Next
Issue Due Out 7/12/02 - Deadline For Materials 7/5/02
SEAMO
Update
The arrival of summer brings to mind thoughts of vacations
and travel, so our next few issues of SEAMO News will be
on the short side, but we promise there will be plenty of
SEAMO events and projects when everybody returns from vacation.
First and foremost, a committee has
been formed to organize a ride & drive event sometime
during the Fall. Committee members include Jim
Meletiou of Lake Norman Magazine, Tom
Crosby of AAA Carolinas and Go Magazine, and John
Harper of Performance Logistics. If you'd like to participate
in planning the event or just pass along a suggestion or
idea, contact one of the committee members via e-mail by
clicking on their name. Tentative timeframes for the ride
& drive event would be mid-October or mid-December.
If we pick the December option, we'd likely coordinate a
multi-OEM holiday party in with the event. Again, feel free
to pass along you time-preferences and/or ideas.
Next, if we can coordinate efforts
with the producers of the Miami Auto Show, we'll try to
organize a kick-off event for the 2003 Concept Vehicle season
during the show. With a little help from the OEMs, our region's
automotive press may also get a live look at the 2002 Concept
Award winners. For those Concept Jury members that can't
make it to LA, Detroit and Chicago, we're also trying to
arrange a sneak preview of some of the 2003 season concepts.
Stay tuned!
Finally, we've set back the publishing schedule for the
SEAMO Directory till early Fall, so if you haven't already
joined, and would like to be listed in the directory, and join today!
Member
Profile - Marc K. Stengel - Syndicated
Columnist - "What I'm Driving At"
Stengel writes and distributes the weekly automotive column
"What I'm Driving At," which debuted at the Nashville
Scene in October 1996. He has subsequently syndicated the
column nationally among newspapers, assorted magazines and
the Internet "webzine" TheCarConnection.com. Stengel
is also a contributor to the automotive enthusiast publications
Sport Compact Car and AMI AutoWorld.
Stengel helped launch then served as producer and on-air
reporter for nine seasons with TV's Road Test Magazine on
TNN: The Nashville Network. In January 1996, he served as
inaugurating producer for another TNN production, Motor
Trend Television.
Writing professionally since 1978, with academic punctuation
along the way at Harvard College, Vanderbilt University
and Brooks Institute of Photography, Stengel's work has
appeared in publications ranging from The Atlantic Monthly,
The New York Times Book Review and The (London) Spectator
to the Pittsburgh City Paper, (Charlotte, NC) Creative Loafing,
Memphis Flyer, Miami New Times and the (Birmingham) Black
& White Weekly.
He has also served as contributing producer for ESPN's
American Shooter. Over the years, his work has been selected
for various awards by the International Automotive Media
Conference, the Outdoor Writers Association of America,
the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and the Tennessee
Outdoor Writers Association.
Stengel is a Nashville native, husband and father of three
school-age daughters.
Member
Profile - Brian Caudill - Specialty Equipment Market Association
Brian is a former Congressional staffer and has a diverse
background in legislative affairs, policy development and
traditional and grassroots lobbying. He is also a lifelong
car enthusiast and owns a 1971 Chevrolet SS El Camino.
As
SEMA's Director of Outreach and Public Affairs, Brian is
the contact for information on state and federal legislative
and regulatory matters, including pending legislation/regulations
and information about what is legal or illegal with respect
to any aspect of the vehicle hobbies.
Brian
also directs the SEMA Action Network (SAN), a nationwide
grassroots network of car clubs and individual enthusiasts
that fights for favorable vehicle laws, and he edits the
SAN's monthly newsletter, The Driving Force.
The Slippery Truth About Oil Ed. Note - Due to numerous inquiries
from those members who couldn't make it to the Mobil 1 presentation
that was part of the SEAMO Reading, Writing & Racing
Program in March, we've decided to pass along some of what
we learned from ExxonMobil's oil experts. The following
is an excerpt from one of my monthly columns. If you'd like
to find out more about Mobil 1, Synthetic Lubricants, or
Viscosity Grades, please contact SEAMO member Freda Counceller
at Publicity Plus via e-mail at: prplus@fea.net
or telephone at: (949)369-8600.
Although it's one of the most vital commodities for your
vehicle's continued operation, to many of us, engine oil
is just "there" doing its job without so much
as a second thought from anybody except the mechanic who
performs routine service and maintenance on the cars and
trucks we use in our everyday lives.
Recently, ExxonMobil introduced a new formulation of its
popular Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil. To help the end-user
differentiate exactly what it is that makes the new formulation
better, the Mobil 1 team has taken on the task of providing
some education and clarification along with the new product.
The short version of the story is that the new formulations
of Mobil 1 incorporate "SuperSyn" anti-wear technology,
and are available in viscosity grades that are targeted
to specific applications. But to understand just what that
means, it helps to understand a bit more about motor oil
itself.
Like many petroleum products, motor oil is made up from
a recipe of several ingredients to deliver a final product
with specific performance characteristics. Between 75% and
85% of the recipe is made up of what is referred to as "basestock,"
which is the actual lubricating oil, with the remaining
15% to 25% made up of additives, each designed to provide
a certain characteristic to the finished product.
Some confusion begins when we bring the term "Synthetic"
into the discussion. For many people, the term synthetic
implies something artificially made, usually from petro-chemicals.
So how does oil get to be synthetic when (nearly) all motor
oil is made from petro-chemicals? The answer is refinement.
Everybody has heard the term "crude oil," and
if they've ever seen any of it, that would be the last thing
that they'd want in their truck's engine. The basestock
in regular motor oil is refined from crude oil, as is the
basestock in synthetic motor oil, but the difference is
that synthetic oil is much further refined.
It may be helpful to make a comparison with water. While
"refining" the water by running it through a sediment
filter might be good enough to use to wash your vehicle,
you'd probably better have that same water "more thoroughly
refined" by distillation or chemical treatment before
you drink it.
Mobil 1 was the earliest synthetic motor oil to hit the
mass market here in North America back in 1974. The product
was an outgrowth of research to develop lubricants for extreme
temperature requirements such as those found in military
aircraft or Arctic construction equipment. The fuel price
spike during the early seventies inspired considerable research
into fuel economy improvements. Because the synthetic Mobil
1 motor oil was able to maintain its ability to protect
engine surfaces at lower (thinner) viscosity grades, it
was able to improve fuel economy by reducing drag, without
the negative effects of added wear.
Although we've all seen the viscosity ratings on motor
oil packaging, beyond what we read in the owners manual,
many truck owners don't fully understand what these ratings
mean. Though it's almost non-existent these days, the best
place to start the description is with a single weight oil.
A popular choice many years ago was straight 30-weight motor
oil. That rating was a simple measure of how cold the oil
could get and still pour. The problem is there's a trade-off.
A lighter weight (thinner) oil that remains pourable at
a lower temperature does not maintain its protective ability
as temperatures increase. A heavier (thicker) oil that protects
better at higher temperatures does not remain as pourable
at lower temperatures.
The answer to this problem was the development of multi-grade
motor oils several decades ago. A rating such as 15W-40
meant that the oil had the cold-weather pourability of a
15-weight oil, and the high temperature protective ability
of a 40-weight oil. The original 5W-20 Mobil 1 debuted at
a time when typical multi-grades were rated 15W-30 or 15W-40,
so its thinner consistency was able to provide reduced engine
drag and thereby increased fuel economy, while still maintaining
high-temperature protection.
The extra refinement of synthetic oil enables the lower-weight
viscosity to perform better at higher temperatures because
there are fewer impurities that the heat will turn into
sludge, and the extra refinement also makes the oil more
resistant to chemical breakdown or evaporation. While conventional
oils need to contain more viscosity modification additives,
and thereby less lubricant, to maintain the multigrade performance,
the Mobil 1 synthetic formula reduces the need for these
additives, improving its overall performance.
So, now that we have a little better understanding of motor
oil, viscosity ratings and synthetic formulations, we can
fast-forward to the present day and look at the recently
introduced reformulation of Mobil 1 with SuperSyn motor
oil. The SuperSyn anti-wear additive system was an outgrowth
of a program to develop a motor oil that would better withstand
the explosive engine pressures found on the NHRA "funny-car"
circuit. In this extreme environment for motor oils, the
racers found that the newer Mobil 1 formulation was extending
the life of engine bearings and other lubricated surfaces.
According to ExxonMobil, benefits of the SuperSyn technology
include:
Anti-Wear
Helps engines last longer
Protection under heavy engine loads, such as hauling tools
and equipment
Minimizes oil degradation by controlling wear elements
that cause oxidation
All Temperature
Faster lubrication at start-up, especially at lower temperatures
Protection at high temperatures
Resistance to thermal breakdown
Engine Cleanliness
Protection against harmful deposits
Keeps engine parts clean
Engine Efficiency
Resistance to oil oxidation that causes oil thickening
Helps lower oil consumption under high-speed conditions
Minimizes friction
Currently, Mobil 1 is the factory-installed motor oil on
most of the "who's who" of high-performance and
exotic cars, including Porsche, Mercedes, Chevrolet Corvette
and Dodge Viper. It is also approved for light-duty diesel
truck engines that require API CD or CF rated oils. For
heavier diesel truck engines requiring an API CE, CF-4,
CG-4, CH-4, or CI-4 rated oil, the companion product is
Mobil Delvac 1 synthetic motor oil.
When choosing the viscosity grade of any motor oil, look
first to the manufacturer's recommendation in your truck's
owner's manual. For older, out of warranty engines, it may
be advisable to move up one grade heavier than the recommendation
in all but the coldest climates. Mobil 1 is currently available
in five viscosity grades, each designed for a specific application:
10W-30 - Older, high-mileage vehicles
5W-30 - Recommended grade for most newer vehicles
15W-50 - Performance driving and/or severe service
0W-30 - Fuel economy and/or cold climate
0W-40 - Approved for European engines
As for the frequency of oil changes, time is still the
ultimate limitation, because even if the truck is unused
much of the time, the oil is still subject to oxidation.
The manufacturer recommendations in the owner's manual may
list a separate maintenance schedule for severe service
applications, such as those found in worktruck use. Follow
the severe service schedule if your operation includes:
Trips of 10 miles or less
Driving in cold weather
Idling for extended periods
Stop-and-go traffic
Heavy loads and/or trailer towing
Driving in dusty conditions
Even if you have your vehicle's oil changed at a quick-lube
facility or the dealer, you can still specify the grade
and brand of oil you wish to use. When switching to synthetic
oils, it is not necessary to flush the crankcase, just drain
and refill as normal. Finally, if you do find yourself a
quart low and can't find your particular grade and brand
of synthetic oil, adding a quart of conventional oil will
not do any harm, it just diminishes the benefits provided
by the remaining synthetic oil.
On The Lighter Side
Now that I'm
'older' (but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered:
ONE - I started out with nothing, and
I still have most of it.
TWO - My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.
THREE - I finally got my head together; now my body is
falling apart.
FOUR - Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...
FOUR - Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...
FIVE - All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.
SIX - If all is not lost, where is it?
SEVEN - It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
EIGHT - Some days you're the dog; some days you're the
hydrant.
NINE- I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a
few...
TEN - Kids in the back seat cause accidents.
ELEVEN - Accidents in the back seat cause kids.
TWELVE - It's hard to make a comeback when you haven'
been anywhere.
THIRTEEN - The only time the world beats a path to your
door is when you're in the bathroom.
FOURTEEN - If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would
have put them on my knees.
FIFTEEN - When I'm finally holding all the cards, why
does everyone decide to play chess?
SIXTEEN - It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere.
SEVENTEEN - I thought I had just finished number four.
EIGHTEEN - These days, I spend a lot of time thinking
about the hereafter...I go somewhere to get something
and then wonder what I'm hereafter.
Contact
Info & Links
Here's how to join SEAMO, be added to or removed from the
mailing list, submit news items or photos for upcoming newsletters,
or just make your opinion known.
Next
Issue Due Out 7/12/02 - Deadline For Materials 7/5/02
Send
your comments, complaints, newsletter submissions or mailing
list updates to:
South
East Automotive Media Organization
4429 Back Creek Church Road
Charlotte, NC 28213-5251
