Nanotechnology in engine and gear oils - new company/sponsor intro
06-22-2012, 03:23 PM
#1
Race Car
Thread Starter
Nanotechnology in engine and gear oils - new company/sponsor intro
Alright, been meaning/wanting to post this here for a while, but we had some things to take care of before I could. Reader's Digest is that Karl Poeltl learned about this stuff and started looking at bringing it in. I had done some engineering work for him on a BMW engine, so we knew each other at the professional level, and he approached me about joining him. Performance Racing Oils was formed for the sole purpose of brining Millers Oils into the US. The folllowing info is available as a PDF, which is a bit easier to read, if you'd rather go there: PDF. There's a lot of good info here, and I'm sure there will be skeptics - Karl and I are both engineers, so we were initially skeptical, too. Read up, and feel free to contact us or ask us questions. Unfortunately, I'll be out of the country next week, so I won't be able to spend as much time here answering questions as I would like to, but I will do my best.
Anyway, here's the background on what we are selling:
Millers Oils is a small British company on the cutting edge of technology for lubricants for the motorsports industry. Millers Oils gear oil with nanotechnology was awarded the Most Innovative New Product at the 2009 World Motorsports Symposium, beating out a data acquisition system from McLaren and the KERS system from Williams.
Waste reduction and better protection
Having performed engine oil sample testing of many oils, including many leading synthetics, we have learned that viscosity does not always hold up and necessitates a change of oil after one weekend of racing. When you look at it, this is costing you in terms of time and money (as you have to replace the oil too frequently) and from the standpoint that it is not protecting your engine as well as it should be which leads to increased wear and shorter engine rebuild cycles. In a sound engine, Millers Oils Nanodrive triple ester oil can run multiple race weekends without changing and without loss of protection. This is good for you and it certainly isn’t going to hurt Mother Nature. For about $20, we recommend that instead of changing oil take a small sample of oil after every weekend and get a simple analysis done which will tell you how the oil is doing and if it should be changed, info.
Nanotechnology overview:
Nanotechnology is rooted in a 60 atom sphere called a “Buckey Ball” that looks like a soccer ball at the amotic level. With conventional lubricant, tiny microscopic asperities on the metal’s surface slide against each other and break apart, but can be protected by nanoparticles, which act like billions of ball bearings to fill the gaps. The nanoparticles in the Millers Oils have multiple layers of nested spheres, and are less than 1/10th of a micron in size (0.000004”). The nested spheres resemble onion layers, which can exfoliate under extreme pressure and form a protective tribofilm on the metal surfaces. Due to the tremendous surface area, the nanospheres will migrate to and “stick” to the walls of lubricated components.
Gear oil
The current line of gear oils has been in use in many series across Europe such as the British Touring Car Championship (for comments click here), SWRC, European Late Model (formerly ASCAR), as well as historic and classic race series. Formula 1 has taken notice, with teams in different stages of testing. KAPS Transmissions exclusively specifies Millers Oils gear oil with Nano Technology in its dogbox transmissions (to see endorsement click here).
The incorporation of nanotechnology in gear oils provides many benefits, including:
• Overall improvement in driveline efficiency
• More power to the wheels
• Lower operating temperatures
• Drastic improvement in component life
• Lowest coefficient of friction in the industry
Typical gear oils use molybdenum sulfide (aka “moly”) as an extreme pressure lubricant. Millers Oils use of nanotechnology does not break down as readily under pressure. This increase in robustness extends the life of gearboxes, and has proven to nearly double the life of test rigs (click here for details)
It also provides a lower coefficient of friction than does moly. Both behaviors lower gearbox temperatures. Reductions of 20OF are typical.
Click here to view the range of gear oils using nanotechnology.
Engine Oil
Earlier this year, Millers launched its Nanodrive line of engine oils, which also incorporates nanotechnology. Renowned European engine builder Zytek has tested this new oil in Formula Renault 3.5L Spec V8 engines it supplies for the series, and realized a consistent 5 horsepower improvement over the leading low friction fully synthetic brand. Several other external entities have tested the new Nanodrive oils, with similar to higher improvements, as can be read about here in the Dyno Results section of our website:
In addition to the incorporation of nanotechnology, Millers’ line engine oils uses tri-ester, PAO, and Group III base stocks with a robust additive package. The benefits of Millers’ engine oils include:
• Reduced engine friction for greater output
• Optimized ZDDP (zinc) content to allow superior protection without added drag from buildup on sliding surfaces which is possible when ZDDP is present in too high a concentration
• Group III base stocks to improve lubricity
• PAO base stocks to extend operating temperature range
• Optimized tri-ester base stocks that won’t impede ZDDP’s ability to protect sliding surfaces
• Robustness to breakdown that allows multiple events on one fill of oil
Nontechnology enables Millers Nanodrive engine oils to outperform the competition in two key areas. The first is coefficient of friction. The most damaging friction occurs in boundary conditions, where metal to metal contact exists. The rings at top and bottom dead center are the prominent areas in the engine where this occurs. As previously referenced, nanospheres will stick to the surfaces, better protecting them and reducing friction.
Click here for a larger image.
Additionally, nanotechnology in conjunction with an optimized blend of Groups III, IV, and V base stock and additives helps maintain film thickness across the full temperature range. As the film thickness is reduced, more asperities will come in contact with each other, leading to bearing wear, and eventual overhauls. Millers Oils can prolong engine life and reduce overall operating costs through fewer rebuilds.
Click here for larger image.
Printouts from actual lab results of both Millers and some of the most common racing oils from the compeition can be viewed here. The full range of Nanodrive engine oils can be found here.
Publications, outside voices, and availability
Millers Oils has been featured multiple times in some of the leading European engineering magazines. Copies of those articles, as well as more in depth technical articles on Millers Oils and nanotechnology can be found at our Tech Articles page, here. Millers Oils can be purchased through any of our dealers, which include Apex Performance, LN Engineering, Paragon Products, Essex Parts or directly through Performance Racing Oils or Racer’s Edge. PRO’s direct line is (865)200-4264. As the distributor, we are also seeking additional dealers to carry Millers Oils.
Anyway, here's the background on what we are selling:
Millers Oils is a small British company on the cutting edge of technology for lubricants for the motorsports industry. Millers Oils gear oil with nanotechnology was awarded the Most Innovative New Product at the 2009 World Motorsports Symposium, beating out a data acquisition system from McLaren and the KERS system from Williams.
Waste reduction and better protection
Having performed engine oil sample testing of many oils, including many leading synthetics, we have learned that viscosity does not always hold up and necessitates a change of oil after one weekend of racing. When you look at it, this is costing you in terms of time and money (as you have to replace the oil too frequently) and from the standpoint that it is not protecting your engine as well as it should be which leads to increased wear and shorter engine rebuild cycles. In a sound engine, Millers Oils Nanodrive triple ester oil can run multiple race weekends without changing and without loss of protection. This is good for you and it certainly isn’t going to hurt Mother Nature. For about $20, we recommend that instead of changing oil take a small sample of oil after every weekend and get a simple analysis done which will tell you how the oil is doing and if it should be changed, info.
Nanotechnology overview:
Nanotechnology is rooted in a 60 atom sphere called a “Buckey Ball” that looks like a soccer ball at the amotic level. With conventional lubricant, tiny microscopic asperities on the metal’s surface slide against each other and break apart, but can be protected by nanoparticles, which act like billions of ball bearings to fill the gaps. The nanoparticles in the Millers Oils have multiple layers of nested spheres, and are less than 1/10th of a micron in size (0.000004”). The nested spheres resemble onion layers, which can exfoliate under extreme pressure and form a protective tribofilm on the metal surfaces. Due to the tremendous surface area, the nanospheres will migrate to and “stick” to the walls of lubricated components.
Gear oil
The current line of gear oils has been in use in many series across Europe such as the British Touring Car Championship (for comments click here), SWRC, European Late Model (formerly ASCAR), as well as historic and classic race series. Formula 1 has taken notice, with teams in different stages of testing. KAPS Transmissions exclusively specifies Millers Oils gear oil with Nano Technology in its dogbox transmissions (to see endorsement click here).
The incorporation of nanotechnology in gear oils provides many benefits, including:
• Overall improvement in driveline efficiency
• More power to the wheels
• Lower operating temperatures
• Drastic improvement in component life
• Lowest coefficient of friction in the industry
Typical gear oils use molybdenum sulfide (aka “moly”) as an extreme pressure lubricant. Millers Oils use of nanotechnology does not break down as readily under pressure. This increase in robustness extends the life of gearboxes, and has proven to nearly double the life of test rigs (click here for details)
It also provides a lower coefficient of friction than does moly. Both behaviors lower gearbox temperatures. Reductions of 20OF are typical.
Click here to view the range of gear oils using nanotechnology.
Engine Oil
Earlier this year, Millers launched its Nanodrive line of engine oils, which also incorporates nanotechnology. Renowned European engine builder Zytek has tested this new oil in Formula Renault 3.5L Spec V8 engines it supplies for the series, and realized a consistent 5 horsepower improvement over the leading low friction fully synthetic brand. Several other external entities have tested the new Nanodrive oils, with similar to higher improvements, as can be read about here in the Dyno Results section of our website:
In addition to the incorporation of nanotechnology, Millers’ line engine oils uses tri-ester, PAO, and Group III base stocks with a robust additive package. The benefits of Millers’ engine oils include:
• Reduced engine friction for greater output
• Optimized ZDDP (zinc) content to allow superior protection without added drag from buildup on sliding surfaces which is possible when ZDDP is present in too high a concentration
• Group III base stocks to improve lubricity
• PAO base stocks to extend operating temperature range
• Optimized tri-ester base stocks that won’t impede ZDDP’s ability to protect sliding surfaces
• Robustness to breakdown that allows multiple events on one fill of oil
Nontechnology enables Millers Nanodrive engine oils to outperform the competition in two key areas. The first is coefficient of friction. The most damaging friction occurs in boundary conditions, where metal to metal contact exists. The rings at top and bottom dead center are the prominent areas in the engine where this occurs. As previously referenced, nanospheres will stick to the surfaces, better protecting them and reducing friction.
Click here for a larger image.
Additionally, nanotechnology in conjunction with an optimized blend of Groups III, IV, and V base stock and additives helps maintain film thickness across the full temperature range. As the film thickness is reduced, more asperities will come in contact with each other, leading to bearing wear, and eventual overhauls. Millers Oils can prolong engine life and reduce overall operating costs through fewer rebuilds.
Click here for larger image.
Printouts from actual lab results of both Millers and some of the most common racing oils from the compeition can be viewed here. The full range of Nanodrive engine oils can be found here.
Publications, outside voices, and availability
Millers Oils has been featured multiple times in some of the leading European engineering magazines. Copies of those articles, as well as more in depth technical articles on Millers Oils and nanotechnology can be found at our Tech Articles page, here. Millers Oils can be purchased through any of our dealers, which include Apex Performance, LN Engineering, Paragon Products, Essex Parts or directly through Performance Racing Oils or Racer’s Edge. PRO’s direct line is (865)200-4264. As the distributor, we are also seeking additional dealers to carry Millers Oils.
06-22-2012, 03:45 PM
#3
Race Car
Thread Starter
It is intended to compete against the higher end stuff like Joe GIbbs and Motul 300V, and is priced competitively with those. If you take a look through some of the links, there is some info on stuff that is in the $15-18 range (the heavier weight stuff is "only" $20, though). And as mentioned, it won't need to be drained after every event like some oils that have no additive packages, whatsoever. Of course, even a grunt 944 guy like me would rather spend a little more on the oil than have to overhaul the engine due to inferior lubricants (wish I would have known what I do now abotu 2 years ago!). So in the grand scheme of things, it is actually quite cost effective.
06-24-2012, 08:58 AM
#5
Race Car
Thread Starter
One thing that may give you some food for thought is that a very succussful F1 team we all know and love (well, that may be a strong word!) has been testing it. After a simulated 5 Grand Prix duration dyno run, the transaxles, which are normally completely worn out, showed no signs of wear. The oil also reduced the heat produced from friction by 300 Watts. We've seen that translate into about 20 degree temperature drops in most applications (measuring this requires something close to steady state, so big external coolers with fans and thermostats confound it due to their ability to sink so much heat out of the system that the reduction in heat generated in the first place can't be accurately measured).
We certainly don't expect the masses to just switch overnight. We fully expect it to take some time for people to open up to this. But that is one of the reasons we've tried to provide data in the document posted.
06-25-2012, 01:47 AM
#6
Former Vendor
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Say again?
A gearbox that would normally be timed out in "X" time period showed no wear in the same "X" time period with your product?? No wear?
Dont't get me wrong, always interested in new technologies/product advancement, but that is a pretty bold statement.
A gearbox that would normally be timed out in "X" time period showed no wear in the same "X" time period with your product?? No wear?
Dont't get me wrong, always interested in new technologies/product advancement, but that is a pretty bold statement.
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06-26-2012, 12:27 AM
#8
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This oil is new but after running Watkins Glen and the World Challenge as a support race this past weekend the oil is still extremely had to see on the dip stick as it is so clear. Not exactly scientific but it looks very good so far.
Bill
Bill
06-26-2012, 07:48 AM
#9
Still plays with cars.
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Anything for the GT3 gear box? I see the LS gear oil is not for syncro gear boxes.
06-26-2012, 07:53 AM
#10
I've heard about this tech before, but that was a couple of years ago when I think it was about $1500 an oil change. Very interesting technology and I spend quite a bit of time looking at similar applications in terms of film technology within the oil&gas industry.
I would actually like to try it in my GT3 engine and gearbox. Then put it in a Cup. I'd be ready to pay for it too
But would demand warranty from the lubricant provider - which I doubt is on offer.
I would actually like to try it in my GT3 engine and gearbox. Then put it in a Cup. I'd be ready to pay for it too
But would demand warranty from the lubricant provider - which I doubt is on offer.
06-26-2012, 01:43 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Nano technology is in our future, it's still new so there will be non believers. There is still many applications waiting to be developed still.
This is one of my faves.
Click the see it in action part.
http://www.neverwet.com/index.php
This is one of my faves.
Click the see it in action part.
http://www.neverwet.com/index.php
06-26-2012, 11:26 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
Windshield wipers sure do become unnecessary !
And what could it do for inside cooling systems, it first I thought it would be great for cooling systems, then the more I considered the more I realized it would probably have a bad effect. But there are many more good uses.
And what could it do for inside cooling systems, it first I thought it would be great for cooling systems, then the more I considered the more I realized it would probably have a bad effect. But there are many more good uses.
06-27-2012, 01:01 AM
#15
Rennlist Member
The issue with nanotech is there's no knowing what happens when you toss this stuff out. The particles are so small normal filters can't catch it. Things like carbon nanotubes and monofilament structures act just like asbestos in the lungs and some buckyballs are so small they can pass right through the skin. Most nanotech labs I do are biohazard level containment environments. Amazing stuff that is or soon will be in most everything we use, we are only in the early steps of most applications...