Fluid Distributor of industrial lubricants, synthetic oil, hydraulic oils, grease, cleaners, coolants, metalworking fluids, quenchants, absorbents, water treatment chemicals for Ohio Valley area (Ohio, Indiana, Northern Kentucky). Acculube can reduce lubricant costs.
ACCURATE LUBRICANTS AND METALWORKING FLUIDS, INC. Division of Vesco Oil Corporation

1.800.404.2570

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Engine Oils: Making the Best Choice

Start with the Owner's Manual

Every vehicle manufacturer has a recommendation on what type of oil to use. They also offer guidelines as to how often the oils should be changed. The interval between engine oil changes is also dependent on how frequently and how long a truck is driven, and the driver's driving style.

The Plot Thickens — or Does It?

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) long ago developed a system for grading motor oils according to their viscosities, or "weight." SAE J300 standard measures an oil's viscosity and assigns grades depending on that viscosity. In order of ascending viscosity, the SAE grades are 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60. The first four are designated with the letter 'W' to signify a winter, cold-start viscosity. A 20- or 25-grade oil may or may not come with a 'W', depending on whether it is being used to designate a cold-start viscosity or hot viscosity grade (no W).

A single-grade oil does not use a polymer additive (Viscosity Index Improver) to change its viscosity. There are eleven single-grade oils: 0W, 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, 25W, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. A multi-grade oil usually (but not always) employs a Viscosity Index Improver additive to alter its viscosity. The designations for multi-grade oils are the ones familiar to many motorists (10W-30, for example) and include two numerical designations -- a cold-start number and a hot number for when the engine is at operating temperature. How an oil's viscosity changes with temperature is dependent on the additives a manufacturer uses.

Some fleet managers or operators select thicker oils, believing they offer better protection to engine components than thinner grades. However, as manufacturers produce engines and components to ever-tightening tolerances, a thicker oil may not be able to flow into the tighter clearances between parts, causing sluggish performance, decreasing engine efficiency, and increasing fuel consumption. Consequently, a thinner oil may seem counterintuitive but still be the best choice.

Contact us to see which engine oils have "OEM" approvals for equipment and engines.

NEXT ESSAY

 

Need More Information?
Acculube's oil specialists offer objective advice and options to help fleet
managers throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky balance costs against performance. Talk with one of us today.
Contact Us: 1.800.404.2570 or email us at sales@acculube.com

 

Accurate Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids, Inc.• 403 Homestead Avenue; Dayton, Ohio 45417 USA • Phone: 937-461-9906
© 2014 by Accurate Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids, Inc., Dayton, Ohio U.S. All rights reserved. We supply truck owner - operators and vehicle fleet owners throughout Ohio (Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, Springfield, Cincinnati), Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Columbus, Richmond, Kokomo, Muncie, South Bend, Lafayette, Elkhart, Evansville), and Kentucky (Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Georgetown, Covington) with Mobil Delvac engine oils, hydraulic oils, gear oils, greases, transmission fluids, and coolants.

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Acculube supplies the
Diesel Exhaust Fluid ("DEF")
you need to reduce NOx emissions and improve fuel economy

  • API certified for on-highway diesel engines
  • Bulk, totes, drums or 2.5 gallon containers