In recent years, passenger car motor oils (PCMO) have moved to lower viscosity grades for fuel economy performance. And the levels of zinc, phosphorous and other extreme pressure additives have also been reduced, owing to the potential harmful effects they may have on aftertreatment hardware. While these changes have helped in the automotive sector, PCMO can no longer provide balanced protection to the engine, gears and clutch of four-stroke motorcycles.
PCMO provides inadequate engine protection
Infineum continues to test both PCMO and motorcycle oil (MCO) products. In a recent Infineum programme in Bangkok, busy motorcycle taxi and courier riders were used to help simulate real world operating conditions in an extreme environment. The higher iron-wear trends observed in the test results clearly demonstrate that passenger car oils were unable to provide adequate protection to the engines.