Signor Andrea Dolphi, Head of Motorsport and Technical Fluids at Petronas, answers some questions in a very peculiar way:
- Synthetics or semi-synthetics? What is the base group? But I am generally against such gradations: the consumer should not care. Oil must be good, and that’s it! Just like ours, for example.
Formula 1 as an argument
Yes, Italians are funny guys. And Signor Dolphy is no exception. He seems to accidentally leave direct answers to questions about the nuances of the proprietary CoolTech technology, but he constantly reminds that a three-beam Mercedes star is depicted on canisters with Petronas oils - they say that other manufacturers have no such “mark”.
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A star is a star, but I again ask what I will win if, starting tomorrow, I start pouring Petronas into my car instead of oils from more famous brands in Russia. Signor smiles, nods and …
As Italians speak, everyone roughly represents - animatedly and with gesticulation. And the summary is as follows: Petronas Syntium synthetic oils were developed taking into account new trends, including motor downsizing. Engine volumes are reduced, traffic jams are gaining space - the thermal load of parts is growing, and reliability is falling. So, CoolTech technology just allows you to achieve high thermal oxidative stability and excellent detergent-dispersant properties. And this series of oils successfully fights deposits caused by overheating, while ensuring effective lubrication due to increased oxidation resistance, preventing scuffing, soot and the like.
In general, it’s clear. Another thing is not entirely clear: why did the company openly oversleep our market and how is it going to catch up? Indeed, in Russia, Petronas, in general, is unknown. In this way, he is somewhat similar to his ancestor - the Fiat concern, which today clearly does not solo on Russian roads. Therefore, the main emphasis will most likely be placed on the fact that the Mercedes-Benz team won the Formula 1 Design Cup for three consecutive years - it was Petronas specifically with motor oils, gearboxes, fuel and other liquids. And not everyone remembers this.
However, for me personally, something else is more important. Not many firms in the world produce base oils, and Petronas produces. As is known, according to the classification of the American Petroleum Institute (API), such oils are divided into five groups (I - V): mineral - from simple (I) to improved hydrotreated (II), as well as hydrocracked (III), synthetic polyalphaolefin (PAO, IV) and other (V), including ester. So, Petronas produces oils on the basis of all five base groups: the bases of the first three groups are proprietary, and the company prefers to purchase two more.
But still, where is the synthetics, and where not? From a formal point of view, we can say this: oils based on bases of groups V, IV and (partially) III are called synthetic in Petronas, based on mixtures (IV + II or IV + I, as well as III + II or III + I) - semi-synthetic, and based on the bases of groups II and I - mineral. By the way, the Syntium oils mentioned above are most likely made on the basis of the PAO, although the tricky signor again left the direct answer to this question:
- We work out the basic technical solutions on the products used in Formula 1. And the new line includes fifteen oils, from which everyone can choose the right one for their car.
To whom?
In the new Petronas line there are both low-ash and full-ash oils. Low ash (Low SAPS) are designed for cars of Euro 5 or Euro 6 class. And since many manufacturers have their own views on the content of sulfur, phosphorus, as well as about sulfate ash, many banks say: “Especially for Ford cars” or “Especially for Renault”. These machines used different systems of catalytic afterburning of exhaust gases - capricious and expensive. Therefore, Petronas believes that a “registered” lubricant product has a right to exist.
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Full-ash oils (Full SAPS) will suit our Logans and Grants. However, in cars with engines of a class below Euro 4, you can fill almost any of these oils - both Low SAPS and Full SAPS. Here it is more important not to be mistaken with the viscosity-temperature characteristics (SAE) recommended by the car manufacturer for specific climatic conditions. And if “forty” is recommended, you don’t need to chase the “twenty” - even if you want to reduce fuel consumption.
Should Petronas be preferred to more well-known brands in Russia? You can try. If only because in the near future to buy a fake, most likely, you do not risk. Therefore, even in our unpredictable market, the same oils will be sold as in eighty other countries.
HISTORY PETRONASIn 1912, Fiat's Sezione Lubrificante was created - Italians were the first among European transport manufacturers to produce their own lubricants. In 1974, the company Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) was created, owned by the Malaysian government. After a couple of years, Sezione Lubrificante became an independent company, renamed to FL (Fiat Lubrificante). Soon, FL leaves the Fiat group and becomes known as FL Selenia. In 2008, Petronas acquired FL Selenia. All Petronas oil divisions are merged into a newly created company - Petronas Lubricants International, or PLI. |
