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Royal Purple Lubricants Helps Balance the
Cost of Lubricant Upgrades
Fleet lubrication is probably the last thing that comes to
mind when departments try to save money and improve efficiency. Upgrading
lubricants can have a significant impact to the bottom line; however, a
number of factors need to be considered before making such a change.
A fleet manager may have numerous rationales for upgrading
lubricants. Reducing maintenance expenses, improving fuel economy and
reducing emissions are common rationales.
Reducing maintenance expense is the most common benefit
lubricant salesmen tout when soliciting lubricant upgrades. This would seem
like a ‘no-brainer’ benefit; however, caution is advisable.
Extending oil drain intervals is the common method used to
attempt to reduce maintenance expenses via an oil upgrade. In theory, with
an upgraded lubricant, you could reduce the time (and labor expense) spent
on oil changes, as well as the amount of oil that needs to be purchased.
There are a few factors that influence any difference between theory and
actual experience — product performance, maintenance practices, equipment
condition and equipment use. Certainly, warranty requirements must always be
considered when service intervals are extended.
A lubricant must have superior oxidation stability in
order to extend oil drain intervals. A standard industry test that measures
oxidation stability is ASTM’s rigorous Thin Film Oxidation Uptake Test
(TFOUT). The test is so severe that it lasts only 1,300 minutes. Most
mineral oils last 300 minutes. Most synthetic oils last 500 minutes. The
longer the oil lasts during the test, the better the oxidation stability and
the longer you can reasonably extend the oil drain interval. At least one
lubricant on the market, Royal Purple, tests over 1,300 minutes in the TFOUT
test. This result indicates the quality of the final formulated product and
not just the base stock that ultimately determines product performance.
In order to extend oil drain intervals safely, fleet
lubrication practices / policies must ensure that vehicles’ oil levels are
checked regularly and that quality filters are used and replaced regularly.
Many new vehicles have a five quart oil sump. If the car is a quart low on
oil, it's missing a critical 20 percent of the oil needed to lubricate the
engine properly. That will more than offset the value of using quality, high
performance oil. Additionally, if filter quality is not good, or filter
changes are not performed on a regular basis, even an upgraded lubricant can
become contaminated and may degrade. If a fleet manager is confident in the
quality of the proposed upgraded lubricant and has procedures in place to
keep the equipment (and oil) properly serviced, it is simply a matter of
doing the math to cost-justify a lubricant upgrade.
Drains should not be extended beyond manufacturers’
recommendations for vehicles under warranty. Higher mileage vehicles may
require several services at normal intervals to allow for a system clean-up
prior to extending drains. To help establish a safe service extended
interval, oil analysis should be performed by a competent lab and be an
integral part of the evaluation process.
In addition to using extended oil drains as a
justification to upgrade lubricants, lubricant salesman often tout reduced
engine wear and the promise of extending vehicle service life. Again,
product quality and fleet lubrication practices / policies are the primary
factors in predicting whether that promise will be realized.
Oils with higher film strength not only prevent wear but
provide better sealing at the combustion chamber. This boosts engine
efficiency and cleanliness. The Falex No. 1 High Pressure Test is an
industry accepted test that measures the load that a film of oil can carry
to prevent metal-to-metal contact (i.e. the oil’s film strength).
Before a fleet manager embarks on upgrading lubricants in
an attempt to reduce maintenance expense, he / she should ask for test data
that support the lubricant salesman's / manufacturer’s claims. Additionally,
the fleet manager must ensure that good lubrication management practices are
in place. Otherwise, the upgraded lubricant will be of little or no value.
Two other rationales should be kept in mind when
considering a lubricant upgrade — improved fuel economy and reduced
emissions. Gas prices continue to climb and even a marginal improvement in
fuel economy can justify a lubricant upgrade. It all boils down to doing the
math. For instance, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, current
average fuel economy for passenger cars is 22 miles per gallon. If we assume
20,000 miles traveled per year and $2.00 per gallon as benchmarks, annual
fuel cost would be $1818.18 ([20,000 / 22 miles per gallon] * $2).
Using the chart below, one can determine how much of an
improvement in fuel economy must be experienced to cost-justify a lubricant
upgrade (if one does not plan to include reduced maintenance expense as part
of a cost justification).
% Improvement
in Fuel Economy |
|
MPG |
|
Annual Fuel
Cost at 20K miles |
 |
| 0% |
|
22 |
|
$1818.18 |
|
|
| 1% |
|
22.22 |
|
$1800.18 |
|
|
| 2% |
|
22.44 |
|
$1782.53 |
|
|
| 3% |
|
22.66 |
|
$1765.22 |
|
|
| 4% |
|
22.88 |
|
$1748.25 |
|
|
| 5% |
|
23.1 |
|
$1731.60 |
|
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One can quickly determine that a 3 percent improvement in
fuel economy would reduce annual fuel consumption by $52.96; consequently,
if the cost of upgrading lubricants was an additional $25.00 annually, the
annual savings per vehicle would be $27.96. Before purchasing any lubricant
based on fuel savings claims, a fleet manager should require independent
testing data that support the lubricant salesman's / manufacturer’s claims.
If reduced maintenance expense and / or improved fuel
economy are not issues of concern, a final rationale for justifying a
lubricant upgrade could be emissions abatement. According to the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average car emits as much as 575
pounds of carbon monoxide into the air each year. Emissions standards are
becoming increasingly stringent in an effort to reduce these numbers on
national, regional and local levels.
Any lubricant manufacturer that claims their lubricant(s)
reduce emissions should be able to provide independent test data that
supports their claims. It's not prudent to make an upgrade without the
proper documentation.
There are a number of high performance lubricants
available on the market. Some purportedly reduce maintenance expenses,
improve fuel economy and reduce emissions better than others. Before
embarking on an upgrade, it’s highly advisable to follow six easy steps to
ensure the likelihood for success:
- Have a clearly defined rationale / goal for upgrading.
- Research available products and request documentation
of the product’s performance claims.
- Determine which factors beyond the product's
performance may impact your results (i.e. lubrication management
practices, equipment condition, etc.).
- Select a representative sample from your fleet on which
to conduct a test prior to fleet-wide implementation.
- Set reasonable goals for a lubrication upgrade program
and work closely with a lubricant manufacturer’s technical department to
ensure a successful result.
- Get your department and drivers to buy into the program
by educating them from the beginning about what you are planning.
Upgrading lubricants can benefit most fleets. It simply
requires forethought, research, and adequate planning prior to
implementation.
— Article courtesy of Fleet Maintenance magazine
RESOURCES:
www.api.org
The American Petroleum Institute website. API is the trade organization that
represents the oil and natural gas industry.
www.astm.org
The American Society for Testing and Materials website. ASTM International
is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the
world — a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products,
systems, and services.
www.bts.gov
The United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation
Statistics website.
www.epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
www.noria.com
The Noria website. Noria provides a range of services related to machinery
lubrication and oil analysis.
 
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