Chevron Lubricants, maker of the Delo brand of engine oils, lubricants and coolants, said it recently conducted benchmark testing to determine how its premium conventional heavy-duty motor oil, Delo 400 LE SAE 15W-40, performed against major oil companies’ semi-synthetics. Test results showed that Delo 400 LE with Isosyn Technology was equal to, if not better than, leading semi-synthetics in industry-recognized tests in the areas of wear control, oxidation and deposit control, according to the company.
“Most heavy-duty semi-synthetics are touted as having superior performance over conventional oils, but that’s largely a marketing effort to persuade customers that the addition of synthetic base oil to an engine oil formulation will deliver a higher level of protection to critical components, thus justifying the extra price,” said Len Badal, commercial sector manager, Chevron Lubricants. “The notion that a semi-synthetic or synthetic blend provides significant benefits over a product like our Delo 400 LE 15W-40 is a myth. This misperception, coupled with a fleet’s desire to extend drain intervals, has resulted in many fleets switching to semi-synthetics without fully researching the facts. Based on our research and general information provided by several large heavy-duty OEMs, the performance benefits of semi-synthetics versus premium formulated heavy-duty engine oils are marginal at best, and typically don’t justify the additional price a customer must pay for them.”
In one test designed to look at soot-related wear protection, Delo 400 LE significantly outperformed three of the four semi-synthetics tested, showing between 16%-41% better wear protection. Tests for oxidation and deposit control also showed very good performance results of Delo 400 LE versus the four major oil companies’ semi-synthetic products, the maker said.
The company also conducted extended drain field tests in which Delo 400 LE 15W-40 showed that it could provide superb extended drain protection and performance – an area the semi-synthetics tout as their strength. In recent over-the-road field tests using 12 Detroit Diesel 15 (DD15) engines, Delo 400 LE 15W-40 with Isosyn Technology was able to extend drains out to 70,000 miles for the customer without filter changes, Chevron said. In this testing, both wear protection and oxidation control were validated from the Delo bench tests.
According to the company, following the test, one of the DD15 engines was torn down and inspected. At 70,000-mile oil drains, inspection of the engine at 400,000 miles of service life indicated excellent engine durability with low wear, low deposits and clean engine.
