Newest SN, ILSAC 5 Oils Are Out as of Oct.1

The argument is coming up again about the reduced Zn levels in motor oils. See here:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2025088#Post2025088

My comments at the bottom of the first page are thus:

Research has shown that levels over 0.03 have no additional benefit for wear. The only reason to have higher levels is because it is consumed. In race car engines the levels are around 0.12 or more but consumption is high. As long as the level never gets below 0.03 there will be no wear related to low levels.

The only reason that ZDP is so common is because it is inexpensive. Newer and Better additives can be substantially more expensive.

And do not forget that higher levels have side effects as corrosion. You cannot just keep adding Zn into your oil. You will be doing more harm than good.

Also, like all API s-grades before, the new SN is backward compatible. That means the these oils can be used in all known engines where SJ, SH, SL and the others have been used before. And one of the SN features (requirements) is Reduced Wear and increased MPG at the same time.

So the new specification means your engine should wear less than if you used any other previously spec'ed (older) passenger car motor oil.

Let me add that they changed the label from saying that these new oils are "energy conserving" to "resource conserving" to indicate that MPG is not the only concern - as many people have (erroneously) thought over the last decade.

aehaas