Can Premium Fuel REDUCE Engine WEAR?

Summary

In this video, Lake, the Motor Oil Geek, explores the relationship between fuel and engine wear, emphasizing how fuel quality impacts oil performance. Through research from labs like Southwest Research and ACT, it's shown that premium fuels with friction modifiers reduce engine wear compared to basic fuels. The video highlights how fuel additives can improve the chemical interaction between oil, piston rings, and the cylinder wall, significantly lowering wear in engines. Lake also explains how fuel contamination in the piston ring area differs from the oil sump, demonstrating the importance of using high-quality fuel to optimize engine health.

Takeaways

• 🔧 The brand and quality of fuel can be as important as the brand of motor oil when it comes to reducing engine wear.
• ⛽ Shell's V-Power Nitro Plus fuel contains additives that form a protective film on metal surfaces, reducing wear and corrosion in the engine's fuel system.
• 🔍 Research shows that the correct additive package in fuel can lower engine wear, making the choice of fuel a critical factor in engine health.
• 💡 The oil in the piston ring groove is chemically different from the oil in the sump due to higher temperatures and greater fuel dilution, which makes fuel chemistry even more influential in wear reduction.
• 🧪 Tests conducted by German research labs and Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) showed that fuels with friction modifiers significantly reduced engine wear compared to fuels without them.
• 🔬 Engine parts, especially piston rings, experience more wear with basic fuel than with premium fuel containing friction modifiers. This is particularly evident in the ring liner interface.
• ⚙️ The anti-wear additive ZDDP in the oil can be consumed quickly in high-temperature areas, reducing its effectiveness, making the role of fuel additives even more crucial.
• 🚗 In Europe, where both premium and basic fuels of the same octane are available, research showed that premium fuel resulted in significantly less engine wear.
• 📊 The wear difference between engines running on basic and premium fuels was confirmed using multiple measurement methods, including radiation, 3D surface profiling, and used oil analysis.
• 💥 The quality of fuel has a direct impact on engine wear and oil performance, with premium fuels providing more protection and resulting in better long-term engine health.

Q & A

How can fuel impact engine wear?

Fuel can impact engine wear through the correct additive package. Properly formulated fuels, like Shell V-Power Nitro Plus, contain friction modifiers and additives that form protective films on metal surfaces, reducing wear and corrosion in the engine.

Why is the interaction between fuel and oil important in reducing engine wear?

The interaction between fuel and oil is important because the fuel chemistry affects how well the oil performs in protecting the engine. Fuel dilution in the oil, particularly in the piston ring area, alters the oil’s composition and can either reduce or increase engine wear depending on the fuel's additives.

What is meant by 'fuel dilution' in the piston ring groove oil?

Fuel dilution in the piston ring groove oil refers to the contamination of the oil with fuel, where the oil in this area contains much more fuel than the oil in the sump. This high level of fuel changes the oil's chemical properties, impacting wear and performance.

What was the significance of the research done by the German labs and Southwest Research?

The research by German labs and Southwest Research demonstrated that fuels with friction modifiers significantly reduced wear in the engine, especially at the piston ring and cylinder wall interface. They used advanced techniques like irradiating piston rings to measure wear and confirmed that fuel additives play a critical role in reducing engine wear.

How do friction modifiers in fuel reduce engine wear?

Friction modifiers in fuel help reduce engine wear by creating a protective layer on metal surfaces. As the fuel is injected into the engine, these friction modifiers enter the combustion chamber and the ring-liner interface, reducing friction and compensating for the wear that the oil might not be able to prevent under extreme conditions.

How does the wear between engines using basic fuel compare to those using premium fuel?

Engines using premium fuel with friction modifiers showed significantly less wear compared to those using basic fuel. Research showed a difference of 7.32 microns of wear with basic fuel versus 1.7 microns with premium fuel. Additionally, the used oil analysis confirmed less wear in engines running on premium fuel.

Why is the oil in the piston ring groove chemically different from the oil in the sump?

The oil in the piston ring groove is chemically different due to higher temperatures and greater fuel dilution in that area. These factors cause the oil in the piston ring groove to degrade faster and function differently than the oil in the sump, which experiences lower temperatures and longer residence times.

What role does the ZDDP additive play in engine oil, and why is it consumed rapidly in the ring zone?

ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate) is an anti-wear and antioxidant additive in engine oil. In the ring zone, the high temperature and pressure cause ZDDP to be consumed rapidly as it works not only as an anti-wear additive but also to counteract oxidation. When it's depleted, the wear rate increases because the primary protection is lost.

What impact does fuel quality have on the results of used oil analysis?

Fuel quality is a major variable in the results of used oil analysis. Even when using high-quality oil, poor-quality fuel can lead to increased wear and worse performance. Fuel with proper additives helps reduce friction and wear, leading to better oil analysis results.

Do all fuels come from the same source, and how do brands differentiate their products?

Yes, most fuels come from the same pipeline, but they are differentiated by the additive packages added at the distribution point. These additives, unique to each brand, impact the fuel’s performance, including its ability to reduce engine wear and improve overall engine longevity.

Outlines

00:00

⛽ The Impact of Fuel on Engine Wear

The video opens with a discussion on whether the brand of fuel can be more important than the brand of oil in protecting engine wear. Shell’s V-Power fuel claims to form a protective layer on metal surfaces, reducing wear and corrosion. The speaker explores the relationship between fuel additives and engine wear, citing research from Southwest Research and German labs. Tests using irradiated piston rings show that fuel additives can significantly lower engine wear, contrary to previous beliefs that fuel generally harms engine oil.

05:01

⚙️ The Quality of Fuel Matters

This section emphasizes that not all fuel is created equal. The speaker highlights how using high-quality oil with poor-quality fuel can lead to disappointing results in engine performance. Research from ACT and Southwest Research shows that fuel additives like friction modifiers can reduce wear on piston rings and cylinder liners. The varying quality of fuel between different brands, despite coming from the same pipelines, is attributed to the differences in the additives added at the final stage before distribution.

10:03

🔬 Engine Wear Variability: Fuel and Oil Chemistry

In this segment, the speaker explains that oil in the piston ring zone is chemically different from oil in the sump due to temperature and fuel dilution. Fuel in the ring zone can exceed 10% concentration, influencing engine wear more than the oil in the sump. The research using a specialized engine sampling device reveals that the chemical composition of oil varies significantly based on where it is sampled, particularly in high-wear areas like the ring pack. The fuel’s additive package plays a critical role in reducing wear under these harsh conditions.

🛠️ Friction Modifiers and Premium Fuel Benefits

Here, the speaker delves into the role of friction modifiers in fuel, which help reduce friction at the ring-liner interface, leading to less engine wear. In Europe, fuel is available with and without premium additives, allowing researchers to compare wear differences. Findings reveal that premium fuel with friction modifiers significantly reduces wear, as opposed to basic fuel. The section also touches on how the ZDDP additive in oil, which reduces wear, gets consumed faster in high-temperature environments, but friction modifiers in premium fuel can help mitigate the damage.

🔧 Testing the Difference Between Basic and Premium Fuels

This part of the video discusses a study where two engines were run—one on basic fuel and another on premium fuel. Piston rings were irradiated to measure wear over time. The study found that engines using premium fuel experienced significantly less wear (1.7 microns) compared to those using basic fuel (7.32 microns). Visual wear differences were apparent through 3D surface measurement, confirming that premium fuel with additives is far superior in protecting engine components.

📊 Used Oil Analysis: Validating Fuel Impact

Concluding the video, the speaker shares the results of used oil analysis, which shows how iron levels in oil increase significantly with basic fuel (from 6 to 10 ppm), whereas premium fuel results in lower wear. The speaker stresses that fuel quality directly impacts wear, and while oil brands and viscosity are often discussed, fuel quality is an overlooked factor that contributes to the variations seen in used oil analysis. The claims made by fuel companies like Shell, that their premium fuels reduce engine wear, are scientifically supported.

Keywords

💡Fuel Additives

Fuel additives are chemicals added to gasoline to improve performance or reduce wear. In the video, the importance of using fuels with proper additive packages, like friction modifiers, is highlighted as a way to reduce engine wear. These additives create protective films and reduce friction between metal components, which ultimately extends engine life.

💡Friction Modifiers

Friction modifiers are additives used in fuel or oil to reduce friction between moving parts. In the video, they are mentioned as key ingredients in premium fuels that help reduce wear at the piston ring and cylinder wall interface. This reduction in wear is demonstrated through tests comparing basic and premium fuels.

💡Piston Ring

The piston ring is a crucial engine component that seals the combustion chamber, supports heat transfer, and controls oil consumption. The video emphasizes that the piston ring rubbing against the cylinder wall is the number one source of wear in an engine, making the relationship between fuel, oil, and the piston ring critical for engine longevity.

💡Fuel Dilution

Fuel dilution refers to the mixing of fuel with engine oil, often leading to degradation in oil performance. In the video, it is explained that fuel dilution is particularly high in the oil near the piston ring zone, which affects the oil's chemical composition. This highlights how fuel quality directly impacts oil performance and engine wear.

💡Tribology

Tribology is the study of friction, lubrication, and wear between surfaces in motion. The presenter, who works at Total Seal, focuses on tribology to explain how different fuel types and additives can significantly reduce engine wear, particularly at the piston ring and cylinder wall interface, where friction is highest.

💡STLE Conference

The STLE (Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers) conference is an event where industry experts present research on tribology and lubrication. In the video, research from this conference is cited, particularly findings that demonstrate how premium fuels with friction modifiers can lower engine wear. This research backs up claims made in advertisements like those for Shell V-Power fuel.

💡Used Oil Analysis

Used oil analysis involves examining oil samples taken from an engine to measure wear and contamination levels. The video discusses how used oil analysis was employed to measure the wear difference between engines using basic and premium fuels. This method showed significant differences in wear, validating the effectiveness of premium fuel additives.

💡Wear Reduction

Wear reduction refers to minimizing the damage and degradation of engine components over time. The video focuses on how premium fuels with friction modifiers can reduce wear at key engine points, like the piston ring and cylinder wall. This reduction in wear is demonstrated through scientific methods like radiation testing and used oil analysis.

💡Radiation Method (RI)

The radiation method (RI) is a technique used to measure engine wear by irradiating engine parts and then measuring the wear through traces of radiation in the used oil. In the video, this method was used to demonstrate the difference in wear between engines using basic and premium fuels, with premium fuels showing significantly less wear.

💡ZDDP (Zinc Dialkyldithiophosphate)

ZDDP is a chemical compound commonly used in motor oils as an anti-wear and antioxidant additive. In the video, it is explained that ZDDP in the oil is consumed more rapidly in the piston ring zone due to high temperatures, limiting its effectiveness as an anti-wear agent. This explains why friction modifiers in fuel become more important in high-wear areas of the engine.

Highlights

Shell V-Power Nitro+ premium gasoline forms a protective film on metal surfaces, helping to protect metal fuel system components against wear and corrosion.

Fuel choice, particularly the correct additive package, can lower engine wear, as shown by research.

Fuel can impact engine wear despite being a known contaminant for oil, illustrating the complex relationship between fuel and oil.

Research presented at the STLE conference showed that fuels with friction modifiers reduce wear in engines compared to those without.

A test method using radiation to measure wear from piston rings in the engine oil was highlighted, revealing that piston ring friction is the largest source of engine wear.

Oil in the piston ring groove is chemically different from oil in the sump due to higher fuel dilution and temperature in the piston ring area.

Higher fuel dilution in the piston ring groove leads to significantly different oil performance, making fuel chemistry critical in reducing wear.

Used oil samples show variation in wear performance across different oil brands, largely influenced by fuel quality.

Premium fuel with proper friction modifiers showed significantly less wear than basic fuel in various tests, such as radiation methods, surface topography, and used oil analysis.

Fuel with friction modifiers reduced wear from 7.32 microns with basic fuel to 1.7 microns with premium fuel in engine tests.

The ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate) additive in oil, responsible for anti-wear properties, depletes faster in high-temperature zones like the piston ring area.

Friction modifiers in fuel act as a backup when ZDDP is depleted, further reducing wear in the piston ring zone.

Engine wear is significantly lower when switching from basic fuel to premium fuel even after the break-in period.

Total iron content in used oil analysis jumped from 6 ppm to 10 ppm with basic fuel, compared to only 7 ppm with premium fuel, highlighting wear differences.

Fuel quality is a major variable in wear analysis, explaining the variation in used oil sample results across different engine brands and types.

Transcripts

can the brand of your fuel be more

important than the brand of your oil hi

I'm Lake the motor oil geek let's dig

into the research to get the

answer in the ads for Shell's V power

fuel they mention wear protection shell

V power Nitro Plus premium gasoline is

designed to protect your car's

performance it also forms a protective

film on metal surfaces helping to

protect metal fuel system opponents

against wear and corrosion wait how can

the fuel impact engine wear we

understand things like injector deposits

and intake valve deposits but where can

the choice of your fuel actually impact

the wear in your engine it can and we're

going to show you the research in this

video that proves that it can shell just

didn't make that up they mentioned that

because the choice of fuel to be precise

the correct additive package can lower

engine wear just like they said in that

shell V power ad that choice of fuel

that proper additive package does lower

wear but wait isn't fuel the enemy of

your oil we've shown that in a previous

video so how can fuel actually help

improve engine wear well you see here at

my day job at total seal we spend a lot

of time researching and working with

that relationship between Fuel and oil

the piston ring and the sinder wall cuz

they all work together I like to call it

ring seal soup and that fuel and how it

interacts with the oil and those parts

is a key ingredient to that ring seal

suit so this topic it's near and dear to

my heart at the stle conference a couple

of years ago a presentation was done by

one of the German research Labs so here

in the US Southwest research swri is one

of the big research Labs Dr Peter Lee is

a good friend of mine he runs the

tribology lab at Southwest research over

in Europe their equivalent is act and at

the recent stle conference they

presented some information showing how

they measured the wear difference

between fuels without friction modifiers

INF fuels with friction modifiers and

the test method they used to measure

that wear is super super cool they

actually used radiation where they could

take different parts of the engine and

this one they used a piston ring because

I'm a piston ring kind of guy you know

that they used piston rings that they

irradiated then they could measure in

the used oil while the engine was

running they could see the wear from

those p piston rings fun fact the Piston

Ring rubbing against the cylinder wall

is the number one source of wear in your

engine we've shown that in previous

videos in the zdp testing we did at

Southwest research we were able to

demonstrate that just by changing the

coating on the Piston Ring we were able

to reduce wear so that just goes to show

how important that relationship is

between the piston ring and the cylinder

wall the oil and the fuel so no wonder

the fuel chemistry plays a critical role

in engine wear now here's the other part

the oil that's in the Piston Ring Groove

is chemically different than the oil in

the sump because of two things the

temperature and the fuel dilution the

oil in the Piston Ring Groove is

chemically different than the oil in

this sump there's tons more fuel in the

piston ing Groove oil than there is in

the sunm so sometimes when we see a used

oil sample that may have 1% or 3% fuel

in the oil in the Piston Ring Groove

it's going to be over 10% it can be 20%

it can be even greater than that so

what's happening in the Piston Ring

Groove and against that cylinder wall is

different than everywhere else in the

engine because of that fuel dilution the

contamination of the fuel therefore

what's in in the fuel makes a bigger

difference to the performance of the oil

essentially that fuel can lower wear if

it's formulated properly how freaking

cool is that actually this explains a

lot of the variation that we see doing

used oil analysis cuz every day I'm

looking at used oil samples and I can

tell you for a fact we see good and bad

results with every brand of oil it

doesn't matter what the brand is we see

good ones and we see bad ones for all of

them why one of the variables is the

quality of the fuel if you're using a

high quality oil with a high quality

fuel you're probably going to get really

good results but you can be using a high

quality oil with a poor quality Fuel and

get not so great results and we can see

this from the data that not only the ACT

presented at that conference the guys at

Southwest research Dr Peter Lee my

friend and his group has also presented

independent information that shows the

exact same thing that when you put

friction modifiers and different

chemistries that can affect ringing

liner wear in the fuel you can reduce

wear how cool is that okay let's go

ahead and get into some of those details

because this stuff is wicked cool

chemistry but wait doesn't all fuel come

from the same pipeline regardless of

brand that is true all fuel coming

through the pipeline is the same in fact

your 87 octane gasoline is only 83

octane gasoline in the pipeline both the

ethanol and the additives that are in

the fuel are actually added in the tank

that delivers the fuel to the gas

station but those additives are

different from Brand to Brand so first

things first how do they even know that

the oil in the ring zone is different

than the oil in the sump well they

outfitted an engine with a little device

that could sample oil while the engine

runs from the back of the oil ring isn't

that crazy they actually developed this

where they could pull those samples

directly from the piston and the

cylinder wall to compare what that oil

was like chemically in those areas of

the engine versus the sump Incredible

use of used oil analysis but from an

engine while it's running just by

sampling it in different areas so they

were able to see that in that ring pack

you have much higher temperatures and

much smaller volumes so that the thermal

effects and the fuel dilution effects

are much greater in that area compared

to the sump where that's a lower

temperature and there's a real large

volume of oil in that resonance time

that oil stays down there a lot longer

so it's really different what's going on

with that oil in the ring pack versus

the sump and that sampling method

allowed them to see it and what they

found was massive differences in the oil

from the sump versus what was in the

ring Zone and the harder they ran the

engine the more fuel you put in the

engine the more it changed so there was

a great variation in what was happening

with the chemistry of the oil based on

the operating conditions of the engine

as well so the fuel itself made an

impact on the performance of the oil and

the amount of fuel also made an impact

so there's two big variables going on

the fuel itself and how much fuel is

being consumed is impacting the oil

that's also called the oil to fuel ratio

we're going to mention that when we do

the video about oil life indicators

because this is a big part of that all

right now back to the results and what

they saw was every time they added a

friction modifier to the fuel they saw a

reduction in friction at the ring liner

interface which correlates with the

other published literature and the

results shown by act speaking of them

let's get back to their engine in Europe

they have both premium fuel and regular

fuel in the same octane so here in the

US we're used to having 87 89 and maybe

91 or 93 octane gasoline where as the

quality varies so does the octane but in

Europe they have the same octane fuel

with and without the premium additive

package in the fuel so this actually

makes for a much better comparison of

the results and that's what the guy act

saw that the basic fuel had more wear

than the premium fuel and they were able

to understand what was going on

chemically by looking at that used oil

and what they found was that the zddp

the zinc dialco theop phosphate which is

an antiwar additive in the oil actually

gets consumed rapidly because it's also

functioning as an anti

antioxidant not just an anti-war

additive so what happens when the zdp

gets consumed in that ring Zone because

of that high temperature it's no longer

able to function as an anti-wear

additive therefore the wear can increase

because your primary antiwar additive is

no longer able to function as an antiwar

additive in that particular area and

this is the window of opportunity for

that friction modifier coming in fresh

with every intake stroke right every

time that injector fires and puts a

little bit of fresh fuel in there here's

that chance for that fresh friction

modifier to come in and actually save

the day to help make up for what the oil

can't do because of that rough

environment in the ring Zone I mean how

cool is that obviously my day jump I

work for total steal piston ring so I

love tribology I love piston rings and

how cool is that to see that in this

little area of the engine it is intense

there's crazy heat there's crazy fuel

dilution all this stuff's going on it's

like the pressure cooker of the whole

engine and it's really taxing the

tribology and making all this stuff work

I me okay all right I'm

going Cal calm down a little bit get too

excited about this cuz this is just

really really neat stuff and it explains

so much so they took two in and they

irradiated the piston rings in both

engines they ran one engine on the

premium fuel the other engine on the

basic Fuel and at the end they were able

to measure all the wear results not only

from the piston rings rubbing but also

in the used oil after the 120 hour test

and these results are incredible

remember we have three ways we're

looking at the wear from both the engine

run on basic fuel compared compared to

the engine run on the premium fuel with

the friction modifiers looking at where

via the radiation method r i we're also

going to look at where using a 3D

profometer to measure the surfaces and

we're going to look at used oil analysis

so the first thing is the RC that

radiation method and it's a giant

difference we're looking at

7.32 microns of wear with the basic fuel

compared to

1.7 microns with the premium fuel and

just to be fair after running the engine

with the basic fuel that same engine was

run again with the premium fuel and it

yielded even less wear which makes sense

a little bit because of the break-in but

also shows that that difference between

the premium fuel and the basic fuel is

real that was also validated when we

went and looked at the surface

topography when you look at that 3D wear

measurement yeah you don't even need a

tool to measure that you can see with

your own eyes how much pitting and wear

occurred with the basic fuel compared to

the premium fuel big difference in

measured wear between that basic Fuel

and premium fuel and the used oil

analysis confirms all of it we look at

the total amount of wear over time we

see that the from the Zero Hour sample

to the end of test sample the iron

jumped from six parts per million all

the way

to10 with the basic fuel compared to

only 70 parts per million with the

premium fuel huge difference between the

basic Fuel and the premium fuel showing

that in that ring liner contact with all

the fuel dilution with all the Heat and

pressures that additional friction

modifier

in the premium fuel makes a giant

difference in terms of wear if you want

a more indepth video on fuel leave a

comment below and let me know this is

why we see such a variation in wear with

used oil analysis if you're looking at

Brands only because people will tell you

what the brand of the oil is they'll

tell you what the viscosity of the oil

is but no one tells us what fuel they're

using but now we know that fuel quality

is one of those variables that leads to

the variation we see in used oil

analysis results so that premium fuel

isn't just higher octane it's that

premium additive package that makes the

difference so the guys that shell when

they said that their fuel can actually

reduce wear that wasn't just a marketing

claim the science says it does and as

you know what this channel is all about

is science not speculation and these are

incredibly cool results hope you enjoyed

the video thanks for watching

[Applause]