Originally Posted By: travlnman
I was aware of the Delvac Elite 222 0w30, but like the Delo, have never seen it anywhere.
You'd have to go to a distributor to find the Delvac Elite; I'd probably have to do the same for the Delo. I haven't seen anything except Delo 15w-40 on the shelf at our truck stop, which is also an official Chevron distributor.
For anything currently under warranty, I'd be hesitant. However, it's not just due to the fact that it uses older specs. Most vehicles want an API/ILSAC oil, whereas the Delo (or Delvac Elite) only have the API specs, being dual rated. You say that nothing you have is under warranty; they only thing you should confirm is the federal emissions warranty under your newest vehicles. I know that both Canada and the States do have a longer emissions warranty than the normal powertrain or bumper to bumper warranties.
After warranty, I'd see no issues, even on a newer car, as long as you aren't all that worried about the elevated ZDDP levels. I see that Delo has a healthy dose. That would be a great oil for my old truck; our Co-ops do offer similarly formulated (with similar specifications) HDEOs.
Generally, with an older formula HDEO, as long as the ZDDP levels aren't a concern (high ZDDP doesn't really bother me as much as it bothers the manufacturers) and one isn't too concerned about the SA, things are fine. High SA oils tend to have higher starting TBN anyhow. As you can see, this oil has a starting TBN of around 10.
You're going to find that it's substantially thicker at operating temperatures than a 20 weight - it's probably got an HTHS of around 3.5, give or take, which is the norm for a 0w-30 HDEO. I think the lightest 0w-30 HDEO I've seen had an HTHS of around 3.3 or 3.4.
CATERHAM pointed out that the HTHS is going to be high. It doesn't appear to be published, at least on that HTHS, but it's going to be on the 3.5 neighbourhood. It will certainly be thicker than a normal 5w-20 or even a normal 5w-30 or 10w-30 at operating temperatures. On the other hand, it's not absurdly thick like a 20w-50, and it does have a very high VI. If one were to choose one oil for a mixed fleet, I'd suggest this would be one of the better choices. Right now, I'm deducting vehicle expenses separately, so having a separate stash for each vehicle helps, rather than hinders, my accounting, so I'm not in a panic yet for one oil for everything and I'm sticking to PCMO for the G for the time being.
That Delo's got a very high viscosity index, though, and will likely perform very admirably in the winter. Personally, if I wanted one oil for year round use for both my vehicles and could get it at a reasonable cost, this Delo 400 looks like it would be one of my top choices.
If you do choose to run it for extended drains, don't be afraid to try a UOA or two. A high starting TBN is not the same as TBN retention, either. Nonetheless, I'm sure it's a very stout oil.
Here's one nice hint that I've noticed about the Delo line. If it's just called Delo, it is likely a bit of a legacy oil. If it's called Delo LE, it'll have the latest specifications. As for other 0w-30 HDEOs, Shell has one, but I don't think it's available south of the border.