HDEO 5w40 Base Oil Group

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Doing some research and what HDEO 5w40 oils are group III only? I've search the site and couldn't come up with any definitive answers. Here are the Viscosity Index numbers for the 4 oils in order from lowest to highest.

Delvac 1 ESP = 156

Schaeffer 9000 = 159

Delo Synthetic = 168

Shell Rotella = 175

I know that Schaeffer's is a blend but I was surprised at how low the Delvac VI was. Are these oils Group III, IV or are they all blends of the two?

Rob
 
I would say the oil with almost entirely group III would be the Shell Rotella 5W-40 (RTS). Schaeffers has a mixture of III/IV. Delo I'm not sure of but it is probably mostly III with or without some PAO(IV). Delvac1 is probably mostly IV/V, judging by its higher price than the others in this group.
 
Originally Posted By: daman
I think the lower the better right??? less shear??


I don't know if that's necessarily true. The higher the VI of the base stock, the less need for VI improvers that are subject to shear. RTS base stock has a very high VI to start with, I don't know about the others.
 
Well it looks like...

Rotella is a synthetic blend based on the MSDS:

"Blend of synthetic hydrocarbon, polyalphaolefins and additives. The highly refined mineral oil contains w) DMSO-extract, according to IP346."

Delo is probably a group III at best based on the MSDS:

"A Highly Refined Mineral Oil"

Delvac 1 is probably a blend as well:

"Synthetic Base Stocks and Additives"


Anyone else have any insight?

Thanks,
 
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Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: daman
I think the lower the better right??? less shear??


I don't know if that's necessarily true. The higher the VI of the base stock, the less need for VI improvers that are subject to shear. RTS base stock has a very high VI to start with, I don't know about the others.

I see always wonderd about that,K thanks.
 
Delvac 1 is probably a blend as well:
"Synthetic Base Stocks and Additives"


Would this not imply that Delvac 1 is a full synthetic and not a blend? Especially when it is Mobil who is using the word 'synthetic'.
 
Originally Posted By: daman
I think the lower the better right??? less shear??


The higher, the better.
 
Originally Posted By: Jaymus
Originally Posted By: daman
I think the lower the better right??? less shear??


The higher, the better.

Higher???

i thought the lower the vosity Index numbers means there's lower/less VII's to shear down?
 
Note that Delvac 1 meets the E4 spec which is a very severe heavy duty rating, and from Doug Hillary we know it is a group 4/5 oil. The Delvac ESP does not meet that spec, therefore it is more likely to be blended with group 3.

I would suspect all 4 listed are a group 3/4 blend.
 
Originally Posted By: glxpassat
Note that Delvac 1 meets the E4 spec which is a very severe heavy duty rating, and from Doug Hillary we know it is a group 4/5 oil. The Delvac ESP does not meet that spec, therefore it is more likely to be blended with group 3.

I would suspect all 4 listed are a group 3/4 blend.


One (if not the only) reason why D1 ESP does not meet ACEA E4 is the TBN 12 or higher requirement of the current E4-08 spec. The latest Mercedes Benz 228.5 spec. asks for the same. With its TBN 10.1, D1 ESP cannot meet these spec., but might still pass the required engine tests with flying colors. The trickiest part of E4 and MB228.5 is to achieve the required piston cleanliness in the MB OM441LA test engine, which is now replaced by the OM501LA. However, one can still meet E4-08 via OM441LA test results and to my information, the MB OM441LA is the engine that is currently used to qualify for an MAN M3277 approval with the same piston cleanliness limit as for E4 or an MB228.5 approval. MAN M3277 oils actually have to meet at least ACEA E4-99. Since D1 ESP is an MAN M3277 approved lubricant, it will meet ACEA E4-99 as well as the engine test requirements of ACEA E4-08. As for wear protection, ACEA E7 is more damanding than E4. Whether D1 ESP passes all MB228.5 engine tests, is something only MB and Mobil can tell. I have yet to figure out whether the new OM501LA test engine must be used to get a current MB approval for a new lubricant.
 
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Originally Posted By: BoiseRob
Well it looks like...

Rotella is a synthetic blend based on the MSDS:

"Blend of synthetic hydrocarbon, polyalphaolefins and additives. The highly refined mineral oil contains w) DMSO-extract, according to IP346."

Actually, the common meaning of "synthetic blend" is a mix of synthetic and mineral oils, where usually the synthetic part is less than 50%. What you quoted here does not look like a synthetic blend but rather all synthetic (just a combination of several types of synthetic oil - group III and group IV). I believe the 3% mineral is only used as additive carrier - all synthetic oils are like that.
 
Definitely the higher the VI the better, it means the oil thins less with temp rise.
Disturbingly, D1 ESP doesn't meet Mercedes 228.51, which is the new highest spec for low SPAsh oils; I fully understnad why it doesn't meet 228.5.
Which is why I ordered 55 gal of D1 SHC for my 902.912 Mercedes motor in my Unimog. SHC has a VI of 176, with a pour point of -54 C. (-65 F.) It meets 228.5 and if you superimpose all its' approvals on the Lubrizol spider diagram it looks pretty good; not quite as good as D1 pre-ESP, but almost. I can't find D1 pre-ESP locally but the jobber ordered SHC for me, no shipping charge.

Charlie
 
Last edited:
Yes, the higher the viscosity index, the better in most cases. Let's at least all come to that conclusion.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: BoiseRob
Well it looks like...

Rotella is a synthetic blend based on the MSDS:

"Blend of synthetic hydrocarbon, polyalphaolefins and additives. The highly refined mineral oil contains w) DMSO-extract, according to IP346."

Actually, the common meaning of "synthetic blend" is a mix of synthetic and mineral oils, where usually the synthetic part is less than 50%. What you quoted here does not look like a synthetic blend but rather all synthetic (just a combination of several types of synthetic oil - group III and group IV). I believe the 3% mineral is only used as additive carrier - all synthetic oils are like that.



The whole DMSO-extract thing is confusing. Until you read stuff like this. http://www.petrolabs.com/IP346.htm

The DMSO-extract thing is not an ingredient, it is a test to see how much carcinogenic compounds are in the oil. This oil contains less than 3% by weight (w/w)
 
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