ArticlesTechnical Articles

Check out our articles that answer your everyday questions about oil, viscosity and other related subjects. New articles are highlighted in red color.

Specifications Explained

• New Mercedes Heavy Duty Specifications
• API SP Engine Oil Category
• The most recent GM motor oil specification: Dexos 1 Gen 3
• Introducing the ACEA A7/B7 and C6 Specifications
• Introducing the ACEA E8 and E11 Specifications
• ACEA 2016: Good Bye A1/B1, Welcome C5
• API CK-4 and FA-4 Specifications in a Nutshell
• VW 507.00, VW 504.00, etc: Volkswagen Motor Oil Specifications Explained
• API SN Engine Oil Category
• JASO MA and JASO MB specs explained

Things to Know About Viscosity

• New Gear Oil Viscosity Grades: SAE 65, 70 and 75
• Introducing the SAE 8 and SAE 12 Viscosity Grades
• The SAE 16 Viscosity Grade
• What is oil viscosity?

Oils and Lubrication

• What is Low Speed Pre-Ignition (LSPI) and How Can It Be Avoided?
• Differences Between Passenger Car Motor Oils and Heavy-Duty Motor Oils
• Modern Engine Technologies and Their Impact on Motor Oils
• Is Adding a 2T Oil to Diesel Fuel to Protect the Fuel Injectors a Good or a Bad Idea?
• 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Oils
• About Oil Drain Intervals
• 10+1 Tips to Prepare Your Car for the Winter
• Why change oil regularly?
• What are the reasons of oil consumption?
• Lubrication glossary

Other Automotive Fluids

• The Essential Role and Crucial Properties of Brake Fluid

API American Petroleum Institute

Check out the most recent API SN specification!

For more than 75 years, API has led the development of petroleum and petrochemical equipment and operating standards. These represent the industry's collective wisdom on everything from drill bits to environmental protection and embrace proven, sound engineering and operating practices and safe, interchangeable equipment and materials. API maintains more than 500 standards and recommended practices. On this site we introduce API's most important lubricant standards.

ACEA ACEA Europe

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), founded in 1991, represents the interests of the fifteen European car, truck and bus manufacturers at EU level. Through its specialist working groups and an extensive network of individual experts from Member Companies at all levels of the industry, ACEA has access to a wealth of expertise and applied technical experience which is unsurpassed in the EU. ACEA oil sequences define the minimum quality level of a product for presentation to ACEA members. ACEA itself does not certify oils or license or register compliance certificates. Oil manufacturers are themselves responsible for carrying out all oil testing and evaluation according to recognised practices. On this site we present the current ACEA oil sequences.

Why are specifications important?

Choosing a motor oil for our car is not as simple now as it used to be. As the emission limits get severer and severer and car manufacturers are designing more and more complex engines the demands a lubricant is facing are getting rather high.

Oil companies are doing their best to comply with the new demands and to make the best possible products for your car. But if everyone claims to have the best oil how can you choose?

This is where specifications get into the picture. Several independent organizations - like API and ACEA among others - are working on creating a classification system for the oils that creates order from chaos. Their aim is to maintain a set of specifications that help the manufacturers and the consumers to compare the different products and to choose whatever is right for their vehicle.

But some vehicle manufacturers did not find these standards good enough for their lubrication needs. So they created their own standards (OEM standards) and they require an oil to meet their specifications before allowing it to be used in their vehicles.

This site is dedicated to introduce the most important independent and OEM standards to help you choose the right oil for your car, van, truck, motorcycle, motorboat and so on.