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Increasing vehicle efficiency has been one of the key drivers of the automotive industry worldwide due to new government emission legislations and rising fuel costs. While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are responding with innovative hardware designs for new models, lubricant companies are developing additive solutions to reduce frictional losses in the engine thereby increasing fuel economy of both new and existing vehicles. Fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be measured in a variety of driving cycles, including the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), Japanese JC-08, and FTP-75 (Federal Test Procedure). The type of vehicle used in fuel economy evaluation in the same cycle plays a significant role. Fuel consumption rates for the same vehicle measured in these driving cycles vary due to the differences in the cycles. Thus, to assess the effect of the lubricant on fuel efficiency in various cycles, the fuel consumption is measured relative to a reference oil.

Global environmental and economic concerns of today's world dictate strict requirements for modern heavy duty engines, especially in emissions, noise control, power generation, and extended oil drain intervals. These requirements lead to increased stresses imposed on lubricants in modern heavy duty engines. At the same time, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) desire additional fuel economy from the lubricating oil, requiring the use of lower viscosity lubricants to minimize frictional losses in the engine. These lower viscosity oils are subjected to increased stresses in the engine and need to provide robust performance throughout their lifetime in order to protect engine parts from wear and damage. One of the most important lubricant qualities is to maintain viscosity throughout the drain interval and thus provide continuous engine protection.

The most important property of the engine oil is its ability to reach all engine parts. Once there, it can build an oil film which protects these parts from wear and ultimately from destruction. No other lubricant property is relevant if the oil cannot be delivered to the critical engine parts. Thus engine oil pumpability, especially pumpability at low temperatures when the viscosity of the lubricant is the highest, is crucially important. The crankcase lubricant industry has recognized this, in requiring good low temperature pumpability for the last three decades. While good low temperature properties of the fresh oils are a necessary requirement for a lubricant, they are not sufficient to ensure the lifetime performance of the oil in the engine. The oil gradually ages in the engine and its properties, including low temperature pumpability, change.