Which have improved faster - engines or oils?

[BHopkins]

Originally Posted By: Langanobob
I’d say that engines are changing faster than oils and the increasingly complex engine lubrication requrements are the driving force behind oil progress.


I agree. Wasn't the Dexos standard driven by GM's need for better lubricants for their most recent engines? Isn't the same true in Europe, with VW/Audi, Mercedes and BMW have a huge influence on the latest oil standards?

 

[SilverFusion2010]

The engines are pushing the need for better and better oils.

Modern CNC machining and quality of materials have enabled engines to run longer. I’ll get at least 300k out of my duratec 3.0 if not more without major repairs. Port injected so I don’t have the fuel dilution problems some of the newer TGDI engines have.

That said, I really want one of the new dual injected ecoboost engines.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
We know metallurgy like we knew it forty years ago. We're still trying to figure out how to get an iron liner in an aluminum block.

And I agree with others who note we're asking less displacement to do more and how is that a good thing? Make the car lighter and the driving test harder.


Cast-in iron liners in aluminum blocks is mature technology. Millions of engines a year are produced this way. It saves costs, improves quality, and provides lower cylinder bore surface temperatures due to better heat transfer.

The trend to downsized engines has the same basis as the trend to thinner oils: CAFE. End of discussion.

 

[dlundblad]

I vote oil has improved faster.

Lots of 20-30 year old stuff on the road compared to API SF oil in use. I'd have no issues using a quality API SF oil, but there's no way I'd hold it to the same standards as something more current from today.

 

[artificialist]

In 1980, a diesel might be less troublesome than a modern one, as long as it wasn't an Oldsmobile.

I do wonder what kind of life you would get from one of those early Benz or VW engines using modern oil. Does an OEM remanufactured engine get the same level of precision that a new one got back in 1980? It would make for an interesting test.