I understand your frustration, and in the future I may be in a position to pay for additional programming which will be able to take those variables into account. However, at present, the default minimum HTHS values are set with regards to the SAE J300 viscosity requirements, not API or ACEA requirements.
Thus, when the oils are entered into the database, if a manufacturer does not provide that information on their specification sheets, the default minimum is used, which, by SAE J300 standards, is 2.9 for a 5w40 or 10w40 motor oil.
I will take your constructive criticism under advisement for future adjustments to the database which hopefully will be able to take those criteria into account. In the meantime, this is still the best resource available anywhere for being able to get a rough idea of which oils are the relative best in any given category.
Any database can have errors, mistakes and shortcomings. I have made it clear in my help documents that mine is no different and is not designed to be the “be all and end all” of motor oil comparison.
It is meant to be a starting place to find those oils that sit near the top of the charts (not the #1 oil, but the top 4 or 5 that meet your criteria). Once you get a rough idea of those oils that seem to have the qualities you’re looking for, then it is up to the individual to go back and do a bit more research to find the oil that is really going to be best for their needs.
The addition of the oil analysis database will, over time, be an even more useful tool in establishing oil quality, but, that is in it’s infancy and will take time to develop.
Lastly, to some extent, I am hoping that, if this online database becomes as widely used as I believe it will, maybe oil manufacturers will begin putting more relevant data on their actual spec sheets so that the “average Joe” who doesn’t know as much about the specs as you and I do, can actually find them posted on the PDS instead of just having to “know” what those min/max values must be for all API/ACEA categories.
I hope that you will consider staying on and being a helpful addition to the site and a useful contributor, rather than simply a detractor who cries wolf at any hint of error. It is my guess that you are not God Almighty himself. Therefore, my second guess is that you are not any more perfect than I am.
You’ll be happy to know that I just spent the better part of my evening updating the database manually. I appreciate your input, even if not the spirit in which it was given.
I have updated all oils that met the ACEA E classifications (and had been assigned default minimum values of less than 3.5 due to omission from the manufacturer’s spec sheets) to an HT/HS score of 3.5.
In addition, I updated E4 classified oils that previously had received default TBN values of 8, to a TBN value of 12, which is the minimum for an E4 classified oil.
E7 oils were upgrade to a TBN of 9, if they had previously been given a default value of 8.
Lastly, I also updated ACEA A3/B3 or A3/B4 oils to reflect their respective minimum values for HT/HS and TBN.
However, a slight correction to your comment above, API CJ, CI-4+ and CI-4 oils have a 3.5 HT/HS requirement, not 3.7 – at least as indicated in the documentation I downloaded from the Infineum website to verify my numbers. Of course, the heavier weight diesel oils would have a default value of 3.7 anyway, based on SAE J300 viscosity standards.
Just the same, I did find a few 5w40, and 10w40 oils in the database which meet API CJ, CI-4+ or CI-4 specs that were previously given default minimum HT/HS scores of 2.9 based on SAE J300 requirements. These have been updated to 3.5 based on API minimums for those classifications.
You can check the documents here:
ACEA & API Oil Sequences (http://www NULL.infineum NULL.com/Pages/ACEAandAPITables NULL.aspx)
If you have additional information which would give more credence to your 3.7 value, please feel free to supply.
TheMotorOilEvaluator.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Charles,
I understand your frustration, and in the future I may be in a position to pay for additional programming which will be able to take those variables into account. However, at present, the default minimum HTHS values are set with regards to the SAE J300 viscosity requirements, not API or ACEA requirements.
Thus, when the oils are entered into the database, if a manufacturer does not provide that information on their specification sheets, the default minimum is used, which, by SAE J300 standards, is 2.9 for a 5w40 or 10w40 motor oil.
I will take your constructive criticism under advisement for future adjustments to the database which hopefully will be able to take those criteria into account. In the meantime, this is still the best resource available anywhere for being able to get a rough idea of which oils are the relative best in any given category.
Any database can have errors, mistakes and shortcomings. I have made it clear in my help documents that mine is no different and is not designed to be the “be all and end all” of motor oil comparison.
It is meant to be a starting place to find those oils that sit near the top of the charts (not the #1 oil, but the top 4 or 5 that meet your criteria). Once you get a rough idea of those oils that seem to have the qualities you’re looking for, then it is up to the individual to go back and do a bit more research to find the oil that is really going to be best for their needs.
The addition of the oil analysis database will, over time, be an even more useful tool in establishing oil quality, but, that is in it’s infancy and will take time to develop.
Lastly, to some extent, I am hoping that, if this online database becomes as widely used as I believe it will, maybe oil manufacturers will begin putting more relevant data on their actual spec sheets so that the “average Joe” who doesn’t know as much about the specs as you and I do, can actually find them posted on the PDS instead of just having to “know” what those min/max values must be for all API/ACEA categories.
I hope that you will consider staying on and being a helpful addition to the site and a useful contributor, rather than simply a detractor who cries wolf at any hint of error. It is my guess that you are not God Almighty himself. Therefore, my second guess is that you are not any more perfect than I am.
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LikeDislikeGoing by “standards”:
ACEA “E” oils are 3.5 HTHS. API “C”s are >3.7
Charlie
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LikeDislikeCharles,
You’ll be happy to know that I just spent the better part of my evening updating the database manually. I appreciate your input, even if not the spirit in which it was given.
I have updated all oils that met the ACEA E classifications (and had been assigned default minimum values of less than 3.5 due to omission from the manufacturer’s spec sheets) to an HT/HS score of 3.5.
In addition, I updated E4 classified oils that previously had received default TBN values of 8, to a TBN value of 12, which is the minimum for an E4 classified oil.
E7 oils were upgrade to a TBN of 9, if they had previously been given a default value of 8.
Lastly, I also updated ACEA A3/B3 or A3/B4 oils to reflect their respective minimum values for HT/HS and TBN.
However, a slight correction to your comment above, API CJ, CI-4+ and CI-4 oils have a 3.5 HT/HS requirement, not 3.7 – at least as indicated in the documentation I downloaded from the Infineum website to verify my numbers. Of course, the heavier weight diesel oils would have a default value of 3.7 anyway, based on SAE J300 viscosity standards.
Just the same, I did find a few 5w40, and 10w40 oils in the database which meet API CJ, CI-4+ or CI-4 specs that were previously given default minimum HT/HS scores of 2.9 based on SAE J300 requirements. These have been updated to 3.5 based on API minimums for those classifications.
You can check the documents here:
ACEA & API Oil Sequences (http://www NULL.infineum NULL.com/Pages/ACEAandAPITables NULL.aspx)
If you have additional information which would give more credence to your 3.7 value, please feel free to supply.
Was this answer helpful?
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