Synthetic oil numbers
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:57 pm
Lately, I took my 2016 Volvo XC60 T6 to a service center for 40,000 miles maintenance.
The mechanic used Motul 5W-40 100% synthetic oil but I am not sure which product he used. I checked on Motul's web site and there are only 3 oils with SAE 5W-40 rating:
6100 Synergie+ 5W-40 (ACEA A3/B4)
8100 X-clean 5W-40 (ACEA C3)
8100 X-cess 5W-40 (ACEA A3/B4)
On Volvo's manual, it states:
Confused with ACEA categories/specs, I checked online and finally found some information I could better understand.
Also, from the following web pages, the Relative Performance section illustrate the difference between A5/B5 and A3/B4. Fuel Economy.
https://www.lubrizol.com/Lubricant-and- ... EA-A5B5-10 https://www.lubrizol.com/Lubricant-and- ... EA-A3B4-10 I will see if the fuel economy drops in a few refills since I keep my record for every refill. Hopefully, it doesn't hurt too much on fuel economy.
The mechanic used Motul 5W-40 100% synthetic oil but I am not sure which product he used. I checked on Motul's web site and there are only 3 oils with SAE 5W-40 rating:
6100 Synergie+ 5W-40 (ACEA A3/B4)
8100 X-clean 5W-40 (ACEA C3)
8100 X-cess 5W-40 (ACEA A3/B4)
On Volvo's manual, it states:
Code: Select all
Oil specifications
Full synthetic engine oil meeting the minimum
ACEA A5/B5 must be used. Lower quality oils
may not offer the same fuel economy, engine
performance, or engine protection
Code: Select all
ACEA Engine Oil Specifications - oilspecifications.org
Unlike API the ACEA specs are split into performance/application catagories as follows:
A1 Fuel economy petrol
A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
A3 High performance and/or extended drain
A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines
A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance
B1 Fuel economy diesel
B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
B3 High performance and/or extended drain
B4 For direct injection car diesel engines
B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance
Oil Specifications Explained - What does 10w40 mean?
The A/B class's A1/B1 and A5/B5 oils have lower HTHS viscosities, which means that they provide better fuel economy but they may not provide adequate protection in engines that are not designed for them. ACEA A3/B3 and A3/B4 on the other hand require oils with higher HTHS viscosities that may not provide as good fuel economy as an A1/B1 or A5/B5 oil but may offer better engine protection in certain engine designs.
from what i understand:
A3/B3 provides protection
A5/B5 provides similar protection as A3 but with better fuel economy
https://www.lubrizol.com/Lubricant-and- ... EA-A5B5-10 https://www.lubrizol.com/Lubricant-and- ... EA-A3B4-10 I will see if the fuel economy drops in a few refills since I keep my record for every refill. Hopefully, it doesn't hurt too much on fuel economy.