Delo 400 SD 15w30

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They do the same thing with their 400LE product, it isn't a blend (that I'm aware of) or a synthetic however Chevron markets it as a rival to synthetic motor oils. I'm not a fan of that marketing at all.
 
They like to use the "isosyn" label on the oil, but when you look at details, it is a conventional. My guess is they are taking advantage of the Group II+ classification. Not quite to the Group III, but not the standard group II either.

I am not sure why this particular oil is even being marketed. They already have 10w30 and 5w30 HDEO's in the market. For fleets that have moved to 30w oils, they seem to be going with 10w30. I have seen or read of several fleets moving to 30w, especially this year. Detroit is factory filling their DD13 and DD15 engines with 10w30. They are even recommending 50,000 mile oil changes on this oil. The 15w30 thing seems a little out of place for what the market seems to be moving toward. The 10w30 is getting used in engines from Detroit, Paccar, etc that are regularly pulling gross weights up to 80,000 lb, in the mountains to the flats, in Canada in the winter to the Rio Grande in the summer. Not sure how much more severe duty this 15w30 is going to fill a niche for.
 
The 15W is all about oxidation stability and deposit control with a G2+ base oil. At 128 VI, it has little VII polymers...If any. This will save turbos. It is also SM rated so I will give it a go in the Subaru...If I can find the stuff.
 
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The viscosity profile of the new 15W30 Delo looks exactly like Petro-Can's Duron SAE 30, which will also pass 15W.

Both Chevron and PC share the same base oil process.
Chevron holds the copy right.

Group 2+ is a name given to the group two base oil that XW20 is blended from.

Group two base oils rival group three performance.

Group three base oils are allowed to be marketed as synthetics in North America.

The base oil category that people refer to as "dino" or group one is no longer available in an engine oil that is certified by the API or any other governing body.
 
"It's not a synthetic per that statement by the spokesperson and it outperforms synthetics. Is that correct?"

It is a highly scrubbed mineral oil and in terms of deposit control probably does out-perform "synthetics"...Being less saturated.
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
They like to use the "isosyn" label on the oil, but when you look at details, it is a conventional. My guess is they are taking advantage of the Group II+ classification. Not quite to the Group III, but not the standard group II either.

I am not sure why this particular oil is even being marketed. They already have 10w30 and 5w30 HDEO's in the market. For fleets that have moved to 30w oils, they seem to be going with 10w30. I have seen or read of several fleets moving to 30w, especially this year. Detroit is factory filling their DD13 and DD15 engines with 10w30. They are even recommending 50,000 mile oil changes on this oil. The 15w30 thing seems a little out of place for what the market seems to be moving toward. The 10w30 is getting used in engines from Detroit, Paccar, etc that are regularly pulling gross weights up to 80,000 lb, in the mountains to the flats, in Canada in the winter to the Rio Grande in the summer. Not sure how much more severe duty this 15w30 is going to fill a niche for.


The Delo400 10w-30 is an iffy to me with diesel engines from my experience. Rather take the Delo400 30W never had a problem with it. On small diesel Kubota engines(no cold start) the Delo400 10w-30 experienced small shutters after so many hours.

The Delo400 SD 15W-30 is acting like the upgraded mono 30W I'll be looking for it. Great addition for my applications.
 
The marketet niche is seeking ever more specific answers, and if one can let go of the "thicker is always better" mentality, it can pay off (literally, in terms of fuel savings). If you don't "need" a 10w, then a 15w offers a smaller VII spread.

There is such a small VII spread here that the lube can be even more tolerant of heat; a key thing with high turbo EGTs and ever-increasing EGR use. Yet still afford better fuel efficiency, and being able to stay away from PAOs and costly grp III processing, allows for a most cost-competitive product.

No big surprise I'm a fan of 10w-30s; been proving their worth for several years now. My have to give this a try, but might be like hen's teeth, at least at first.
 
I wish they would publish the NOACK...I would guess it is less than 6%...with a HTHS of near 3.5, I reckon.
 
Evaporation losses go down as the flash points go up.

As a group, mono grades have higher flash points than high VI multi grades.

There are exceptions of course.

When choosing a lubricant for prolonged high temperature operation, don't overlook the flash point.

Tired Trucker is correct about not using a viscosity that is more viscous than necessary.

I drained SAE 40 from my DuraMax and replaced it with SAE 30 because the 40 was too hard on fuel.

It did not make economical sense to leave the 40 weight in the engine.

The engine runs better with the SAE 30 which is not much different than the new Delo 15W30.
 
Thanks for the video link.

I'd like to give the 15w30 a try to satisfy my curiosity. Chevron and Shell both promote the fuel savings with 30 grade but the bigger improvement is in smaller diesels doing pickup and delivery work.

Still, they claim possible fuel mpg improvements near 1% in class 8 trucks running the road. So maybe I could save 15 gallons of diesel per month. With so many variables and no regular routes, I can't really tell in my case.

In general I think the 15w30 is a neat thing, especially for those constantly shutting off a hot engine doing city work. My volvo gets down right toasty in stop and go city driving @80k pounds. Maybe the little trucks don't get so hot, but the 15w can't hurt.
 
Yeah, just a stiffer breeze when you are driving a billboard around that weighs up to 80,000 lb is going to throw good mpg off far more than any oil is going to save. And this stuff is not cumulative. An oil claims to decrease fuel consumption by 2%, those aero devices say the same thing for each one you use, the OEM claims similar with each little aero thing you spec on their trucks and which trans you use and whether it is direct vs overdrive. Add it all up and one should be getting the same mpg out of a commercial semi truck that they get out of a half ton pickup. There is the law of diminishing return. And this 15w30 is not even going to make a dent in efficiency. Even Delo claims their 10w30 and 5w40 is more efficient.
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
And this 15w30 is not even going to make a dent in efficiency. Even Delo claims their 10w30 and 5w40 is more efficient.


Well, I don't know. Even though I can't measure a less than one percent gain in real world driving, I can believe there's still an improvement. If I can save 15 gallons per month that's great.

The 15w30 has the same CCS numbers (6400 @ -20) as the Delo 15w40 but the difference in viscosity at typical temps is significant. It should save fuel everytime you warm up from a start, whether you let it sit and idle until hot or idle a few and take off down the road. It takes a little while for 10-13 gallons to get hot. I think that is the biggest help and it adds up over an oci.

I also usually idle in temps below zero (when parking overnight) and while the oil is quite warm 175° - 195° F, it's still a little more viscous than full temps. That also makes the 30 grade more viable.

I know you're not against 30 grade but the point of 15w30 is to get by with group II base oils and minimal VII ( less than 10w30 & 5w40 ). Chevron claims this provides oxidation stability and deposit control similar to a synthetic or blend with a lower cost.

Chevron isn't pushing this oil for winter use. I saw a Canadian website that said this new oil will not be available up there until next spring because it's not meant for a Candian winter.
 
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Well yes, compared to the 15w40, I mentioned that Delo shows their 10w30 and their 5w40 as being more efficient.

You are correct, I am not against using a 30w, but if it were my choice, I would opt for the Amsoil 10w30/30w which uses no VI at all. It is a straight 30w than flows like a 10w30. Cost would be more, for sure, but based on the application that Delo is claiming the need for the 15w30, the synthetic Amsoil should give superior performance in the same situation. And it would more closely satisfy a need for year round reliability in the upper tier of the U.S. More so than the 15w30.

But I am sure it will find a niche.
 
Given that the 15W40 generally has an HTHS well over 4, the Xw30 HDMOs typically have to meet 3.5 (and are usually just a little bit over), and the 5W40s have to meet 3.5 (and are usaully a bit over that, but not often over 4)...it's to be expected that the 30s and the high VI 40s get better fuel economy by a reasonable margin over the 15W40s.

As to the Amsoil, it is 3.4, and doesn't meet the minimums for it's "recommended for" A3/B4
 
They seem to be aiming this oil at short haul, city drivers and construction equipment.

I'd like to give it a whirl in my volvo if I can aquire it. Interested to see how much it shears and how TBN holds up.

Theoretically, it should be quite shear stable...right?
 
I'll post a UOA from Delo's 15W30 sister ship, Duron 30 in about 2 months and another 8,000 miles from a 2011 Duramax.

Chevron likely uses their own additive package while Petro Canada (Suncor) might use a different package like Lubrizol's for instance.

Only your hair dresser knows for sure.

The viscosity profiles look like sisters, right side up or up side down.
 
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