Thread: ACEA oil ratings

Hi there,
Been home crook and think I have read all of the posts on AULRO about oils. I've got bunch of questions about the apparent view that a higher ACEA rating is a better thing than a lower one. ie ACEA A3/B3 is better than A1/B1.

When reading through the owners manual for my D2a Td5, it says to use an A1/B1 rated oil in a viscosity appropriate to the prevailing temperatures. Use of A2/B2 or higher is OK but (and here's the bit that raises the questions) "use of these oils may have an adverse effect on fuel economy."

I then hit a few sites explaining the ACEA ratings and the '1' ratings are associated with fuel economy, the higher ratings associated with long drain intervals:
Q: In laymans terms, how does the rating of the oil relate to fuel economy?

Q: Have LR added the spinning filter to increase the service life of a short drain oil that increases economy?

I run Penrite HPR Diesel 5 as it gets many good reports on here, as it seems many other do:
Qs: Are we getting worse economy than we should? What are we getting in return for poorer economy?

Having a look at various oil companies products, there are very very few that say they are ACEA A1/B1, and they're generally associated with lower viscosities (eg 0-30wt). It seems that Mobil1 5-30W is A1/B1 and Penrite Enviro + 5-40 states compatibility with A1/B1 ratings (for vehicles pre-2008). From memory, the oil guru Rick130 uses the Enviro stuff, does anyone else or do I have that wrong?

Hi, yep I use the Penrite Enviro stuff - Enviro+ 10w40. It's rated at ACEA E9. No noticeable difference in fuel economy between it and HPR 5 which I was previously using. I do mostly highway driving and have recently extended the oil changes up to 15,000 KM. Remember oil standards have changed a lot since most of our owners manuals were written, when I presume the fuel economy statement referred to older spec higher viscosity oils may shave been more popular.