Does Engine Oil Type Affect Fuel Consumption in Passenger Vehicles? A Two-Year Investigation

Artur Wolak (), Michał Wołosz, Kamil Fijorek and Grzegorz Zając
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Artur Wolak: Department of Quality and Safety of Industrial Products, Institute of Quality and Product Management Sciences, Krakow University of Economics, 27 Rakowicka St., 31-510 Krakow, Poland
Michał Wołosz: Department of Statistics, College of Economics, Finance and Law, Krakow University of Economics, 27 Rakowicka St., 31-510 Krakow, Poland
Kamil Fijorek: Department of Statistics, College of Economics, Finance and Law, Krakow University of Economics, 27 Rakowicka St., 31-510 Krakow, Poland
Grzegorz Zając: Department of Power Engineering and Transportation, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głeboka 28, 20-612 Lublin, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: Reducing fuel consumption to decrease CO 2 emissions has become a key development factor in the automotive industry. An effective way to decrease fuel consumption is to reduce the influence of various sources of energy loss. One way to increase engine efficiency is to use low-viscosity engine oils to reduce friction losses in the engine’s tribological systems. The aim of the article was to analyze the relationship between the type of engine oil and fuel consumption in a group of 12 passenger cars. This was a homogenous group of identical cars, equipped with the same engine, operated under very similar conditions. Three groups of engine oils (Revline, Total, Orlen) were tested in vehicles and stressed with comparable workloads. The experiment was conducted over two years (two stages of research). The collected results were presented using graphs and compared using statistical tests, split into two stages of research, with four seasonal temperature groups. The study provides a detailed description of fuel consumption differences taking into account variations in ambient temperature. The analyses were focused on finding answers to two research questions: does the type of engine oil affect the variation in combustion levels, and what is the variability of fuel consumption in different seasons due to the ambient temperature variability? Briefly, in both stages of the study, vehicles using Revline oil attained the highest average fuel consumption throughout the study period. Vehicles using Total oil showed similar results to those using Revline oil, with the difference in fuel consumption not as noticeable during warmer months. Conversely, vehicles using Orlen oil demonstrated the lowest fuel consumption values during colder months, but higher levels during warmer months.

Keywords: engine oil; fuel consumption; oil condition monitoring; lubrication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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