Two Major Changes Coming in 2016: Federally Mandated Diesel Engine Requirements and New Oil Specifications
Two significant changes in the automotive industry in 2016 will have far-reaching effects on engines, fuels, and oils, including:
  1. Federally mandated requirements in diesel engines that necessitate additional emission and fuel economy improvements. These changes will increase engine temperatures, require more biodiesel, and create more air circulation within the engine.
  2. New oil specifications are being designed to meet these new engine standards. The new specifications are as follows:
  • Lower viscosity oil with the same engine protection - this increases fuel economy.
  • Higher engine temperature protection
  • Backwards compatibility for older engines
  • Oxidation and aeration protection
  • Compatibility and protection with biodiesel
To meet all these requirements, the oil industry will base its specifications on two different oil types: Type I for new engines and lower viscosity to increase fuel economy and Type II to be compatible with older engines (higher viscosity), performing to the new standards.
Cerma Motor Oil has already been developed to meet all the proposed standards in engine protection, oxidation, temperature, and biodiesel. In addition, Cerma tackles the issue with older engines - restoring performance so that the lower viscosity oil with increased fuel economy properties will protect and function.
Here are some of the benefits of Cerma Motor Oil:
  • Restores engine performance in older engines
  • Extends oil change intervals by 3, 4, or even 5 times the standard
  • Provides lower viscosity oil, which leads to increased fuel economy
  • Protects engines from oxidation and aeration
  • Compatible and protective with biodiesel
Research on the new PC-11 standards shows that lower viscosity and improved fuel economy can provide significant savings. The research suggests that moving from 40 to 30 weight oil provides a 2% to 5% savings, while moving from 30 to 20 weight provides a 4% to 8% savings. In internal testing, Cerma has seen a 15% to 20% savings when moving from a 30 to a 10, and a 25% to 35% savings when moving from a 30 to a 5.
According to the 2011 guide from the EPA, the use of lower viscosity oils can save significant amounts of money. However, the challenge now is developing tests to deal with the radical transformation in motors and components.
PC-11 for heavy-duty diesel engines and GF-6 for passenger automobiles are the two new oil specifications on the horizon at the same time. For each specification, there are likely to be two versions: one for current and future engines and another compatible with older engines. Consumers and maintenance workers will have to be careful in selecting the appropriate oil for their vehicles.