Non-synthetic ACEA A3/B3 in US?

[tai]

Just wondering, are there any non-synthetic oils in the US that meets ACEA A3/B3 specs? Pennzoil Purebase 10w40? Thanks

 

[vvk]

Sure, lots of them. For example: Castrol Syntec 10W-40 and 5W-50 Valvoline Durablend 10W-40/15W-40/20W-50 Valvoline SynPower 5W-40/20W-50 QS Synthetic 5W-50 Most "synthetic" oil for sale in the US are in fact non-synthetic Group III oils.

 

[tai]

Ah, that's true. In this case, though, I meant "non-synthetic" in price as well. No point paying for one of the above when one can get a full-synthetic for the same price. But does your answer mean there aren't any group II oils that meet ACEA A3/B3 specs? [ March 22, 2003, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: tai ]

 

[Ken2]

Schaeffer #701 5W-30 and #703 10W-30 syn blends are rated ACEA A3-02. Ken

 

[nicrfe1370]

tai, In my efforts to find an oil test that really meant something, I discovered that the ACEA tests are so tough that only synthetics and some blends can pass. I have not seen a group II that claims to pass, not Mobil, Catrol, Pennzoil, Havoline, Quaker State, nor a handful of others that I have researched. Some of these oils are still **** good oils for the money, but to my knowledge, no non-synthetic oil seems to pass ACEA.

 

[Neil Womack]

If you want mineral oil with no group III or group IV oils look at Schaeffers Moly Bond X-200 15w-40 ACEA = A3-98, B3-98, B4-98, E3-96, E5-99 API CI-4/SL plus a host of manufacture specifications. This Moly Bond oil is almost identical to Schaeffer's Supreme (Syn Blend) 15w-40 except it does not have as good a cold cranking number. Now if you only need the ACEA A rating. All the Schaeffer's oils from the 5w-30 to the 20w-50 racing oils meet A1-02, A2-96, A3-02 and A5-02 Check out these synthetic oils: Delvac 1 5w-40, Chevron Delo 400 5w-40, Castrol Elixon 5w-30, Kendall GT-1 5w-40, Pennzoil Euro formula 5w-40.

 

[TooSlick]

Tai, I think I know what you are asking .... There are no 5w-30 or 10w-30 petroleum based oils that meet the ACEA A3/B3 specifications. If you were to test some of the 15w-40 commercial oils, they might pass these tests, primarily due to their more robust additive chemistry. ACEA A3/B3 requires a HT/HS viscosity of at least 3.5 Cp - it is very difficult to achieve this with a 5w-30 or 10w-30 petroleum oil due to the # of VI modifier needed. TooSlick

 

[Ken2]

Here's the ACEA oil specs. Look at pages 4-6 for the gasoline engine oil spec. http://www.acea.be/ACEA/20020618PublicationsOilSequences.pdf --quote-- A1--Oil intended for use in gasoline engines specifically designed to be capable of using low friction, low viscosity oils with a High Temperature / High Shear Rate Viscosity of 2.6 to 3.5 mPa.s. These oils may be unsuitable for use in some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt. A2--General purpose oil intended for use in most gasoline engines with normal drain intervals, although it may not be suitable for some high performance engines. A3--Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for year-round use of low viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine manufacturer. A4--Reserved for future use for gasoline direct injection engines. A5--Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use at extended drain intervals in high performance gasoline engines designed to be capable of using low friction, low viscosity oils with a HT/HS of 2.9 to 3.5 mPa.s. These oils may be unsuitable for use in some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt. --end quote-- Note that A2-96 is probably the weakest spec, then A1-02, A5-02, and A3-02 is tops. The B group of specs are for light duty diesel engines, and the E group of specs are for heavy duty diesels. Ken [ March 23, 2003, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: Ken2 ]

 

[tai]

Well, it doesn't have to be a 5w30 or 10w30 oil. I saw recommendations for Pennzoil PureBase 10w40 oil in another thread, partly because it has a HTHS of 3.7, and was wondering if this oil, and possibly other dino oils of the 10w40 range, meet the rest of the ACEA A3/B3 specs, which, to be honest, I'm not familiar with. I think it includes requirements for fuel economy, longevity, and cold temp startup.

 

[Justin]

The API tests mean nothing in terms of how good an oil actually is (even the cheapest of the cheap oil meets the latest API SL rating.) On the other, I've previously heard that the European ACEA tests are tough to meet and show how good an oil really is. I realize this is in a different category (diesel engine ACEA standards), but Chevron Delo 400 15w-40 (that's non-synthetic oil!) meets ACEA categories E3 and E5. Good stuff! Justin.