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The friction reducing capability of engine oils in the piston ring/cylinder bore contact was investigated under fully-flooded and starved lubrication conditions at 100° C using a laboratory piston ring/cylinder bore friction rig. The rig is designed to acquire instantaneous transient measurements of applied loads and friction forces at the ring/bore interface in reciprocating motion over a 50.8 mm stroke. The effects of increasing load and speed on the friction coefficient have been compared with new and used engine oils of different viscosity that were formulated with and without friction modifying additives. Test results with fully formulated engine oils containing molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) show that friction is always lower than that obtained with non-friction modified oils but in regions of persistent starvation the coefficient of friction can increase significantly, approaching levels equivalent to fully-flooded non-friction modified formulations.

Development of the Sequence VIB dynamometer engine test procedure for evaluating the fuel efficiency benefits of engine oils has recently been completed. This test was designed as an improvement over its predecessor, the Sequence VIA test. It evaluates fuel economy using a range of boundary/mixed and hydrodynamic lubrication stages selected to better represent a wider range of engines. In addition to determining “fresh oil” fuel economy, the new test determines fuel efficiency retention after a second oil aging stage that corresponds to 6437 - 9674 km (4,000 - 6,000 miles) of pre-certification aging of engine oils in vehicles and is representative of customer use. This paper describes the selection of aging conditions and length.

The newly developed Sequence VIB engine dynamometer test for measuring the ability of engine oils to improve engine fuel efficiency was designed as an improvement on its predecessor, the Sequence VIA test. The Sequence VIB test features an additional, extended oil aging to correspond to aging of engine oils in certification vehicles and in customer use, and a new set of boundary/mixed and hydrodynamic lubrication stages to better represent a wider range of engines. Five fuel economy measurement stages were chosen for the Sequence VIB test from a larger set of prototype stages, based on extensive friction modeling of engines, analysis of Sequence VIA data on reference oils, and operational considerations. Time factors for these stages were derived based on a mini-mapping of engines considering engine operating conditions in the Metro/Highway Federal fuel economy test procedure (FTP M/H) and the estimated market volume of each engine-vehicle.