ILMA Compoundings - February 2020 - 31

Test

Parameters

Reason for change

Revised

Sequence IIIH Oxidation & deposits
Aged oil viscosity
Phosphorus retention

Modern engines run hotter with smaller pumps &
require additional protection over GF-5

Revised

Sequence IVB Valve train wear

Test engine replacement

Revised

Sequence VH Sludge and varnish

Parts availability issue

Revised

Sequence VIE Fuel economy

Parts availability issue

New

Sequence VIF Fuel economy

Needed for SAE 0W-16 grade

Sequence VIII Bearing corrosion &
shear stability
New

Sequence IX

Pre-ignition

OEMs are pushing engine operation into zones for
fuel economy that can result in LSPI

New

Sequence X

Timing chain wear

OEMs are concerned about wear in the real world
and have no measurement test for this area

©2019 Infinium International Limited. All rights reserved

ILSAC performance requirements that
are now essential for the latest engines.
For example, many of your customers today are operating vehicles that
are using lower-viscosity lubricants,
have turbochargers and use a solid
timing chain. Very few drivers really
understand that LSPI can be an
engine-damaging phenomenon from
which modern engines need protection
and that their oil matters for this. Few
know that some oil formulations might
provide better protection for timing
chain wear than others, preventing a
check engine light on their vehicle. And
fewer still might appreciate that doing
all of that while providing excellent
fuel-economy performance is a hallmark of an outstanding ILSAC GF-6
oil. The ability to convey these benefits
effectively could be a significant factor
in future oil selection.
QUESTION 8: WHEN WILL ILSAC
GF-6 PRODUCTS BE AVAILABLE,
AND HOW WILL THE MARKET
TRANSITION?
First allowable use is on May 1. However, we could see product in bottles

before this date since customers can
register oils with GF-6 data from Jan.
1 but cannot claim ILSAC GF-6A/
API SP or GF-6B/API Resource
Conserving (RC) until May.
We can expect the North American
passenger car engine oil market to
transition quite quickly to ILSAC
GF-6 in 2020. With this approach,
API and ILSAC allow some flexibility
to facilitate early or late rollovers. The
exact timing may depend on strategies
deployed by oil marketers and on
customer desires. It is unclear right
now if General Motors' dexos1TM
Gen 3 specification will affect the
rollover plans to ILSAC GF-6, but
we expect that dexos formulations
will continue to align with the latest
ILSAC category.
QUESTION 9: WHAT DO I NEED
TO DO BEFORE THE MANDATORY
USE DATE?
Most oil marketers are well underway
with their ILSAC GF-6 development
programs and are working with
additive company partners to optimize
their products around the new tests,

test conditions and revised limits. In
addition, as the number of different
base stocks and viscosity grades in
use continues to grow, requalification
work is needed to ensure oil marketers
can continue to supply the breadth of
products required.
It's a good time to reevaluate your
product portfolio for its fit to the
market, to streamline and simplify
your production processes, and to
work with your partners to deliver
value to your customers while maximizing your profitability. Though the
passenger car oil market is competitive, often driven by pricing, there
could be advantages in better explaining the benefits that come with GF-6
so the value of these specification
upgrades is realized.
The 12-month mandatory waiting
period, which started May 1, 2019,
gives you time to set up new supply
chains and create the literature and
labels you need to support new product launches.
Thompson is executive market manager for
lubricant additives, North America, at Infineum.

31
ILMA Compoundings - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings - February 2020
