Switching to lower-viscosity oils may save your company some money.
Starting in December of this year, there is a whole new American Petroleum Institute (API) oil classification rolling out with lower viscosity parameters for fuel-efficient engines. From now on, there will be two different oil categories for your truck. How can you take advantage of newer, lower-viscosity oils and save some money in the process?
The New Oil Standards
API approved two new diesel engine oil standards—API CK-4 and FA-4. These two oil standards were developed after years of work to come up with new oil standards for fleets across America. CK-4 oils are oils that will protect existing and currently operating diesel engines. If you are currently using CJ-4 oils, CK-4 will be a great upgrade to your current oil. CK-4 oils have a slightly lower viscosity than CJ-4 oils, so you switch should add up to fuel savings in the long run.
FA-4 oils are the newest way to optimize 2017-model engines that focus on raising fuel economy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. FA-4 oils are lower viscosity oils that are held to incredibly high standards like the high-temp/high-shear viscosity test. Newer engines are less forgiving, so FA-4 oils must be able to stand up over the test of time and improve fuel economy at the same time. FA-4 oils are not recommended for older engines.
Lower-Viscosity Oils Save Your Fleet Money
In a new report from Trucking Efficiency, they found that Class 8 over-the-road fleets using new low-viscosity oils had fuel savings between 0.5%-1.5%. Trucks using the FA-4 low-viscosity oil are expected to get an additional 0.4-0.7% in fuel savings, topping out at a whopping 2.2% of potential savings.
Why Haven’t You Adopted Yet?
While the fleets that have adopted lower viscosity oils have benefitted greatly, that is still a relatively small percentage of the fleets all over the country (20%). Many truckers think that thicker and heavier oils do a better job of protecting their engines than low-viscosity oils. However, modern engines subject oil to numerous temperature and lubricating conditions. Viscosity is not everything when it comes to protecting and enhancing the performance of a truck’s engine. Rest assured that new lower-viscosity oils have been extensively tested and refined so that they will maximize your engine performance, be gentler on the environment, and increase your fuel savings.
Ready to Adopt Lower-Viscosity Oils and See Your Fuel Costs Plummet?
If you are looking to implement the new low-viscosity oils in your own truck or an entire fleet, you can rely on Baltimore Freightliner-Western Star. We have provided top-notch service for the trucking industry for 30 years and would love to assist you in buying a new top-of-the-line truck, finding the specialty parts you need, or repairing your truck. Give us a call toll-free at 800-832-7278 or locally at 410-685-4474, or contact us online. To find out more about what we are up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
Tags: bottom line tips, lower-viscosity oil, oil