It seems many in the motor sports community love to discuss engine oils. And for every legitimate question a rider has about oil, there are normally ten fold the amount of answers. Many of these answers will contain false information to some degree. But, bad info gets passed around so much, and heard/repeated by so many, that misinformation eventually becomes commonly accepted as truth.
More often than not, a manufacturers marketing division will capitalize on any sort of collective ignorance the consuming public exhibits, and use it to their company’s financial advantage. Take for example, the elevated prices we see on oils that are supposedly “Motorcycle Specific” type oils that carry the JASO MA or MB certifications. (Or for that matter, oils that only claim to meet the certification standards, yet have not actually been certified as such)
The public seems to have the perception that these high-priced, aggressively marketed oils must be better than plain old engine oils on the shelf at the service station or auto parts store. They are much higher in price than the car or diesel oils, and that alone tends to say that the product is better…doesn’t it?
Many times these high-priced moto-specific oils will also have pictures of motorcycles on the labels. And the wording on these labels also tells us that these oils are specifically formulated for motorcycle use, which tells us that its better oil than one made for a car or a diesel truck, or does it?
Well, maybe the JASO certified oils are better than shelf oils, and maybe their not. There is absolutely nothing within the JASO certification that points to these “motorcycle specific” oils being any more robust or better than ANY of the oils sitting on the car or diesel marketed oil shelves.
The first thing we must understand about oils is how they are formulated. Engine oils start out with base stock oil. These base fluids are categorized into groups. Currently the grouping of the oils is as follows:
Group I Refined organic crude oil
Group II Even more refined organic crude oil
Group III Crude oil that has been through a hydro-cracking process which “super refines” the crude into a structure nearly as perfect as a lab created synthetic.
Group IV Synthetic base stock created in the lab. This group is reserved for PAO (polyalphaolefin) only.
Group V This is also a synthetic base stock which is lab created, and is reserved for all synthetic bases that are not PAO. Esters and other sorts of synthetic base formulations fall into this category.
Many oil companies will market their oils as being “Synthetic”, when the fact is that only a
percentage of the base stock needs to actually be a synthetic for the oil to be marketed as synthetic.
And when the facts are know, a “full synthetic” oil will contain not only a certain amount of a true synthetic base, but also percentages of the other oil groups as well, including esters and Group I/II organic oils. You won’t find engine oil, be it for a car, diesel truck, or a motorcycle, that is 100% Group IV PAO, even though the label and the marketing campaign leads us to believe that the oil is 100% synthetic.
And only when the formulator goes above a certain percentage of the non-synthetic bases does he have to call the oil a “blend” of both organic and synthetic base stock.
Also, we know that Group III oils were at one time crude oil just like the preceding categories, but this type of stock has been through a hydrolyzing process that refines the molecular structure to a near perfect state. Close enough to true synthetic in the way it performs that it can legally be called synthetic. Group III base has recently been refined by use of some very interesting processes that produce base stocks from organics that rival the performance of PAO. And today many of the synthetic oils we once thought to be full synthetic like PAO, are now being formulated using Group III hydro-processed organic oil.
One thing that all engine oils have in common is the additives.
There are certain products that nearly all engine oils use as lubricants. These additives serve to protect the engine surfaces when the base oil fails, or no longer can protect during extreme conditions. Other additives serve as detergents of sorts, and help to keep the carbon from combustion and other impurities from collecting and forming sludge in the engine.
Very little gets said about the additive package of oils on a TV commercial or product information sheet. Most all marketing is centered on the base of the oil, and hardly ever a mention of the additives. But it is the additive package of oils that makes or breaks them.
The base oil has very little to do with the actual performance of the oil, with a couple of exceptions. Group IV PAO’s have shown that they can withstand the degradation that heat can bring about to the oil. And as such, the synthetic base can last longer than its organic predecessors. But recently it has been proven that the Group III hydro-processed organic base can also withstand excessive heat and extended oil changes.
Group V esters can indeed provide a bit more protection than any of the other bases. These esters are polar in nature, which means the molecules are electronically charged in a way that they are attracted to the metal surfaces and tend to stick to them once they come in contact. This is a great feature for engine oil, since most of the wear we see on our metal parts comes directly from the wear seen at start-up and shut-off. Once the engine is shut off esters will have adhered themselves to the metal surfaces, and are waiting patiently to protect the metal from wear once the engine is started again.
None of the other base stocks can perform at this level.
OK, Back to the myths…
We often hear that we should not use engine oil that is formulated for automobile or diesel truck use. We hear that the JASO certified oils are much better for our bikes.
But the truth is that these $12 motorcycle specific oils may or may not be as good as some of the oils on the shelf selling for $1. There is nothing at all that guarantees us that JASO oils are “good” oils. In fact, the certification allows the oil to be lacking when compared to some of the common engine oils on the shelf. The certification standards for JASO ratings are simply not near as stringent as the standards required for the latest certified oils that are marketed to autos and trucks.
That is not to say that all JASO certified oils are bad…not at all. It only means that there is very little that we can depend on with the JASO certification that says the oil is well built and up to modern standards.
On the other hand, the oils of today that are marketed towards autos and trucks also have a certification system in place by various groups. The standards that oil must pass to carry these certifications are much more stringent than the JASO standards.
Just for an example, I can take oil that had a previous certification of SG (for 1993 year autos and older), and as long as the oil will pass a small amount of tests, I can market the oil as certified JASO oil specifically formulated to provide the ultimate in protection for your motorcycle.
But engine oil that is seeking certification for today’s cars cannot do this. The certification standards have changed throughout the years, and with each new designation a new set of harder to pass standards are required.
The latest certification standards for engine oils are SM and GF-4. These oils are fine to use in older autos that call for previous certifications, since each new certification starts out with having to pass the previous standard, but with added or harder to pass testing included. SM oil has to first be SL oil certifiable, and GF-4 oil also has to be able to first pass the previous standards.
One thing that may be helpful from the JASO standards is the frictional characteristics of the oil. This is an indicator of how well the oil will perform in the wet clutch assembly that most all dirt bikes have. The same oil that lubricated the engine parts also lubricates and cools the clutch, and controls how the clutch acts.
It was seen in earlier years that some inferior oils could actually cause a clutch to slip, or could allow pitting of the gears, and this is precisely why the JASO certification came to be. It was to allow the consuming public an easy way to shop for an oil that would not cause the clutch to slip and was good enough to not cause pitting of the metal gears.
There is absolutely nothing else that JASO certification tells us.
Continued….
More often than not, a manufacturers marketing division will capitalize on any sort of collective ignorance the consuming public exhibits, and use it to their company’s financial advantage. Take for example, the elevated prices we see on oils that are supposedly “Motorcycle Specific” type oils that carry the JASO MA or MB certifications. (Or for that matter, oils that only claim to meet the certification standards, yet have not actually been certified as such)
The public seems to have the perception that these high-priced, aggressively marketed oils must be better than plain old engine oils on the shelf at the service station or auto parts store. They are much higher in price than the car or diesel oils, and that alone tends to say that the product is better…doesn’t it?
Many times these high-priced moto-specific oils will also have pictures of motorcycles on the labels. And the wording on these labels also tells us that these oils are specifically formulated for motorcycle use, which tells us that its better oil than one made for a car or a diesel truck, or does it?
Well, maybe the JASO certified oils are better than shelf oils, and maybe their not. There is absolutely nothing within the JASO certification that points to these “motorcycle specific” oils being any more robust or better than ANY of the oils sitting on the car or diesel marketed oil shelves.
The first thing we must understand about oils is how they are formulated. Engine oils start out with base stock oil. These base fluids are categorized into groups. Currently the grouping of the oils is as follows:
Group I Refined organic crude oil
Group II Even more refined organic crude oil
Group III Crude oil that has been through a hydro-cracking process which “super refines” the crude into a structure nearly as perfect as a lab created synthetic.
Group IV Synthetic base stock created in the lab. This group is reserved for PAO (polyalphaolefin) only.
Group V This is also a synthetic base stock which is lab created, and is reserved for all synthetic bases that are not PAO. Esters and other sorts of synthetic base formulations fall into this category.
Many oil companies will market their oils as being “Synthetic”, when the fact is that only a
percentage of the base stock needs to actually be a synthetic for the oil to be marketed as synthetic.
And when the facts are know, a “full synthetic” oil will contain not only a certain amount of a true synthetic base, but also percentages of the other oil groups as well, including esters and Group I/II organic oils. You won’t find engine oil, be it for a car, diesel truck, or a motorcycle, that is 100% Group IV PAO, even though the label and the marketing campaign leads us to believe that the oil is 100% synthetic.
And only when the formulator goes above a certain percentage of the non-synthetic bases does he have to call the oil a “blend” of both organic and synthetic base stock.
Also, we know that Group III oils were at one time crude oil just like the preceding categories, but this type of stock has been through a hydrolyzing process that refines the molecular structure to a near perfect state. Close enough to true synthetic in the way it performs that it can legally be called synthetic. Group III base has recently been refined by use of some very interesting processes that produce base stocks from organics that rival the performance of PAO. And today many of the synthetic oils we once thought to be full synthetic like PAO, are now being formulated using Group III hydro-processed organic oil.
One thing that all engine oils have in common is the additives.
There are certain products that nearly all engine oils use as lubricants. These additives serve to protect the engine surfaces when the base oil fails, or no longer can protect during extreme conditions. Other additives serve as detergents of sorts, and help to keep the carbon from combustion and other impurities from collecting and forming sludge in the engine.
Very little gets said about the additive package of oils on a TV commercial or product information sheet. Most all marketing is centered on the base of the oil, and hardly ever a mention of the additives. But it is the additive package of oils that makes or breaks them.
The base oil has very little to do with the actual performance of the oil, with a couple of exceptions. Group IV PAO’s have shown that they can withstand the degradation that heat can bring about to the oil. And as such, the synthetic base can last longer than its organic predecessors. But recently it has been proven that the Group III hydro-processed organic base can also withstand excessive heat and extended oil changes.
Group V esters can indeed provide a bit more protection than any of the other bases. These esters are polar in nature, which means the molecules are electronically charged in a way that they are attracted to the metal surfaces and tend to stick to them once they come in contact. This is a great feature for engine oil, since most of the wear we see on our metal parts comes directly from the wear seen at start-up and shut-off. Once the engine is shut off esters will have adhered themselves to the metal surfaces, and are waiting patiently to protect the metal from wear once the engine is started again.
None of the other base stocks can perform at this level.
OK, Back to the myths…
We often hear that we should not use engine oil that is formulated for automobile or diesel truck use. We hear that the JASO certified oils are much better for our bikes.
But the truth is that these $12 motorcycle specific oils may or may not be as good as some of the oils on the shelf selling for $1. There is nothing at all that guarantees us that JASO oils are “good” oils. In fact, the certification allows the oil to be lacking when compared to some of the common engine oils on the shelf. The certification standards for JASO ratings are simply not near as stringent as the standards required for the latest certified oils that are marketed to autos and trucks.
That is not to say that all JASO certified oils are bad…not at all. It only means that there is very little that we can depend on with the JASO certification that says the oil is well built and up to modern standards.
On the other hand, the oils of today that are marketed towards autos and trucks also have a certification system in place by various groups. The standards that oil must pass to carry these certifications are much more stringent than the JASO standards.
Just for an example, I can take oil that had a previous certification of SG (for 1993 year autos and older), and as long as the oil will pass a small amount of tests, I can market the oil as certified JASO oil specifically formulated to provide the ultimate in protection for your motorcycle.
But engine oil that is seeking certification for today’s cars cannot do this. The certification standards have changed throughout the years, and with each new designation a new set of harder to pass standards are required.
The latest certification standards for engine oils are SM and GF-4. These oils are fine to use in older autos that call for previous certifications, since each new certification starts out with having to pass the previous standard, but with added or harder to pass testing included. SM oil has to first be SL oil certifiable, and GF-4 oil also has to be able to first pass the previous standards.
One thing that may be helpful from the JASO standards is the frictional characteristics of the oil. This is an indicator of how well the oil will perform in the wet clutch assembly that most all dirt bikes have. The same oil that lubricated the engine parts also lubricates and cools the clutch, and controls how the clutch acts.
It was seen in earlier years that some inferior oils could actually cause a clutch to slip, or could allow pitting of the gears, and this is precisely why the JASO certification came to be. It was to allow the consuming public an easy way to shop for an oil that would not cause the clutch to slip and was good enough to not cause pitting of the metal gears.
There is absolutely nothing else that JASO certification tells us.
Continued….
