Editorial office https://motofocus.pl/, June 1, 2022, 14:26Soon TotalEnergies offer will be supplemented by a completely new QUARTZ INEO XTRA EC6 0W20 engine oil, which is a development of the well-known QUARTZ INEO XTRA EC5 0W-20.Its debut is associated with the introduction of the latest ACEA C6 standard.2021 was another breakthrough year in Europe in terms of limiting CO2 emissions from passenger cars.Even in 2020, the average carbon dioxide emissions for vehicles sold by each brand had to be below 120 g / km.From 1 January 2021, this limit has been lowered to 95 g / km, which is the most stringent emission limit in the world.Manufacturers that do not meet CO2 emission standards face a high toll of 95 euros for every gram of carbon dioxide emitted above the limit, and are charged for each car sold.Car manufacturers have long prepared for the introduction of cars that reduce CO2 emissions.One of the main answers is precisely the use of the so-calleddownsizing in internal combustion engines and popularization of hybrid vehicles.Downsizing is all about creating an engine with maximum power, with the minimum dimensions and number of cylinders.Downsizing is replacing a larger engine with a smaller, more strenuous and therefore more efficient one.These engines perform better in fuel consumption tests and exhaust gas purity tests.The key to achieving this goal is to improve the fuel injection and air turbo charging systems.If a given cylinder is charged with air from a turbocharger, and fuel injection is direct and electronically controlled (5-6 injections per compression stroke), we will obtain optimal mixing of the fuel-air mixture and higher energy density in a smaller combustion chamber volume.Such optimization will result in achieving high power and torque in the engine cylinder.Popular downsizing engines have 3 cylinders.Such solutions have already been used in sports and rally cars (eg Toyota Yaris GR, BMW i8, Ford Fiesta ST).Smaller, more efficient combustion engines will also be found in hybrid drive systems, where it is important to minimize fuel consumption, lower emissions of harmful compounds, and the minimalism and compactness of the internal combustion engine due to its interaction with an electric motor on one drive shaft.Another way to improve engine efficiency was to use a new generation of lubricants.It is for this reason that engine manufacturers decided to introduce the ACEA C5 standard in 2016.ACEA C5 oil, compared to the older C3, means lower internal resistance thanks to the low HTHS and the use of 0W-20 or 0W-16 viscosity classes, without compromising anti-wear properties, engine protection and cleanliness.It is worth knowing that the ACEA quality standards are currently one of the most popular on the European car market.We can find them on practically all oil packages.ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles) is an association of leading European car manufacturers associating e.g.BMW, DAF, Daimler, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.The specificity of the latest approval tests shows that ACEA is slowly becoming a global standard, as some of its test procedures are "borrowed" from other specifications, such as the North American API for engine oils.The new fuel consumption tests are derived from the Japanese ILSAC specification.Downsizing engines do indeed demonstrate a reduction in CO2 emissions.During leisurely driving, they are very fuel-efficient and take up little space under the hood.Unfortunately - apart from the advantages, unfortunately they also have their disadvantages.The spectacular effort of small-capacity engines calls into question their durability.In the low speed range (1500-2000 rpm), under high engine load and high air boost, a phenomenon called LSPI (Low Speed ​​Pre-Ignition) occurs - which means premature ignition at low engine speed.In other words, it is the phenomenon of self-ignition of the air-fuel mixture during the compression stroke, occurring before the actual ignition initiated by the spark from the spark plug.Pre-ignition is caused by unburned, glowing oil particles or excess fuel still burning in the combustion chamber.LSPI causes the piston skirt to strike against the cylinder liner, causing severe engine damage.In addition, when the engine is heavily loaded and the power requirement is high, direct injection does not perfectly mix the fuel with air and creates excess fuel zones.Then, the combustion process produces soot.Carbon black causes more "harm" than meets the eye.Soot in the exhaust gas makes it necessary to use GPF systems (gasoline particle filters).The soot in the combustion chamber also seeps into the oil and contaminates it.This in turn makes it necessary to increase the soot dispersibility of the oil in order to reduce the concentration of contaminants.In recent years, it has been found that large amounts of soot in oil negatively affect the durability of timing chains.Carbon black abrasives the pins of the chain, causing it to elongate.As a consequence, it can damage the engine by skipping the timing gear.ACEA C6 oils solve some of the problemsEngine manufacturers together with research institutes, international organizations creating quality standards for oils (API, ACEA, ILSAC) and, of course, oil producers began to look for a solution to reduce the occurrence of LSPI and the harmful effects of soot.Ultimately, it turned out that the use of an oil composed of a suitable base with a special additive package, often different than the one used so far, can significantly reduce the LSPI phenomenon and protect the timing chain against excessive wear.Therefore, in 2021, ACEA decided to issue a new ACEA C6 standard, which combines the energy-saving advantages of the ACEA C5 standard with additional requirements:In order to check the quality of the oil and whether it meets the above requirements, the existing quality tests have been extended under ACEA C6.Several new engines (including Ford and Toyota) were introduced to the test program.Some previous tests have also been replaced with new ones.In response to the introduction of the latest ACEA C6 standard, the QUARTZ oil offer will be supplemented by the new QUARTZ INEO XTRA EC6 0W-20 engine oil, which is a development of QUARTZ INEO XTRA EC5 0W-20.- As we always emphasize, in order to care for the life of the engine, it is necessary to use oil in accordance with the manufacturer's approval or the recommended specification.This is particularly important in the case of cars with a downsizing engine.In addition, the driving style is not without significance.The user should avoid sudden acceleration at lower rotational speeds, because it favors the occurrence of the LSPI phenomenon and excessive production of soot - said Andrzej Husiatyński, head of the technical department at TotalEnergies Marketing Polska.The comment must be longer than 5 characters!The editorial office is not responsible for the content of comments which are only the private opinion of their authors.If you think any of the comments are offensive, please report it to redakcja@motofocus.pl.I wonder if they took into account in this pseudo-ecological downsizing the fact that such an engine very often does not last even 100,000 km.But you know, cars are not produced and grown in the field, in this process, no harmful substances are produced, so that the current cars after the "greening" treatment are several times less durable than those from 20-30 years ago does not matter;)Receive the latest information about the workshops.