15w40 A3 B4 sold by Castrol as “Magnatec Diesel” wonder why

Well, 15w-40 is a common diesel oil viscosity so that would be my guess why they label it that way. I don't believe I've seen this version in the USA so I don't know anything about it.
 
fantastic said:
Well, 15w-40 is a common diesel oil viscosity so that would be my guess why they label it that way. I don't believe I've seen this version in the USA so I don't know anything about it.
Click to expand...
Yeah but the data sheet claims it is specifically optimised for diesel

Castrol MAGNATEC Diesel contains dedicated diesel technology and breakthrough DUALOCK molecules that cling to critical engine parts and lock together to:
Form a powerful force field of protection
Dramatically reduce both warm-up2 and stop-start3 wear by 50%
Deliver unique patented protection designed specifically for modern driving
Help maintain engine efficiency and responsiveness in common rail diesel engines Deliver excellent soot handling performance
Non-stop protection from every start.
1 Global average from 50 cities, Castrol MAGNATEC STOP-START Index 2014 2 Tested versus the Sequence IVA API SN wear limit.
3 Tested versus the CEC OM646LA ACEA wear limits.
Application
Castrol MAGNATEC Diesel 15W-40 is suitable for use in automotive diesel and gasoline engines where the manufacturer recommends an ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4, API SN 15W-40 lubricant.
 
Here is the general ACEA A3/B4 spec page which describes its dual use with gas and diesel engines. I noticed the same thing after acquiring a small amount of Total Quartz oil.

https://360.lubrizol.com/Specifications/ACEA-Passenger/ACEA-2016/ACEA-A3-B4-16

1691516747795.webp
 
Yeah. A3B4 is a standard dual use spec for light duty gas and diesel engines. My question was what makes this oil more optimised for diesels any more than the standard a3b4 oil is.
 
I don't think it's a matter of oil being "more optimized for diesels", but is a case of marketing gimmick.

Case on point, true story: a fella only goes by bottle and what is written on the bottle. He sees that it's dual-rated and instantly thinks that it's "diesel oil that's been watered down for gasoline engines"... Yes, he actually said that... So he only uses "true diesel oil" and doesn't care about learning about anything else. Hard in his ways, has many old-school friends with same mindsets. So Castrol just hid the dual-rated portion slightly, and is pushing the "Diesel" side of things specifically for customers like these.

Eh, I could be wrong. But it makes sense to me somewhat... Especially considering how much oil a diesel semi-truck takes.
 
I do find it interesting an A3/B4 is a 15w40. I can see a turbo gasser user wanting some, but how does the spec compare to the US’s “c” family of specs?

Also define light duty in the eyes of the ACEA. A little diesel garden tractor that sees WOT for hours at a time or the casual diesel truck owner who has never pulled a trailer in their life?
 
dlundblad said:
I do find it interesting an A3/B4 is a 15w40. I can see a turbo gasser user wanting some, but how does the spec compare to the US’s “c” family of specs?

Also define light duty in the eyes of the ACEA. A little diesel garden tractor that sees WOT for hours at a time or the casual diesel truck owner who has never pulled a trailer in their life?
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A3/B4 was more comparable to API CF
 
dlundblad said:
How does that compare to our HDEO specs like CJ, CK etc.?
Click to expand...
I would guess much like Dexos 2 or other light duty automotive Diesel approvals.
I’ll stick to what I know and use API approvals like CK-4/SN for mixed fleet use.
Approvals like Dexos 1 gen 3 have a fuel economy component in addition to wear etc.
 
userfriendly said:
I would guess much like Dexos 2 or other light duty automotive Diesel approvals.
I’ll stick to what I know and use API approvals like CK-4/SN for mixed fleet use.
Approvals like Dexos 1 gen 3 have a fuel economy component in addition to wear etc.
Click to expand...
I’m just surprised the lighter specs existed ~20 years ago.

Also, C3 for example is light duty. That’s well before the Dexos Lite brews.
 
UG_Passat said:
A3/B4 was more comparable to API CF
Click to expand...
Most a3b4 I’ve seen has been additionally specced API sn/cf and optionally also ACEA c3. The same thing with a5b5 but roughly c2

Some have even CI4 / CI4+ in addition

For example this Idemitsu 5w30 is a5b5 c2

https://ilindia.idemitsu.com/car-engine-oil/idemitsu-SN-A5-B5-C2-5W-30

Castrol 10w40 a3b4 sold in the UK

https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/...37FF4668025836A0037E7F8/$File/BPXE-9Z9CKW.pdf

And then this one - a Korean brand I think but sold in countries all over Asia that has a3b4 along with MAN and other working truck specs.

https://skzic.com.vn/en/sk-zic-x7-10w40-diesel.html

[10W-40]
- API CI-4/SL; ACEA E7, A3/B4
- MB 228.3; Volvo VDS-3; MAN 3275-1; MTU 2; CES 20076/77; Mack EO-N; DD93K215; CAT ECF-1A
 
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It's really just marketing, A3/B4 is a light duty gasoline and diesel spec, that oil is not a HDEO meant for big truck Diesel engines.
Total for example, their 7000 10W40, 7000 Energy 10W40, and 7000 Diesel 10W40 are exactly the same oil.
 
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