Say hello to the new passenger car engine oil specifications – API SP / ILSAC GF-6A and 6B

API SP / ILSAC GF-6A & 6B passenger car motor oils are now the current engine oil specification on the market as of May 1st, 2020.

The new ILSAC 6A specification is targeted at improving or mitigating the following:

·        Low Speed Pre-ignition (LSPI)

·        Timing Chain Wear

·        Sludge, Varnish and Oxidation Control

·        Fuel Economy

·        Emissions

These new ILSAC 6A oils are backward compatible with the previous API / ILSAC specifications and will begin with a designation of “x”W-30, “x”W-20.

Conditions such as Low Speed Pre-ignition (LSPI) normally found in turbo charged, gasoline direct inject engine platforms and Timing Chain Wear can create severe and possible fatal conditions in your engine thus choosing oils designed to prevent is essential.

ILSAC GF-6B are the new formulations designed for vehicles where OEM requirements are for a 0W-16 or even thinner oils which are expected sooner than later such as 0W-12 or 0W-8.

These new “6B” oils will have a different certification insignia (as shown below) as the 6A oils to differentiate the two since they are not backward compatible with previous oil certifications.

As you can see from the graph below, GF-6 oils offer superior protection over previous API specifications such as API SN and API SN PLUS in the areas of LSPI, Wear, Fuel Economy and Sludge, Oxidation and Deposit control.

As OEMs continue to push the limits of performance and fuel economy, engine oil manufacturers will continue to adapt and engineer products to provide superior performance, protection and vehicle longevity. Make sure your installer is using these new API SP / ILSAC GF-6A and 6B engine oils to protect your vehicle and take advantage of the new benefits. #TotalQuartz