GF-5 is actually the current ILSAC rating (international standard). The current API standard is SN (also on the bottle).

 

Thanks.

 

http://wot.motortrend.com/the-scienc...il-229627.html


"The Science Behind NASCAR Motor Oil

It all starts at the technical center’s blending lab, where roughly 500 blends are produced a month. A dedicated group of blending techs mixes 15 to 20 different components (the average number used in a Mobil 1 formulation) in batches ranging from 250 milliliters to 5 gallons. Many of the components have different viscosities, so it’s up to the blenders to make sure they mix properly. The process is exacting, and one incorrect pour can mess up an entire blend. Blenders get their information from formulators, the folks who determine how much of each component needs to be mixed. For Stewart’s car, formulators create a special blend designed to reduce friction and increase engine power with the goal of improving lap times.

The Science and Smoke Behind NASCARs Mobil 1 Motor Oil imageAfter a blend is made, real-world testing begins in the engine test lab. Tests are performed on stationary engine blocks to determine how the blend performs in high temperatures, at high speed, and in high load environments. The engine is then washed off and disassembled to evaluate wear and tear. Engineers use a special camera to inspect various oil passageways throughout an engine block, but get an even closer look thanks to a nifty microscope that allows them to photograph, zoom in on, and get a detailed 3-D view of every nook and cranny of the engine.

The blends are then put to work in real-world testing in everything from a Chevy Camaro to a Toyota Prius. Dynamometers can be adjusted to run in different cycles, depending on whether engineers want to evaluate product performance in high speeds (up to 2200 miles a day going 70 mph) or in stop-and-go traffic. Cars are also run nonstop for 200,000 miles at a time with different wear additives. Mobil also performs testing of the competition’s oils to see how its products stack up."

 

What crappy writing. It starts out bad and gets progressively worse. First you're led to believe that about 500 different blends are done each month ranging from 8 ounces to 5 gallons. Then these 500 blends are tested in stationary engines, including one that only requires the 8 ounce batch. Next, after those 500 engines are put through their paces, they are totally disassembled, cleaned and inspected for wear.

Just the above part would require hundreds of testing stations to run engines hard enough and long enough to create measurable wear. In order to measure the wear, it'd be necessary to measure the components before and after. So they'd have to either build the engines or buy engines with certified parts.

I've been in enough testing labs for different products to know those 500 blends per month weren't all used in engines like the writer portrays.

The obvious math error "(up to 2200 miles a day going 70 mph)". So is it 2200 miles a day at 91.66 mph or 1680 miles a day at 70 mph?

But the real kicker is, without any explanation to the contrary, you're expected to believe that there are constantly hundreds, if not thousands, of cars being driven non-stop for 4 to 5 months. It doesn't take too much 3rd grade math to understand that would require several thousand drivers who's only job is simply to drive a car.

Then again, we're talking about a MT writer that considered a few minute interview with Tony Stewart the highlight of his Mobil 1 lab trip. He also failed to include Corvettes in his list of high-performance cars that have Mobil 1 as factory fill.

What was I expecting?