Do oil formulators add "extra" additives?

[Audi Junkie]

When formulators are blending "to spec" are additives (or base oil) added beyond what is required to exceed the spec by a safe margin? That is, do companies, for the sake of promoting a "premium" product add more than what is needed?

Take Motorcraft and their crazy amounts of Boron. Do they NEED that much to meet spec or is it maybe to produce a "killer" oil?

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, they aren't all created equal. While they may get a PASS on the ILSAC sequence III-G test, some pass better than others (as an example).

 

[ADFD1]

Which is why I don't always buy into use what ever cheap SM oil is on sale, and phrases like that. In order to pass, a minimum requirement must be met. For the sake of arguement I would rather use an oil that passed with an A, than one that passed with a D. Especially in a car that I care for. Unfortunately reading a label doesn't tell who got the D. In the average life of a car it probably won't matter much. For someone who keeps a car 20+ years it could make all the difference in the world. JMO.

 

[JHZR2]

+1

 

[pbm]

ADFD1:
My guess is the oil that passed with a 'D' will protect just as well to 4 or 5K as the oil that passed with an 'A'. It is when you try extend the OCI that having the 'A' oil would matter.
In other words WM ST dino should protect just as well as PYB or GTX if the OCI is modest but if pushed I'd rather have the 'premium' oil.

PS: I have no facts to back this up. It is only my opinion.
Thank You for your military service.

 

[cheetahdriver]

take a look at their advertisiing. amsoil loves the 4ball wear test. does anyone think that having that much AW additive in the oil really does any good?

i also tend to agree that in oils and doctors, i want the one who was at the top of the class, not the one that was last above the cutoff...

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: pbm
ADFD1:
My guess is the oil that passed with a 'D' will protect just as well to 4 or 5K as the oil that passed with an 'A'. It is when you try extend the OCI that having the 'A' oil would matter.
In other words WM ST dino should protect just as well as PYB or GTX if the OCI is modest but if pushed I'd rather have the 'premium' oil.

PS: I have no facts to back this up. It is only my opinion.
Thank You for your military service.


That might be a good assumption, but would require quite a few UOAs to confirm it. I would rather have the oil that rated at or near the top. Same with a doctor.

 

[buster]

Think of an additive like a drug, it's got beneficial properties and side effects. If you push too hard on one property, it's going to hurt you somewhere else.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: ADFD1
Which is why I don't always buy into use what ever cheap SM oil is on sale, and phrases like that. In order to pass, a minimum requirement must be met. For the sake of arguement I would rather use an oil that passed with an A, than one that passed with a D. Especially in a car that I care for. Unfortunately reading a label doesn't tell who got the D. In the average life of a car it probably won't matter much. For someone who keeps a car 20+ years it could make all the difference in the world. JMO.



Well - that would depend on how you tax it. Most here don't push the margins (some do- but not most). There's a point where the process variable is causing the most degradation ..and that can be indifferent to lubricant selection.

..but for the sake of $0.50/quart