Pro's & Con's : Low Calcium Oil In GDI Engine ?

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As the title states what are the pro's & con's of using a low calcium synthetic oil in a GDI engine - Specifically as it may relate to deposits and potentially keeping intake valves cleaner ? Thanks in advance ...
 
The move to lower Calcium oils specifically addresses concerns with LSPI. Intake valves are a completely different animal.

GDI engines are great for higher power densities and fuel economy - but the conventional wisdom regarding deposits and fluid selection has completely gone out the window. We have done a great job with removing IVD's using gasoline detergents in PFI engine, and Calcium oils have been the standard for years. Under the new reality of GDI, you need a completely different approach:

-New engine oils to combat LSPI
-New gasoline detergents that focus on injector and combustion chamber deposits
-New Air intake service products that remove IVD's
-A change in mentality for maintenance where more attention is needed to be paid.

So if GDI upsets our thinking in a slow moving industry, just imagine what happens when Turbulent Jet Injection makes its way into Passenger cars.
 
Turbulent jet injection??! Yeah, we would be hammered.

OP just a heads up but Solarent is one of the most knowledgeable people on this here site. So, I greatly respect his take on topics discussed on here.
 
Good information - on my new '17 Hyundai 2.4L GDI engine my current fill is PPPP 5W20 syn which is running quite nicely at the moment with plan to do 4K - to 5K OCI's (ATL suburban trafic...) It is my understanding that PPPP is a high calcium oil where as M1 syn is a lower calcium oil ? Never checked other syns so may need to snoop that category out at PQIA (although some syns info there are getting dated ) ... Your thoughts ?
 
You shouldn't have to worry about calcium in particular given that LSPI seems to be an issue primarily in turbo direct injection engines (like the one in my FXT, which was recalled due to LSPI).

There is a lot of speculation that intake valve deposits in GDI engines can be lessened by using oils with low NOACK loss and low Sulfated Ash, Phosphorus, and Sulfur (SAPS). I honestly don't know if there have been any studies that show that this is really the case. Low SAPS oils will necessarily have to have reduced levels of ZDDP, which is an important anti-wear additive that contains phosphorus and sulfur. An extreme example of a low NOACK, low SAPS 5W30 is Mobil 1 ESP, which has a NOACK loss of about 6.5% and 0.6% SAPS (regular M1 5W30 is about 10% and 0.8%, respectively). The ESP oil also has a reduced detergent level that makes it less than suitable for long oil change intervals in the US, its real design target was for European diesels using low sulfur fuel...a low detergent oil will have a low Total Base Number (TBN) that reflects a lower capacity for neutralizing acids, IIRC the TBN for M1 5W30 is just under 10 and it's between 6 and 7 for the ESP flavor. For whatever reason, the 5W30 ESP has about the same dose of calcium-based detergents as regular M1 5W30 but almost none of the magnesium-based detergents of the latter...I have no idea why that is the case.
 
I would think that PPPP 5Wxx would be a good quality oil (except perhaps the high calcium). Conversely I have used the M1 0Wxx before , I liked it and it is in the low calcium camp . *I feel I have got to be doing beter to EVEN think about the GDI situation and best oils versus 99% of Hyundai / Kia GDI engine owners who go to the dealer or Iffylube for their oil changes ? ... My goal is 10 years or 250,000 miles on this GDI engine Sonata which I base on good planned maintanence and smart oil / OCI choices .
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
I would think that PPPP 5Wxx would be a good quality oil (except perhaps the high calcium). Conversely I have used the M1 0Wxx before , I liked it and it is in the low calcium camp . *I feel I have got to be doing beter to EVEN think about the GDI situation and best oils versus 99% of Hyundai / Kia GDI engine owners who go to the dealer or Iffylube for their oil changes ? ... My goal is 10 years or 250,000 miles on this GDI engine Sonata which I base on good planned maintanence and smart oil / OCI choices .


Mobil 1 0W40 FS is not a low calcium oil...
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4028326/Mobil_1_M1_0W-40_%22FS%22
Again, I don't think this a big concern for you since your GDI is not turbocharged.
 
Sorry - should have said M1 0W20/30 AFE which has roughly half the calcium as does PPPP .
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
Sorry - should have said M1 0W20/30 AFE which has roughly half the calcium as does PPPP .


Didn't mean to sound nitpicky, but it is sometimes assumed that the whole M1 line is low calcium because most of the grades are.
I made that assumption myself and was surprised the first time I saw a 0W40 VOA or UOA...I'm curious to see what the new "Annual Protection" products look like as far as calcium and general formulation is concerned.
 
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