucking fleets – often accounting for 30-40% of your overall costs – and even the smallest decreases can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

Switching to low viscosity engine oil is just one of the ways you can reduce overall fuel consumption.

Lower viscosity engine oils are just as durable and protect critical engine hardware as their higher viscosity counterparts, all which reduce viscous drag on moving parts and enable oil to flow more effectively through the engine, resulting in an increased efficiency of overall engine operations which can improve fuel economy. The results are even more impressive in colder climates, where lower viscosity engine oils can more effectively lubricate engine componentry upon start-up and reduce the time it takes for engines to warm up.

The drive to improve fuel economy has been taking place for some time and to do this, the industry has been moving towards lower viscosity solutions, demonstrated by launch of the API FA-4 oil category in 2016. The category was formulated to get the best out of the more fuel efficient, low emissions diesel engines. Lower viscosity API FA-4 oils minimize frictional losses between moving components of the engine and reduce pumping and rotational losses, resulting in less viscous drag and improved fuel economy. This enables engines to run more efficiently and use less fuel, while still offering excellent levels of wear protection by delivering oil more effectively to moving parts within the engine.

Many OEMs are already benefiting from fuel economy focused products. OEMs including Kenworth, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Detroit Diesel and Cummins recommend or allow lower viscosity grade oils, such as SAE 10W-30 and 5W-30. Some OEMs, like Detroit Diesel, are factory filling some units with API FA-4 oils with an even lower HTHS viscosity to provide even better fuel economy.

SAE 10W-30 and SAE 5W-30 engine oils have demonstrated fuel economy savings and are available today without significant capital expense. If fleet owners switch to an API CK-4 oil like DURON™ SHP 10W-30 or DURON UHP 5W-30, or API FA-4 oils like DURON Advanced 10W-30 or 5W-30, versus conventional SAE 15W-40 viscosity grades, they can improve fuel economy while ensuring their engines remain protected in even the most extreme climates.

With PC-12 on the horizon and the journey toward low viscosity engine oils set to continue, the next generation of heavy-duty lubricants will be formulated to support OEMs and fleets meet the new US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) heavy-duty on-highway regulations.

Expected to have two categories based on HTHS values and face new performance tests, PC-12 lubricants are expected to offer crucial engine protection and even greater fuel economy and performance benefits.