Whenever a sanctioning body sets a maximum cubic inch limit, the race is on to turn as many rpm as possible without blowing up. Unfortunately, just adding more is rarely better." An in-depth discussion of the various detergent, dispersant, viscosity modifier, friction modifier, anti-wear, extreme pressure, anti-oxidant, pour point, metal deactivator, and anti-foam additives and their related chemistry is a whole article by itself! Again, the key is tailoring the blend and balance of these additives to the needs of the application. Gasoline engines typically produce less torque and turn higher rpm than diesel engines, so gasoline motor oils are designed differently to accommodate the need for better fuel economy at higher engine speeds. Diesel engine oils are also designed to withstand the higher torque that diesel engines produce. Consequently, diesel engine oils contain more dispersant additives to keep the soot from forming sludge. "For example, the additive package for a diesel engine is different from a passenger car engine since diesels create more soot than gasoline engines. Having the proper balance of additives for the needs of the application is the key to obtaining higher levels of performance and increased engine life. However, using just the base oil without additives will quickly wear out the rest of your engine," Lake explains. "A base oil without any additives can provide full film lubrication in an engine bearing if the viscosity is right for the speed and load of the bearing. In fact, the additive package is typically the most complex part of the motor oil. According to Lake, while boundary lubricants like zinc and moly are part of the additive package, the overall additive package is far more complex than just boundary lubricants. Getting it right is critical to engine longevity. Real racing oils are formulated differently to handle the unique boundary lubrication requirements of high-rpm engines."įormulating an oil requires balancing the properties of the base oil with the properties of various additives. This is why passenger car and diesel motor oils are different from racing oils. Higher-rpm engines need different boundary lubrication additives than an engine that rarely sees more than 3,000 rpm. Since the valvetrain rotates at half the speed of the crankshaft and sees extra load from the valvesprings, the valvetrain of an engine primarily operates in the boundary condition, which means having the correct additives is critical. Additives like zinc and moly are the boundary lubrication additives that prevent metal-on-metal contact when the oil film is lost. As the piston slows down, the full oil film is lost, and now boundary lubrication takes over. This is why you see more cylinder bore wear near top dead center on the cylinder bore, as the piston must slow to a stop to change directions. "At low speeds you don't have a full oil film. Now imagine the boat stops moving, which is what a boundary lubrication condition is like," Lake explains. "Imagine skiing behind a boat running 30 mph across the lake, and that is what full film lubrication is like. Inside a running engine, certain moving parts have the luxury of relying on film lubrication, while other components must make do operating under boundary lubrication conditions. Since the creation of Driven products, JGR has won eight NASCAR series championships and over 100 races." Prior to the creation of the Driven Racing Oil products, JGR had won less than a dozen races and no championships. Once JGR began learning about the science of motor oil, Driven was created to provide JGR with cutting-edge lubricants. JGR saw the need to develop an oil formula that would not only stop the problems, but would also allow JGR to be even more aggressive with valvetrain designs. "When the zinc levels began to drop in these oils, our camshafts started going flat. Up until the late 1990s, NASCAR teams just purchased regular motor oil from the parts store," Lake explains. "Since NASCAR still mandates flat-tappet camshafts, JGR began having cam wear issues back in 1999 due to the reduced levels of zinc, also known as ZDDP, in off-the-shelf motor oils. While most teams are content selecting from oil that's readily available to them, JGR takes things one-step further by developing its own motor oil. Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the premiere powerhouse teams in modern Sprint Cup racing.
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