JASO MA1 spec

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
11
Location
Canada
Referring to the JASO MA spec http://www.oilspecifications.org/articles/JASO_MA_JASO_MB.php
I never see any oil that is JASO MA1 rated. Seems all are either MA or MA2
Looking at the spec, MA is split into MA1 and MA2:

JASO MA
Dynamic Friction Characteristic Index (DFI)
>=1.45 and
JASO MA1
Dynamic Friction Characteristic Index (DFI)
>=1.45 and
JASO MA2
Dynamic Friction Characteristic Index (DFI)
>=1.8 and
I understand that if the oil meets some MA1 and some MA2 it is rated as MA but I am curious why no JASO MA1 oils or at least none on the certified list. And if there are no MA1 oils then why have the spec? Why not just MA and MA2?
 
Last edited:
That post you posted says what meets that standard, In order for a motor oil to meet any of the above mentioned JASO standards it must be at least of one of the following quality levels:

API SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM
ILSAC GF-1, GF-2, GF-3
ACEA A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5, C2, C3
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
That post you posted says what meets that standard, In order for a motor oil to meet any of the above mentioned JASO standards it must be at least of one of the following quality levels:

API SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM
ILSAC GF-1, GF-2, GF-3
ACEA A1/B1, A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5, C2, C3


Yes but that is the case for MA, MA1 amd MA2 I am trying to understand why have an MA1 rating at all since I have not seen any oil rated MA1 but maybe there are.
 
usually MA or MA2 is good for shared sump(some motorcycles etc)

MA1 is usually not good for those applications.

For example rotella triple protection 15w40 or Rotella T3 15w40

vs rotella t5 15w40
 
That's because there is also a low-friction JASO MB specification. JASO MA, MA1, and MA2 are the high-friction specifications. There is usually no point in using the "lower-high-friction specification" MA1 of the MA/MA1/MA2 specifications, which borders the MB spec, if you need a high-friction oil.

Google and see the Afton Specification Handbook for more info.

Four-Stroke Classifications: JASO T903, 2011
JASO T904 Dynamic Friction Characteristic Index (DFI) Static Friction Characteristic Index (SFI) Stop Time Index (STI)


JASO MA 1.30 JASO MA1 1.30 JASO MA2 1.85 JASO MB 0.50 <= DFI < 1.30 0.50 <= SFI < 1.25 0.50 <= STI < 1.45
 
In the link you provided it states, "If all three properties of a JASO MA oil fall within the limits specified as MA1 then the oil can be classified as a JASO MA1 oil. If all its properties fall within the limits of MA2 then it can be classified as a JASO MA2 oil. If some properties fall within the MA1 subcategory but others in MA2 then the product is simply a JASO MA product."

The only way an oil can be labeled as MA1/MA2 is if they meet all the friction indices of those particular specifications. If the oil falls into multiple indices, i.e, static and dynamic were MA1 but the stop time index was MA2, it would be labeled as JASO MA. I would venture to say that most oil manufacturers are primarily concerned with meeting the MA specification, or they are in search of meeting the highest friction levels of MA2 rather than shooting for the specification in the middle. Although very few motorcycle oils meet JASO MA1, they are present. I agree simplifying the specification to MA/MA2 would make life easier and avoid confusion for consumers.
 
Originally Posted By: shanneba
Penrite makes a HPR 5 SAE 5W-40 MA1 rated oil...


Thanks for the response. However, I thought I would check because sometimes what's printed on the container may not be precise and I was surprised to find no mention of JASO in the actual Product Information Sheet. http://penriteoil.com.au/assets/pis_pdfs/HPR 5 APRIL 2017.pdf

But lets believe the container so the count is JASO MA1 oils : 1
 
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
That's because there is also a low-friction JASO MB specification. JASO MA, MA1, and MA2 are the high-friction specifications. There is usually no point in using the "lower-high-friction specification" MA1 of the MA/MA1/MA2 specifications, which borders the MB spec, if you need a high-friction oil.

Google and see the Afton Specification Handbook for more info....


I have the handbook and I think I am agreeing with you that "there is no point in using the lower, high-friction spec of MA1.

So are these statements correct:

JASO MA classification is for oils that meet SOME MA1 and SOME MA2
MA2 is the "preferred" spec.
MA second preferred spec as the oils meet MA1 and some MA2
MA1 is the least preferred spec
I am assuming that if the oil limits ALL fall in the MA1 range you cannot market it as MA and are restricted to MA1
 
Last edited:
It is this simple:

MA1 is the "worse" of the specs between MA1 and MA2 since it would result in more slipping of the clutch. An oil meeting MA1 specs could also be classified as MA since it falls within the total MA range. So why advertise that your oil guarantees the very minimum amount of friction in the clutch when you could imply to customers that it might have some better clutch friction capabilities by calling it an MA.

Even more simply: Why call it an MA1 oil when MA is better in the informed consumer's eyes? I would suspect that a good number of the MA oils out there would also qualify for MA1.
 
Originally Posted By: shanneba
Maybe a better question would be does any manufacturer spec using a MA1 oil?

I think Honda CRFs used to, but I can't recall the years. I think it was because the GN4 was MA1 at one point.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top