3 things that help you optimize the change interval for commercial vehicles
3 things that help you optimize the change interval for commercial vehicles
50 years ago, the oil change interval for commercial vehicles was very small. For instance, for a truck, a change would have been done once every approximately 800 km driven. Thanks to the more and more advanced technologies (synthetic lubricants for commercial vehicles, cleaner fuel, more efficient equipment) this interval has increased considerably, currently having an average of approximately 40,000 km driven.
Given the costs associated with an oil change (the lubricant used, the time necessary for the operation) it is useful that this interval increases in order to contribute to the raise the savings for the commercial vehicle fleet that you own.
When do you need to change the oil for commercial vehicles?
This interval can be extremely hard to determine. Given that every fleet of commercial vehicles has its own characteristics, the best answer lies in the ability of monitoring the oil quality through periodic oil analysis.
Apart from this aspect, you can find below 3 things that will help you optimize the change interval for your commercial vehicle fleet:
1. The engine age and technical characteristics
The engine design and characteristics will affect the lifespan of the oil you use. Also, the oldest the engine, the more often you would have to change the oil. Using the Euro VI technology is the first thing you can do to optimize the performance of your fleet.
Of course that a big number of functioning hours and driven kilometers will also inevitably lead to a decrease in the oil change interval. Even so, maintaining a clean system where the oil flows adequately throughout the entire equipment will maintain the oil change interval as high as possible.
2. Operating and traffic conditions
The conditions a commercial vehicle engine is used are strongly influenced by the environment where the car is utilized. For instance, driving at very high temperatures is not a good environment for the engine oil to resist. On the other hand, startup in conditions of very low temperature or even below 0 degrees will make the oil flow with more difficulty inside the engine.
Moreover, in extreme traffic conditions, like bad roads, high humidity climates, increase the chances of oil contamination which will automatically lead to more often oil changes.
In order to avoid the aforementioned situations, use a high quality lubricant like Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5W-30 which maintains its features even in extreme conditions of use.
3. Characteristics of the oil you use
Of course an extremely important aspect is the quality of oil you use. The longer it maintains its characteristics, the more you will be able to save from costs with fleet maintenance.
Commercial vehicle lubricants distributed by Star Lubricants are especially created to maintain their protection features for longer. It is not enough to use a lubricant with excellent properties, but it also needs to be compatible with the equipment you have.
In order to find out what type of lubricant is recommended for your commercial vehicle fleet, click the image below and request a customized offer. A Star Lubricants agent will help you make the right choice to optimize the oil change interval.