The obvious shortcoming of CATERHAM’s blend have been discussed ad nauseam as much as its supposed benefits. But here’s a simple question: since insanely high VI numbers come at a cost (very high Noack results), what benefit is there in using an oil that evaporates rapidly at high temps in addition to generally having poor performance for viscosity retention?
Basically, TGMO was very volatile and very shear-prone (combined with an already-low HT/HS in pursuit of fuel economy) so not only will your oil level likely drop quickly, the part that’s left will thin out and drop your overall viscosity, and what’s evaporated off will end up in your oil ring pack and on the backside of your intake valves, especially in a direct-injection engine. Where’s ANY benefit of using that oil as a blend, or even straight?
Those are all probably likely reasons why that original formula was quickly changed…
