Quaker State Responds To Plight of Enthusiasts With High-Zinc Motor Oil

The makers of Quaker State motor oil announced the production of a new motor oil, Quaker State Defy. Featuring a high level of ZDDP, an antiwear additive commonly referred to as “zinc,” Quaker State Defy addresses the needs of some automotive enthusiasts to combat friction and wear inside their engines.

The formulation of new Quaker State Defy contains a proprietary “zincbooster” that has dual attributes contributing to wear and oxidation control. Quaker State Defy is intended to provide enthusiasts with a quality, brand name oil that will provide both the protection and performance required in highoutput, flattappet engines.

“We as an industry have seen the levels of zinc in motor oil consistently reduced in each successive gasoline engine specification implemented by ILSAC in the past few years,” said Jeff Hsu, Quaker State technology specialist. “This reduction of zinc is fine for drivers of newer vehicles, but is leaving classic car owners, enthusiasts and those with flattappet cams and followers with fewer and fewer options in the motor oil category.”

The use of ZDDP in motor oil has seen a gradual decline since 2001 in order to minimize or eliminate clogging of oxygen sensors and catalytic converters in modern cars due to volatile phosphorus. Prior to 2001, the typical concentration was roughly 1300 to 1400 parts per million (ppm) of ZDDP. However, since 2001, modern passenger cars have required oils with lower viscosity to reduce power loss and increase gas mileage, but achieving these lower viscosities with higher concentrations of ZDDP is difficult.

The proprietary lowvolatility ZDDP technology used in Quaker State Defy motor oil significantly reduces the amount of volatile phosphorus, while retaining its antiwear protective behaviour and antioxidant performance. Quaker State Defy has a ZDDP composition of 1200ppm, a more than sufficient amount to stand up to the most aggressive engine profiles.

“We have repeatedly heard enthusiasts and engine builders ask for more zinc or other solutions to their aggressive flattappet cam issues, and those requests did not fall on deaf ears,” said Chris Hayek, Quaker State global brand manager. “What we have been able to come up with is a zinc additive that is more effective and enables us to do more with the oil itself.”

An additional benefit of the new, fully formulated Quaker State Defy motor oil is that it is capable of running a full manufacturerrecommended drain interval during engine breakin and does not need to be drained after five hundred or a thousand miles, like some highzinc breakin oils.

Quaker State Defy is also intended for use in highermileage passenger vehicle engines, and helps control the wear that highmileage engines typically endure. In fact, the new Quaker State Defy motor oil helps stop engine wear in its tracks – preventing up to 98 per cent of future wear through the use of the proprietary ZDDP additive. Quaker State Defy also is designed to help highmileage engines perform more efficiently through the use of additional seal swell additive that reconditions driedup seals and help control external and internal leaks. The motor oil provides a thicker viscosity and stronger oil film to resist thermal breakdown and reduce oil volatility and burnoff, which help increase compression and reduce blowby.

More information can be found at www.QuakerState.com.