Quick Lube Q&A: Jason Hanthorn, Lubrizol Corp.

As engines evolve, so too do the specifications around motor oil. As such, it’s vital for quick lube operators and technicians to stay up-to-date on specs to ensure the vehicles that pull into their bays are being filled with the proper oil to continue running smoothly and stay in warranty.

To get a better understanding of how and why oil specs are changing, NOLN recently caught up with Jason Hanthorn, senior manager of product development for Lubrizol Corp. in Northeast Ohio. Hanthorn explains what factors go into the creation of a specification and who is involved in the development process, and he also notes some common misconceptions about oil requirements for modern engines.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

NOLN: Why are the recommendations for motor oil for modern engines changing?

Jason Hanthorn: Oil recommendations are constantly changing in order to keep up with what the automotive manufacturers do. Automakers are, of course, constantly looking to squeeze more efficiency out of engines. They're looking to reduce emissions to meet ever-tightening government legislation around the globe. And they're looking to maintain or improve performance at the same time.

So, usually, what that means is downsizing to smaller engines, using things like turbochargers, direct injection, tighter tolerances in the engines essentially in order to squeeze out every bit of performance that they can. When they make these changes, it results in engines running hotter, higher pressures—a more severe operating environment for the oil. To keep pace and maintain thermal stability and protection against wear, protection against things like low-speed pre-ignition, the oil formulations have to adapt to in order to continue to provide that protection under these conditions.

NOLN: Tell us a little bit about what's in a spec, who's behind specs, and why they're changing.

Jason Hanthorn: Specification upgrades come around not on a set schedule, but every period of some years, right? And it usually is driven by OEMs. So, the spec process usually starts off—or should start off—with ILSAC, which is a collection of OEMs for the North American market, putting out a needs statement to the industry. And that needs statement usually reflects some performance deficit that needs to be addressed. A good example is the GF-7 specification to address low-speed pre-ignition warranty claims. There was the inclusion of a new test to measure ability to protect that LSPI over an entire drain interval, so an aged component to that test. Or it could be driven by legislation, so OEMs facing more strict emissions or fuel economy standards, and their response is to put that back out to the industry and say we need these lubricants to provide more fuel efficiency. It could be we need to restrict certain elements in order to protect catalysts—things like that. From there, it's kind of a working collaboration between the ILSAC, so the OEMs, API, which represents the oil marketers, and then ACC, which represents the additive manufacturers. Everybody has a seat at the table to determine what these next specifications should be.

NOLN: What are the most important things quick lube operators and technicians need to know with regards to what’s happening with oil recommendations and specs?

Jason Hanthorn: I think it's important that lube techs stay connected to the latest specifications and what is changing for the specifications and why. Not just understanding the name of the spec, you need to know more than it's just GF7. Maybe know why there was a need for this improved. Low-speed pre-ignition protection, improved timing chain protection, things like that, and that all kind of goes into making sure that the fluid that's recommended is meeting the warranty requirements for the vehicles. OEM specifications can be critical in order to maintain the warranty on your vehicle, so understanding what the new spec is and why it is, and whether or not it's backwards compatible—not all specifications are backwards compatible. Many are, but some are not. The key is it's not really safe to assume that one fluid fits all, right? There are different fluids recommended by OEMs for different applications. Staying up to date on that, staying up to date on viscosity recommendations is important for maintaining warranties.

It used to be you could get away with just recommending a heavier viscosity grade for everything. A lot of people have this old school mentality that thicker is better and you get better protection with a thicker film. But because the OEMs are designing these vehicles engines with tighter tolerances, they're actually being designed with these thinner fluids in mind. So, it's important to know what viscosity has actually been recommended for every vehicle.

NOLN: Are there other things that quick lube operators should be doing as well, both from a perspective of keeping their employees informed and also helping to make sure the customers that are coming into their shops understand what's going on.

Jason Hanthorn: For operators of lube shops, it's important that they build relationships with their suppliers, distributors, or oil marketers directly, the manufacturers that can and will keep them informed of upcoming changes.

Part of a specification upgrade is training people on what is changing and why. Getting the right training up front, investing in that training up front is important. Investing in the right marketing materials—make sure that you have all the necessary marketing materials in the shops to not only help the technicians that are there, but to help customers to understand why they're being recommended a product that's different from maybe what they've used in the past. Some people don't maybe appreciate why the changes are happening, and especially if it comes with any sort of cost increase. Nobody wants to have to pay more for their oil change, but it's important to help people understand the value proposition behind these new products.

NOLN: Are there any other recommendations that you have for tracking new products?

Jason Hanthorn: As far as tracking new products...I'm quite a few steps removed in the chain from the shop operators and how they would manage their inventories and tracking. But I would imagine the most important thing is making sure that you're anticipating when the change is going to happen, being aware of when exactly this is going to happen so that you can monitor your inventory accordingly in anticipation of the change and making sure that everything that comes in is coded and tracked correctly so that there's no risk of cross-contamination when the change does happen. Some older legacy specs could have very different elemental requirements in terms of the chemistry in there than some of the newer ones.

Cross-contamination could lead to things like catalyst poisoning, etc. You have to be aware that this is coming, anticipate your inventory levels correctly, and make sure that everything is coded as it comes in, especially maybe at point of sale when they're scanning the barcode. It has to be tied to that new specification when that change comes in.