Oil Makers Introduce Redesigned Products For ’07 Engines

anufacturers of heavy-duty diesel engine oils said they have introduced — or plan to soon introduce — reformulated lubricants designed to meet the requirements of 2007 truck engines. And like just about everything else associated with meeting the government’s tightened emission standards, the new oils will cost more.

The new oils are made to meet the American Petroleum Institute’s CJ-4 specification, which says the oil should allow fleets to maintain existing required change intervals, although it must operate in a hotter engine environment, oil company representatives said.

Phil Burnett, brand strategy manager for Shell Transportation Lubricants, said at a recent press conference introducing Shell’s lineup of ’07 engine oils that the new products required extensive research and use more expensive additive chemicals, so the company’s costs are 10% to 15% higher.