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Chevron: Reformulated Delo 400 Engine Oils Boast Higher Performance

Chevron said teardown of engine that ran 530,000 miles with oil drains set at 40,000 miles showed how Delo 400 ZFA 10W-30 oil protected key engine components. Photo: Chevron

Chevron Products Company rolled out an expanded line of Delo 400 heavy-duty diesel engine oils on Dec. 1, the same day that oils formulated to meet the new API CK-4 and FA-4 service categories became eligible to to be marketed and sold.

The new Delo 400 lineup of CK-4 and FA-4 products were engineered with Chevron's proprietary ISOSYN Advanced Technology chemistry. The new oils provide up to 68% better wear protection, 35% better oil oxidation resistance, and 46% better piston deposit control, according to Chevron, “relative to test limits for the prior generation" of heavy-duty engine oils.

“We're seeing a major shift in how our customers select engine oil,” said Chevron Lubricants North America Commercial Brands Manager Rommel Atienza. “Oil selection is a strategic business decision. Not all business needs are the same, so it is important that customers have options. In preparation for the new API CK-4 and API FA-4 categories, Chevron set out to develop a range of Delo 400 heavy duty engine oils to provide choices for both on and off road customers to meet their specific goals.”

The company said the new Delo 400 oils went through the “most diverse and extensive field test program in Chevron's history.” Testing of Delo 400 CK-4 and FA-4 products with ISOSYN Advanced Technology was conducted on over 950 engines including a group of 645 on-road vehicles consisting of tractor-trailers, cement mixers, waste trucks and diesel pickups.

Chevron Lubricants Global Delo Brand Manager Len Badal said the extensive testing emphasized a “well-rounded approach” to ensure product meeting the needs of trucking as well as other industries such as construction and ...Read the rest of this story

Economic Watch: Manufacturing, Construction Post Impressive Gains

In another sign the U.S. economy is gathering more steam, two reports released Thursday morning showed a strong rebound in the nation's manufacturing sector while another indicated construction remains strong following earlier positive indicators.

The survey of purchasing managers by the Institute for Supply Management showed economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in November, and the overall economy grew for the 90th consecutive month, according to the industry group's Purchasing Managers' Index.

The November PMI registered 53.2%, an increase of 1.3 percentage points from the October reading of 51.9%. A reading above 50% indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector while a reading below 50% indicates contraction.

This is not only the best reading in five months and the third straight monthly hike, but it also beat a consensus estimate from Wall Street analysts. Late last year and early into this year, manufacturing slumped to where the sector was contracting for the first time in the economic recovery since the Great Recession.

The New Orders Index for November registered 53%, an increase of 0.9 of a percentage point from the October reading of 52.1 while the Production Index registered 56%, 1.4 percentage points higher than the October reading of 54.6 percent. Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 11 reported growth in November.

"The past relationship between the PMI and the overall economy indicates that the average PMI for January through November (51.2%) corresponds to a 2.5% increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) on an annualized basis,” said Bradley J. Holcomb, chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. “In addition, if the PMI for November (53.2%) is annualized, it corresponds to a 3.2% increase in real GDP annually."

Meantime, a similar report from financial information services provider IHS Markit showed manufacturing last month had the strongest growth rate for new orders since March 2015.

At 54.1 in ...Read the rest of this story

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