The internal combustion engine is one of the great inventions of the modern era, and its story in recent years has been one of continuous evolution toward critical efficiency goals. And like the engine, engine oils and proper lubrication have been an essential component since the beginning.

As engine technology continues to evolve, it’s my intention as president of Lubrizol Additives that the lubricants industry stays right there with the most forward-thinking innovations that OEMs create. We have the technology—and we have the responsibility.

We’re at a critical moment when it comes to the intersection of new engine tech and the evolution of the lubricant. As I’ve documented recently, our industry faces some hurdles when it comes to putting the necessary performance into the hands of consumers as required by the ever-evolving vehicles that populate the road today. Our specification development process is monolithic and slow moving, but we’ve shown our ability to sidestep that process and deliver on critical needs when the situation demands it.

The rapid development of API SN Plus to combat low speed pre-ignition (LSPI) is worth our continued examination. Why? Because turbocharged gasoline direct (TGDI) engines, which have become the favored choice by OEMs to reach new emissions and fuel economy targets, remain a new technology in the grand scheme of engine evolution. And just as engine oils evolved to deliver greater performance on traditional port fuel injected engines, they must do the same as OEMs perfect TGDI engines.

Successful elimination of LSPI based solely on hardware would have required complex re-engineering of TGDI engines for OEMs in future models, to say nothing of existing cars on the road. In this case, a lubricant solution was ideal to overcome a critical challenge.

This is the way it should work. Lubrizol believes that engine technology and lubricant technology should evolve in tandem, via continuous collaboration and idea sharing.

The lubricants industry must continue conversations around how we can meet OEM needs proactively, outside the burdens of our existing specification process. API SN Plus shows us how a rolling specification process that proactively delivers on evolving needs can be successful. We need to be taking those lessons and applying them to our industry process as a whole.

And TGDI engines aren’t the end of the story. Other new and emerging technologies have specific and important demands of the lubricant. Start/stop engine systems. Hybrid vehicles. Future technologies that have yet to be launched.

Our view

Advanced engine oils enable the continued evolution of engine technology. And it’s the responsibility of the lubricants industry to ensure we’re delivering on evolving needs, swiftly and proactively.

For more information on advanced engine oils, contact your Lubrizol representative.