Every time I am at Walmart I go to the oil section and check back labels of top shelf oils, in 5w30 grade, to see what specs they meet. Don't ask, it may be a disease. But anyway, what I had noticed over the last 2 years is that manufacturers have been dropping ACEA spec.
First Mobil1 dropped ACEA A5/B5, even when their website still listed it. Then, more recently, Castrol Edge dropped ACEA A5/B5 leaving only ACEA A1/B1. Now Mobil1 doesn't even list A1/B1. The only oil at Walmart that still meets both, and it's stated on the back of the label is Pennzoil Platinum.
According to my research A1/B1 requires same performance as A5/B5, except that A5/B5 is "stay in grade" oil. That's probably why no 5w20 ever had A5/B5.
Why do you think this is happening? Is it because the 5w30 oils are not as good as they used to be a short while ago? Or is it because manufactures don't want to bother with getting that certification for the oils sold in US market? Or, perhaps, there are other specs, like dexos1 and HTO-06 that surpass that of ACEA A5/B5?
First Mobil1 dropped ACEA A5/B5, even when their website still listed it. Then, more recently, Castrol Edge dropped ACEA A5/B5 leaving only ACEA A1/B1. Now Mobil1 doesn't even list A1/B1. The only oil at Walmart that still meets both, and it's stated on the back of the label is Pennzoil Platinum.
According to my research A1/B1 requires same performance as A5/B5, except that A5/B5 is "stay in grade" oil. That's probably why no 5w20 ever had A5/B5.
Why do you think this is happening? Is it because the 5w30 oils are not as good as they used to be a short while ago? Or is it because manufactures don't want to bother with getting that certification for the oils sold in US market? Or, perhaps, there are other specs, like dexos1 and HTO-06 that surpass that of ACEA A5/B5?