Why hasn't Europe embraced the xW-20 oils?

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I must admit that even though I use MC 5W-20 in my Grand Marquis I remain skeptical of the xW-20 oils in general. For example, they just don't seem to exist in much of Europe. In the UK these are the only Mobil 1 oils listed:
Mobil 1 0W-40
Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30
Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel 0W-40
Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50
Mobil 1 Fuel Economy 0W-30

And people can't tell me that it doesn't get cold there in the winter. Scotland has winters just as bad as the Northeast in the U.S. Ford UK recommends 12-month, 12,500 mile OCIs for most of their new cars, and I believe they mostly spec. 5W-30. European manufacturers just have not embraced the concept of 20W oils.
 
My guesses:

1. In most European countries there is less pressure in terms of government-mandated fuel economy and emissions standards.

2. In many countries, vehicles are taxed based on engine displacement, which means more small engines that have to be run harder to get from A to B.

3. Regardless of engine size, Europeans in general are not morbidly afraid of using more than half throttle or 3,000 RPM.

4. Europe has more highways where you can travel at high speeds for long periods of time, which can lead to higher oil temps.
 
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
Ford UK recommends 12-month, 12,500 mile OCIs for most of their new cars, and I believe they mostly spec. 5W-30. European manufacturers just have not embraced the concept of 20W oils.

You kind of touched on the main reason right there - very extended OCIs. Many manufacturers there actually recommend even longer ones nowadays - every 2 years or up to 30k km (20k miles). With these types of intervals, an Xw-20 oil would leave very little safety buffer if you happened to come across things like fuel dilution or extended high speed hwy operation.
 
Some say the ACEA standards used in Europe are more stringent than the API and ILSAC standard. They pay a lot more for oil over there, and they may also get a better product.
 
I know Honda does specify 0W-20 for a number of their models in Europe.
But generally the reason most manufactuers don't is different market conditions; namely, longer OCI's and faster driving speeds. Since the recommended OCI's are are longer and with an allowable 15% shear many lighter 30wt's will shear down into the 20wt range.
They drive faster in Europe which means higher oil temps and therefore lower operational viscosities. I for one would not likely be running a 20wt in the winter in my BMW if I lived in Europe.
 
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
Some say the ACEA standards used in Europe are more stringent than the API and ILSAC standard. They pay a lot more for oil over there, and they may also get a better product.


yep
 
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1) The european mentality of vehicle maintenance. They just don't do it.
2) Availability of w20 oils.
3) OCIs mandated due to costs
4) Driving styles/speeds.
 
All of the above are valid points I guess, but I don't buy in to it. Oil over there is high because they are all taxed to death. It takes longer (in distance) to drive across Texas than it does to drive across most of Europe, so I don't buy in to the high speed stuff. If 5W-30 will work over there, so will 5W-20.

They just need to step up to the plate.
 
I agree with Johny. I used to travel in Europe quite commonly for 15 years on business and I was amazed how long they had leaded gas available. This while wagging their finger at us for "abusing the environment". They could get far better
gas mileage by driving slower and in addition their vehicles would last longer. If they need to go long distances, their train system is fantastic.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
It takes longer (in distance) to drive across Texas than it does to drive across most of Europe, so I don't buy in to the high speed stuff.


That, and aside from Germany, most of the motorway speed limits in Europe are very comparable to what we have here in the USA.
 
They do drive fast in Europe when on the highway, but more typical driving is very short trips. A long trip in England is a 50-mile jaunt on the weekend. A lot of people commute a short ways to a train or bus stop, and then ride the rest of the way to work. I would guess that the typical European driving pattern is more severe than the typical USA driving pattern. I think that's one reason they've gone to those 12-month OCI's--a lot of folks only drive 5-6000 miles in that 12 months. I have read that Americans drive 70% more miles per year than Italians, who drive the most in Europe.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
1. In most European countries there is less pressure in terms of government-mandated fuel economy and emissions standards.


Why is this the case for Europe re. fuel economy and emission standards? I would have thought that Europe/EU to be the more highly regulated country (vs the US) for most matters including energy and emissions
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For their climate, I think Europeans would be better off with thinner oil and shorter OCIs. "Old World" thinking means "old school," so they aren't as progressive about oil viscosity as North America. Exceptions apply for hard-driven cars and/or the German autobahn, but I bet the average European commute is more short trips like England.
 
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They have smaller displacements and more diesels, don't they? We don't spec 20 weights in such engines, so I don't expect them to either.
 
Blah! I just typed everything up, and got a network error, just as I was posting.

European oils are generally used in higher-revving engines and for longer periods. Many of my friends are extremely surprised to see some American cars 'idling' (as they call it) at 1,800-2,000 rpm at highway speeds.

I've been out the UK for over 2 years now, but back in 2008, it used to cost me £55 ($83 USD) for a 4 litre jug of Castrol Edge 0W-30. The Mobil 1 products you described are similarly priced, although Mobil 1 tends to be a tad bit more expensive. If you're looking at conventional oil, the cheapest house brand 10W-40 you can find was about £20 ($30) for 4 litres.

The average OCI in the UK is 10,000 miles or 1 year on conventional motor oil, with 10W-40 being the most popular grade. A lot of the newer cars are now recommending 5W-30. Having said that, oil filters are not cheap either. I used to pay £10 ($15) for an aftermarket oil filter for my '99 Maxima. A genuine Nissan one was something as stupid as £18 ($27). Labour charges to change engine oil and filter used to average about £25 ($37.65) in Glasgow. If I was looking to get a full synthetic oil change, with an aftermarket filter, and get it done in a garage, I'd be looking to pay £90 ($135.55), and that's with a 4 litre slump capacity. Albeit that's an example using a fully synthetic, taking all of this into account, you can bet people will want to extend their drain intervals as much as possible.

The only vehicle I know of that actually recommends a 5W-20 in Europe is the new Jaguar XF, and this is a full synthetic. Fuchs have a selection of xW-20 engine oils, as well as brands such as Silkolene (still Fuchs) and Motul - but they are all synthetic. Walking into an auto parts store, you would be hard pushed to find an xW-20 motor oil on the shelf. If you're after this particular viscosity, your easiest bet is to buy online. So xW-20 oils are slowly making an appearance, but I reckon they will all be full synthetic offerings.
 
Originally Posted By: prax
They have smaller displacements and more diesels, don't they? We don't spec 20 weights in such engines, so I don't expect them to either.


VERY valid point!
 
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