Technical question on Ravenol DXG

[Bill_W]

Been discussing this oil on a Miata site. The person pointed out the oil is low SAPS. (per Ravenol) There is not a ASTM rating in the info.

RAVENOL DXG SAE 5W-30

RAVENOL DXG SAE 5W-30 is a PAO (Polyalphaolefin) based, full synthetic low friction motor oil with especially USVO® and proven CleanSynto® technology for p...

www.ravenol.de

The sulphated ash amount listed in the above is % weight 0,92 using DIN 51575 testing. How does that compare to ASTM less than .05% for low SAPS?

 

[UG_Passat]

It's technically not low SAPS. It even exceeds mid-SAPS per ACEA, which the sulphated ash limit is 0.8% Low-SAPS have a sulphated ash limit of 0.5%

 

[CarfriendXX]

For me, Ravenol's oils are nothing special. They are good, but they are others too, but they are more expensive. I have not yet been able to observe that these showed themselves with better results..

 

[OVERKILL]

For me, Ravenol's oils are nothing special. They are good, but they are others too, but they are more expensive. I have not yet been able to observe that these showed themselves with better results..

Unfortunately, "results" would have to be qualified via teardowns, which realistically, nobody on here is going to do. We have seen a few high mileage Euro valve cover off pics of engines run on Ravenol and the engines were absolutely spotless. So, if you are a fan of cleanliness, that may have value. In terms of wear performance? Well, you are pretty much beholden to the approvals the oil carries.

 

[CarfriendXX]

I think that an oil analysis as we have available here in the forum can make very good statements about an engine oil in a particular engine.
The engines filled with Mobil 1 also looked super clean, and cost me half here in Europe. I see no reason for myself to switch to such oils, as there are cheap engine oils that are equally good. But everyone as he likes, maybe it's my aversion to PAO and cheeky prices.

 

[Brian123]

Unfortunately, "results" would have to be qualified via teardowns, which realistically, nobody on here is going to do. We have seen a few high mileage Euro valve cover off pics of engines run on Ravenol and the engines were absolutely spotless. So, if you are a fan of cleanliness, that may have value. In terms of wear performance? Well, you are pretty much beholden to the approvals the oil carries.

I am guessing this Ravenol oil has Group IV and Group V Basestocks as well as some Esters? The reason I am asking was I did not find a SDS on there oil.

 

[OVERKILL]

I think that an oil analysis as we have available here in the forum can make very good statements about an engine oil in a particular engine.
The engines filled with Mobil 1 also looked super clean, and cost me half here in Europe. I see no reason for myself to switch to such oils, as there are cheap engine oils that are equally good. But everyone as he likes, maybe it's my aversion to PAO and cheeky prices.

I have had fantastic success with Mobil products spanning multiple decades, and this includes verification of performance using tear-downs. My point is simply that in terms of what we CAN qualify about Ravenol, we do know it keeps engines clean. So do Mobil products, no argument from me there.

Oil analysis is extremely limited in what it tells us about wear performance and isn't designed to allow us to contrast the performance of different lubricants to each other, that's a misuse of the tool. Its primary purpose is to provide health data about the lubricant itself and its suitability for continued use. Trending this data also allows one to spot anomalies and potential mechanical issues as well as contamination. I personally use them to keep an eye on fuel dilution, which is another great use of the tool, and within the scope of its intended utility.

If you haven't read Doug Hillary's excellent article on the main page of this site on used oil analysis, I highly recommend it. This is something you'll find both myself and @kschachn touch-on frequently when UOA's get brought up because there is a rather storied history of their misuse in the enthusiast scene, including on this site.

 

[OVERKILL]

I am guessing this Ravenol oil has Group IV and Group V Basestocks as well as some Esters? The reason I am asking was I did not find a SDS on there oil.

They speak of using PAO, I assume they'd use esters to balance that out, which is what is typically done. Not sure if they use any AN's like Mobil does, particularly with PAO.

 

[Bill_W]

The 0,92 in the original post. DIN is German standards. Does that follow into ASTM for % ash? Notice the comma. (0,92)

 

[CarfriendXX]

Could you post the page again for me, that would be very nice . So you would say that you can't tell from an analysis whether one oil works better or worse than another? So it's not easy that you can easily draw conclusions about a good or bad engine oil for the respective engine?

 

[OVERKILL]

Could you post the page again for me, that would be very nice . So you would say that you can't tell from an analysis whether one oil works better or worse than another? So it's not easy that you can easily draw conclusions about a good or bad engine oil for the respective engine?

Absolutely:

Used Oil Analysis - Bob is the Oil Guy

UOAs are a great tool in the Management of any machinery that uses liquid lubricants. Unfortunately, their real value is often misunderstood by those who contribute to BITOG. Firstly, it is important to realize that you get what you pay for. The most common forms of UOA are limited in their...

bobistheoilguy.com

And yes, exactly.