I think one thing that is lost here, is the actual manufacturing process involved in all this. And that’s where the question(s) come into play.
What blenders solubilize their own additives, which ones don’t?
That’s really, the heart of this thread and the last thread over a vaguely similar conversation. I thought about this since that thread got locked.
I don’t think there is a good understanding on how an oil is put together. And that’s the problem.
You can buy pre-packaged solutions from additive companies, or even from other blenders. That are already solubilzied and all you need to do is slap it in the correct base oil blend, submit it, pay the fees and it’s whatever approvals you’re going for.
If you solubilize your own additives, then you can set your own destiny so to speak. Because you can build your DI package how you want it. You can build it with cheaper polymers, or more expensive polymers. You can build it with different components that will change the flavor so to speak. Then you can put it with different base oils.
It’s sort of like legos. Different bricks will lead to different shapes. You can either follow the instructions and make the picture on the box. Or you can build your own way.
So will today’s GF7 additives meet or exceed D1G3 specs? Absolutely. You can take Lubrizol PV1710, probably solubilize it in a PAO, throw it in 3043. And have a GF7 & D1G3 ready 5w30. (That combo is strictly hypothetical, for the record.)
The additive companies will tell you whether their additives will pass/fail all the D1G3 tests before you buy it and what the blend is. So it’s not a question of “will the additives pass” that GM is asking for. Lubrizol, Afton, Infineum, etc. already do all that work for you.
What GM is asking when they ask you to submit a sample, is that you’re not going outside of their box. Then you’re registered to pay your fees once you start producing and selling.
If you’re building your own ad pack, then it gets a little more complicated. But that’s, where the Amsoil’s, HPL’s, Redlines, etc. etc. etc. of the world. They already know the answer, but they don’t fix the box. And it’s not worth the money, to try to get into the box.
You just don’t throw additives and oil in a kettle and hope for the best. This is science. You know what you’re making before you make it. The additive companies that spend hundreds of millions on R&D, are the ones doing the guess work.
There’s also not a ton of choices for additives out there. Because now we are going to the business side of things. Inventory is expensive and hard. There’s not a million different components out there. You have some options, but not a lot. And you’re vastly more limited if you don’t solubilize your own additives.
It’s easier to understand when you’ve seen these plants. And what they’re producing and how they’re producing it. Then add in the business side of things, controlling inventory, parts of the plant, what base oils you stock, making base oil deals. You can’t afford to have 20 different base oils in large quantities. Because you can’t make deals in smaller quantities.
