by
Robert C. Enstam
The typical lay person could care less about fuels and lubricants. That is, until the day one experiences a problem which, he is told, is due to the fuel he is using or the oil he is using. At that point in time, he develops a sudden interest and soon learns that unbiased factual information is not easy to come by. Please note that the use of the masculine "he" is merely for convenience and, in fact, could just as well be "she".
When petroleum oil was first discovered over 125 years ago the first claims for it started. Perhaps someone touted his oil as "The best harness oil ever produced by man". Someone else claimed that "Horsey harness oil lasts longer and doesn't smell as bad".
Of course, the claims and counter claims continue to this day. Phrases such as "formulated specifically for turbo-charged engines" or "protects against thermal breakdown" or "designed to protect high speed engines from wear" are familiar terms used by oil companies to separate their engine oils from the pack. In the case of gasoline it might be "delivers all the power your engine can provide" or "cleans your engine as you drive".
Along with the oil companies which manufacture the fuels and lubricants there is a whole host of companies which manufacture additives for these products. Over the years, some of these additives have proven beneficial, but, for the most part, additives fall into the snake oil category. Snake oil can be very profitable.
At one time, the writer asked a service station owner why he carried and recommended a particular oil additive. His answer was that he made more profit from the sale of one can of the additive than he made selling 5 quarts of his company's engine oil!
When it comes to engine oil there really isn't too much to be concerned about. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has an engine oil licensing and certification system which essentially gives engine oils a quality rating. To learn more about the API system please refer to http://www.api.org/programs_services/quality/oilchart.htm. Basically, the API website will give you all the information you need to select the proper oil for your engine. It will also give you a listing of all licensed engine oils by brand name so that you may use the proper grade of your favorite oil.
With respect to engine oil additives, you should be aware that the API licensed engine oils contain all the additives which are necessary for satisfactory performance in running engines (as opposed to stored engines). Neither the oil manufacturers nor the automotive manufacturers recommend the use of engine oil additives. In some cases, the use of additives could void the engine warranty.
Unfortunately, there are also many myths surrounding gasoline and diesel fuels. Perhaps the most common myth involves gasoline octane. A significant portion of the population believes that the higher the gasoline octane, the better the gasoline. The thinking is that higher octane means more power and better fuel economy. The truth of the matter is that octane has no relationship to fuel quality, power, or economy. Engine design determines what gasoline octane is required for a particular engine. Therefore, it makes sense to use gasoline with the octane specified by the manufacturer. The ONLY reason to use a higher octane than recommended by the engine manfacturer is to stop engine knocking and the cause for the engine knocking should be determined quickly to prevent engine damage. Recently the Federal Government cited several major oil companies for misleading advertising with respect to gasoline. Virtually all of these ads implied that using premium grade gasoline in your car would give you more power and all round better performance. Several oil companies have had to refrain from making misleading statements and to promulgate information that you should use the grade of gasoline recommended in your owner's manual.
Certainly this primer on fuels and lubricants won't answer every question on the subject, but it should answer a lot of the most frequently asked. If your particular question hasn't been answered, drop me a note and I'd be happy to take a crack at it.