Assessment of low-viscosity oil performance and degradation in a heavy duty engine real-world fleet test

Low-viscosity engine oils (LVO) are considered as one of the most interesting solutions for improving fuel economy in internal combustion engines (ICE). There are different studies involving LVO and ICE, but currently limited data are available regarding “real-world” performance of LVO in a real service fleet. Included in a broadest study related with fuel consumption saving effects and performance of LVO in a real service fleet, the aim of this work is to present the results obtained in terms of comparative oil performance. So, on this test, a comparative analysis using 39 buses was performed, based on a deep and extensive oil analysis program to assess those aspects above mentioned. Two engine technologies (diesel and CNG) were considered and four different lubricants, two of them LVO and other two used as a reference baseline. The test duration comprised two oil drain intervals of 30,000 km each one, totalizing more than 2 million of kilometers accumulated. Results have shown that LVO presented an excellent performance along the oil drain interval (ODI), even improving some characteristics of the baseline oils with higher viscosity values. Results have shown that oil degradation is more dependent on engine technology, but in any case presented a penalization in terms of ODI reduction, a key indicator for end-users related with maintenance costs. In the case of CNG engines, higher oil degradation in terms of oil oxidation and nitration was observed.