Testing environment for API SP ILSAC GF-6A

[wemay]

New GF-6 Motor Oils Required Rigorous New Tests - Engine Builder Magazine

As engines in cars, trucks and SUVs have become more efficient in an effort to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, the use of low viscosity motor oil has become an essential part of their operation. With advancements such as gasoline direct injected (GDI) and turbocharged direct injected...

www.enginebuildermag.com

"The engine wear test is 200 hours involving 24,000 thirty- second cycles, with each cycle consisting of four stages: two steady-state stages with transition ramp stages between them. The LSPI test consists of four iterations. Each iteration is 175,000 ignition cycles from each cylinder with the first 170,000 valid cycles evaluated for the number of pre-ignition events."

“The tests are designed to create extreme conditions so that new oils are robust enough to perform properly across an entire auto drain cycle which can be as high as 10,000 miles.”


The official name of each of the seven new/updated tests is detailed below:[ii]

• Sequence IIIH Engine Test – Oxidation and deposits
  • Measure lubricant thickening and piston deposits under high temperature conditions.
• Sequence IVB Engine Test – Wear
  • Evaluate the effect of an automotive lubricant on tappet wear for engines with direct-acting overhead cam valvetrains.
• Sequence VH Engine Test – Sludge and varnish
  • Evaluate the performance of a lubricant in controlling low temperature engine deposits under operating conditions deliberately selected to accelerate deposit formation.
• Sequence VIE Engine Test & Sequence VIF Engine Test – Fuel economy
  • Provide a comparative fuel economy index (FEI) of the fuel-saving capabilities of automotive engine oils under repeatable laboratory conditions.
• Sequence VIII Engine Test – Corrosion
  • Evaluate the performance of a lubricant in preventing copper/lead/tin bearing corrosion and measure viscous shear stability under high-temperature operating conditions using unleaded gasoline.
• Sequence IX Engine Test – Low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI)
  • Evaluates the ability of a motor oil to mitigate pre-ignition in the combustion chambers of gasoline, turbocharged, direct injection (GTDI) engines under low-speed and high-load operating conditions.
• Sequence X Engine Test – Chain wear
  • Evaluate a lubricant’s performance to protect against soot-induced timing chain wear experienced in modern gasoline direct-injection (GDI) style engines.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

https://bit.ly/3jg7Ao2

Ed

 

[wemay]

The more i read, the more i like the new oil standard (API SP) and specification (GF-6).

 

[The Critic]

Drain intervals are similar to weight limits for towing. Just because you can, does not mean you should.

 

[buster]

I had a conversation with a guy that formerly worked for one of the boutique brands. In a daily driver, you want to stick with an API SP or approved oil that meets your vehicles requirements. Not only are these tests expensive, but they do actually matter. For racing, niche applications, and out of warranty situations, have at it....

 

[Ed_Flecko]

I had a conversation with a guy that formerly worked for one of the boutique brands. In a daily driver, you want to stick with an API SP or approved oil that meets your vehicles requirements. Not only are these tests expensive, but they do actually matter. For racing, niche applications, and out of warranty situations, have at it....

I agree.

For your under-warranty daily driver, with the more stringent testing standards, why would anyone really have a need to run an oil that's not a factory recommended grade?

Ed

 

[wemay]

There are rarely any stories of lubricant induced failures or major issues, for that matter, so i don't see where someone wishing to experiment using at least an SP, GF-6 motor oil in the correct viscosity and appropriate oci would have warranty issues. "Just change your oil."

 

[Astro14]

So, not as scientific or rigorous as Project Farm, then?


...

 

[PimTac]

So, not as scientific or rigorous as Project Farm, then?


...

 

[farrarfan1]

So, not as scientific or rigorous as Project Farm, then?


...

Post of the year candidate!

 

[Eddie]

That appears to be a very vigorous test protocol. An oil that carries these cirtifications is my go to oil. Ed

 

[bulwnkl]

...a guy that formerly worked for one of the boutique brands [said:] In a daily driver...stick with an API SP or approved oil...these tests...do actually matter. ...out of warranty...have at it.

Help us understand how the tests matter while under warranty, but don’t matter once you’re out of warranty.

 

[buster]

Help us understand how the tests matter while under warranty, but don’t matter once you’re out of warranty.

If you want to risk using an oil that claims to meet a certain set of specifications, but was never ran through the engine sequence tests to verify, I'd wait until you're out of warranty to take that chance.

 

[PimTac]

I will have full confidence running these new oils.

 

[bulwnkl]

If you want to risk using an oil that claims to meet a certain set of specifications, but was never ran through the engine sequence tests to verify, I'd wait until you're out of warranty to take that chance.

That’s a non-sequitur, unless you mean to say that the _only_ difference is warranty coverage vs not.

I’ll re-word the question: How does certification “really matter” to drivetrain protection while under warranty, but suddenly not matter after warranty expiration?

 

[buster]

That’s a non-sequitur, unless you mean to say that the _only_ difference is warranty coverage vs not.

I’ll re-word the question: How does certification “really matter” to drivetrain protection while under warranty, but suddenly not matter after warranty expiration?

Well it doesn't, or shouldn't. It's a battle I'd rather avoid fighting. My point was when you buy an oil that is certified, you know it had to pass all the aforementioned tests above. An oil like Red Line for example, as great as it is, you don't know if it would pass all of those tests bc they don't put it through them. $$

 

[bulwnkl]

I agree that everyone must choose for themselves how valuable a warranty is to them, including whether they want to stand up for themselves or not if they have a failure and go to a shyster dealership.

I suppose I ascribed more meaning or utility to what you'd posted initially; my mistake. I don't really see the point of crediting "a guy that formerly worked for one of the boutique brands" if that person's only point is that it might be easier to deal with crooked dealerships if you buy their oil from them while under warranty.

To each his own.

 

[bbhero]

I do believe the new API SP testing standards are stronger. The ACEA standards are no slouch either. One should give credit to GM for having come up with the Dexos approval which pushed the performance standard well ahead of API SN at that time. And it still is a harder standard than the newest API SP.

 

[ZeeOSix]

The article linked in post #1 (dated Jun 4, 2020) is clear about GF-6B being backwards compatible with 0W-16 API SN/SN+ ... which matches like statements directly from the API. There has been way too much confusion in old threads here on BITOG on that point.

" GF-6A oils are backward compatible with GF-5 oils and older standards and in viscosities as low as 0W-20. GF-6B oils are backward compatible with 0W-16 oils meeting API SN performance and are intended for gasoline engines requiring 0W-16 oils. API SP is backward compatible with API SN oils and includes the new ILSAC specifications, but also covers engine oils that are intended for uses not included in the ILSAC specifications. "

 

[4WD]

So, not as scientific or rigorous as Project Farm, then?

...

Almost Project Ranch in size/scope