Tradeoffs are a sad part of life. No one gets everything he wants, and that's as true in engine oil development as in everything else. Formulators have long struggled to balance the ideals of wear protection, cleanliness, fuel economy, lower emissions and cost - and ILSAC GF-5, the engine oil specification moving towards industry approval in 2009 and commercial introduction in 2010, offers no respite from that challenge. "GF-5 may not require many brand new chemistries across the board, but it will mean more additives, because of the proposed increase in protection against deposits, sludge and coking deposits," pointed out Alex Boffa, global PCMO coordinator at Chevron Oronite in Richmond, Calif. "Maybe it will mean an overall increase in the overall additive package, and particularly in the dispersant/detergent additives. We may see increased levels of friction modifiers, too."
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