APR 08

New CAFE standards are keeping auto companies extremely interested in any technology that will do anything to increase efficiency. Already GM has stopped developing its new V8 engine, and most car companies are slowing production of rear-wheel drive vehicles, because they're slightly less efficient.

So they should also be excited about a new kind of motor oil that Mobil says will increase the efficiency of cars by up to 2%. Now, really, 2% isn't all that much. Possibly not enough to get car companies excited at all, but, multiplied by the 1 trillion miles that our 21 mpg vehicle fleet travels yearly, that's about 2.8 billion gallons of gas...or nearly $9 billion dollars...saved per year.

The new lightweight motor oil spreads aroud the engine more quickly, reducing friction on startup and the oil pump doesn't have to work as hard moving it around.

The problem with the claim of 2% savings is that it's very difficult to quantify. Two percent of efficiency can easily be gained or lost depending on which way the wind is blowing, or what kind of road you're driving on. But for those of us who'll do anything to pick up a couple miles per gallon, we should definitely ask if they have any 0W-20 or 0W-30 "Advanced Fuel Economy" next time we're at the Jiffy Lube. According to Mobil...the fuel savings should offset the cost of the slightly more expensive oil anyhow.

Via EcoModder

Comments (12)

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Super Sin Technology?
written by Karsten, April 08, 2008

Bad Marketing!

Karsten

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written by Virgil, April 08, 2008

I have a very hard time believing that an OIL company would make one product that would result in you buying less of their other main product, namely gasoline. Mobil is not exactly renowned for their tree-hugging qualities.

Still, some idiots will be convinced to buy this stuff for the extra price premium - the same folks who like to buy blue LED washer nozzles at the Auto-Zone.

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Read Owners' Manual
written by josh, April 08, 2008

This is nothing really new. My car's owners' manual states to use different viscosity oils when the temperature is different outside to maximize efficiency of the engine. If you use the wrong viscosity you'll have worse mileage.

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written by Bob Wallace, April 08, 2008

Mobil will introduce a better oil if they think it will help them capture a larger market share.

Give up 2% to get 10%.

Works for me....

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Even thinner oil??
written by sdonham, April 08, 2008

Yay marketing!
I have a fairly modern car (2006 Subaru) and even Mobil's fully synthetic "Mobil 1" oil is too thin for my car. It's so thin that it squeezes by the cylinder rings and through the PCV valve ultimately burning a quart every 1000 miles.

From what I've read, many car owners have experienced this with Mobil 1, so I'm not alone. Having switched to Valvoline, the problem went away completely.

In short, I can't imagine Mobile making an even thinner oil unless they can manage to sell more of it via impressive marketing.

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Srs1y, Hank
written by johnny, April 08, 2008

Is it really that hard to put your articles through spell check before posting them? "Aroud"? Come on.

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Some synthetics are good
written by KZ, April 08, 2008

I can believe that in some situations with certain motors, this is legitimate, but as a prior poster has noted it may not work well for all.

I do love what synthetics can do for you though. For instance, I have a diesel van (yeah yeah, get over it), and use the AMSOIL bypass filter system. What Ford will do warranty-wise is certainly one thing, but with oil analysis as confirmation, it's an oil filter and 1-2 quarts change every 15k miles with full change at 60k miles. That's a heck of a lot less oil than a full change of 15 quarts every 7.5k miles!!!! Loving that.

Will love EVs even more with no oil changes at all....

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Rear Wheel Drive
written by Fritz, April 08, 2008

Rear wheel drive dying. It's sad. And it's not the CAFE standards are bad but... they don't always think things through. Rear wheel drive cars need fewer repairs. They also have less complex systems since the drive wheels are not the turning wheels. Which saves more energy in the end?

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Rear Wheel Drive
written by josh, April 09, 2008

Rear wheel drive is great for quick acceleration, but even in West Texas we do have ice, and rear wheel drive and ice just don't mix.

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Re:Rear Wheel Drive
written by CF, April 09, 2008

@josh

Learn how to drive!

j/k

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written by steven, January 25, 2009

all the tree hugging that is going on has made be skeptical of any real benefits, and now i believe it's just another way to make us spend money. i drive an old diesel 4x4 black smoke machine. love it, i use 20w-50 valvoline, i change it when i have nothing to do and the wife starts her yapping, so i do change the oil frequently. but then i burry it in the back yard. works great, the enzymes in the dirt completely break it down, and my trees are actually very healthy and happy.

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inventor
written by Jeff Deibel, February 27, 2009

Quality oil is crucial for improved performance and longer engine life... but only if you use the right oil filter. Test have shown that renewable oil filters will improve performance, extend engine life, and improve gas mileage. Two outstanding renewable oil filters are the K&P Engineering brand and the award winning Dei-Max.
Go green... use renewable oil filters.

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