As a fuel and lubricant supplier, we know how challenging rising fuel and lubricant costs are to your business. As prices continue to increase, business owners and fleet managers are looking for any shift that can help reduce costs for their business. In today’s blog, we want to share two companies’ successes when they shifted to lower-viscosity lubricants and explain why this move may benefit your business, too.

Case study #1 – Brundage Bone
Brundage Bone is the largest concrete pumping company in the United States. They operate an extensive and diverse fleet of concrete pumping vehicles and equipment to support their work. These vehicles have varying lubricant needs and come with hefty fuel bills. As fuel and lubricant prices have risen in recent years, a top priority for the company was to reduce its annual fuel costs without sacrificing equipment availability or operational efficiency.

The company decided to switch their fleet of 450 to a Synthetic Blend 10W-30 Heavy-duty Engine Oil. This lower viscosity oil ended up helping the company achieve a 2.5% annual reduction in their overall fuel cost. Jeff LaBounty, their national service manager, said, “A 2.5% reduction in fuel costs for us is huge as fuel is our largest expense.”

While a 2.5% fuel savings doesn’t seem like much, it was enough to convince Brundage Bone of the benefits of embracing lower-viscosity oil, especially considering the fuel efficiency gains they were able to get.

Case Study #2 – Foodliner®
Another large-scale example of the benefits of switching to a lower-viscosity oil comes from one of the country’s largest bulk food-grade carriers, Foodliner®. The company has been a bulk carrier since 1958 and operates a fleet of vehicles of diesel and mixed-fuel trucks that travel across the country in varying temperatures and weather. The company embraced oil sampling to customize its fleet’s maintenance needs, including extending drain oil intervals. Based on their sampling, they switched to lower-viscosity lubricants and achieved 1.5% fuel cost savings and lower maintenance costs.

The shift to lower-viscosity oil has its benefits
These case studies show real benefits for companies embracing lower-viscosity engine oils. As the transportation industry embraces lower-viscosity oil to reduce fuel and maintenance costs and meet new emissions standards, the benefits of lower-viscosity oils are becoming more apparent.

Understanding viscosity and its importance in engine oils
When we consider an engine oil’s viscosity, we aren’t just looking at the thickness of the oil but the fluid’s resistance to flow. The higher the resistance, the more viscous the oil may be. When it comes to engine oils, viscosity is crucial because it affects how well oil lubricates the moving parts of an engine. Oils with higher viscosity are thicker, while those with lower viscosity flow more easily.

Engine oil viscosity is crucial for engine oil performance. The oil’s viscosity reduces the friction between moving parts, minimizing wear and tear and helping maintain proper lubrication even under high stress and temperatures. Traditionally, higher-viscosity oils were used in heavy-duty trucks and vehicles that operated under heavy pressure and extreme stress. Most heavy-duty diesel engines used oils like SAE 15W-40, a relatively high-viscosity oil.

But the times have changed, and so have engine needs. OEMS are creating heavy-duty engines that embrace lower viscosity oils because they help improve fuel efficiency and meet higher fuel emissions standards. Thicker oils create more resistance within the engine, requiring more energy to pump the oil through, which leads to higher fuel consumption. Modern engines benefit from lower viscosity oils, which help reduce the internal resistance in the engine, improving fuel economy and reducing the engine’s carbon footprint. Most OEMS now recommend SAE 10W-30 oils for newer engines.

The shift to lower-viscosity oils
OEMS are redesigning their engines to work better with lower-viscosity engine oils. This shift is happening for a few reasons, including:

  • Higher fuel emissions standards: As climate change worsens, government regulations have tightened on fuel emissions for the transportation industry to reduce CO2 emissions caused by poor fuel economy.
  • Better engine designs: New engine design advancements like polymeric coatings and friction-reducing technologies are allowing modern engines to operate better with less viscous oils.
  • Fuel efficiency: As the price of fuel rises, fuel efficiency is a growing concern. New engines are designed to use less fuel, and fleet operators and drivers are embracing tools like lower-viscosity oils to reduce fuel costs.
  • Reduced maintenance costs: In addition to improved fuel efficiency, lower-viscosity oils typically have an extended oil life, so operators can extend the time between drain intervals and reduce their overall maintenance costs.

The shift to lower-viscosity oils continues
The trend toward lower viscosity engine oils will continue as more fleets embrace these lubricants and see the benefits like Brundage Bone and Foodliner® did. As OEMs continue improving their engine designs and environmental regulations become more stringent, the demand for lower-viscosity oils will likely grow. This shift is helping companies get more fuel efficiency from their fleets, reduce their overall maintenance costs, and reduce C02 emissions. The benefits of making the switch to lower-viscosity oils speak for themselves. These oils not only improve fuel economy but offer enhanced engine protection, too.

Join Greg’s Petroleum’s oil analysis program today
So, if your company wants to lower fuel costs, contact our team for help switching to a lower viscosity oil. We offer analysis sampling,just like the kind Foodliner® utilized, to help them see firsthand data on their fleet’s lubrication needs and the benefits of switching to lower-viscosity oil. With our help and recommendations gathered from your oil analysis, your company can make custom lubricant choices for your vehicles to improve fuel efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. Reach out today to your Greg’s Petroleum representative for help starting our oil analysis program or to learn more about our products and services as a Valvoline lubricants supplier.