Shell Rotella T
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Shell Rotella T is a line of heavy duty engine lubrication products produced by Shell Oil Company. The line includes engine oils, gear oils and coolants. The oil carries both the American Petroleum Institute (API) diesel "C" rating as well as the API gasoline engine "S" rating. Ratings differ based on the oil.
Product lineup
The Rotella product family is categorized by Shell into the following product families:
- Engine oils
- Coolants
- Tractor fluid (a universal transmission, gear, hydraulic, and wet brake fluid)
- Gear oil
In the engine oil family, there are four basic oil sub-families:
- Multigrade conventional oil -- in SAE 10W-30 and 15W-40 viscosity ranges
- Multigrade synthetic oil -- in SAE 5W-40
- Single grade conventional oil -- in SAE 20, 30, 40 and 50
- Synthetic blend oil
Both the multigrade conventional oil (10W-30 and 15W-40) and the synthetic SAE 5W-40 meet the newest API certification of CJ-4/SM.
Shell is marketing their new CJ-4/SM oil as "Triple Protection," meaning it provides enhanced qualities for engine wear, soot control and engine cleanliness. Shell's Rotella website indicates that on-road testing confirms the new Triple Protection technology produces better anti-wear characteristics than their existing CI-4+ rated Rotella oil. This is achieved despite a lower zinc and phosphorus additive level as called for by the API CJ-4 specification. (The 15W-40 Rotella T with Triple Protection oil has approximately 1200 ppm of zinc and 1100 ppm phosphorus at the time of manufacture.)
Competitors
Rotella competes with similar lubrication products from other oil manufacturers. Some notable competitive products are:
- Mobil Delvac
- Chevron Delo
- Petro-Canada Duron
Motorcycle usage
Though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella oil has found popularity with motorcyclists as well. The lack of "friction modifiers" in Rotella means they do not interfere with wet clutch operations. (This is called a "shared sump" design, which is unlike automobiles which maintain separate oil reservoirs - one for the engine and one for the transmission). Used oil analysis (UOA) reports on BobIsTheOilGuy.com have shown wear metals levels comparable to oils marketed as motorcycle-specific.
JASO-MA
JASO is an acronym that stands for "The Japanese Automotive Standards Organization." Among other things, they set standards for oil to be used in motorcycles.
Shell Rotella T 15W-40 conventional oil now lists on its packaging JASO MA as one of the specifications it meets, as does the Rotella website product page:
Note that the 10W-30 conventional oil does not list JASO-MA.
The newer fully synthetic T6 5W-40 oil also lists JASO-MA compliance on its packaging and on the Rotella website.
External links
- http://www.dieselfuelengines.com (Rotella T information)
- http://rotella.com
- http://www.bobistheoilguy.com
- Petro-Canada Lubricants Official Homepage - See DuronTM
