Originally posted by DanB: ... Lastly, conventional oil has been improved vastly in the past ten years as refining processes have improved.
... No doubt motivated in no small way by the growing increase in market-pressure from synthetics during that same period of time.
I think the main driver for the SL spec was CAFE & emmisions, the new oil's biggest area of improvemnt can be seen in how it better maintains fuel efficency over the life of the oil.
From chevron on SL spec: "Most notable are the improvements in fuel economy, oil consumption/emissions system protection, oxidation control and high temperature piston deposits. "
and from mobil: "The latest industry specifications for motor oils, which became official July 1, 2001, are ILSAC (international Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee) GF3 and API (American Petroleum Institute) SL. The biggest changes in the new specifications relate to the measurement of high-temperature oxidation, deposit control, oil consumption and fuel economy improvements. If you would like more information, go to the API website at www.api.org."
97 Contour SE MTX
K&N 3530, UR UDP, 19# Injectors, mystery mod, FMS wires, Fordchip.com chip, SVT: TB, Flywheel, clutch, exhaust
04 Grand Caravan SXT
