The 74-day Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour reached its conclusion at the famous Gateway of India in Mumbai recently. During the trip, two Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, one red, the other ivory, both sporting a specially designed livery, travelled over 13,000 kilometres and visited 57 cities – all without an oil change. At the end of the tour, Shell sent samples of the used Shell Helix Ultra motor oil for analysis.

Lubricant is the lifeblood of the engine. Its job is to help keep the components clean, protect the moving parts from mechanical wear, reduce friction and power loss, and to cool the engine. Shell Helix Ultra also contains active cleansing agents to help prevent dirt build-up and ensure optimal performance.

"The Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour gave us a unique opportunity to put Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 to the ultimate test," explains Mark Wakem, Shell Lubricants Development Project Leader for Ferrari.

"Not only did Ferrari deliberately choose to leave the oil unchanged, the cars experienced very harsh driving conditions, including dust, more than 45°C temperatures and slow speeds due to unsealed roads and the multitude of traffic. The analysis results are exciting for Shell because it demonstrates that despite the challenging conditions, the oil has performed - and is still performing - remarkably well."

The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti owner’s manual recommends that the first oil change take place after 10,000 kilometres or one year. The oil change interval extends to 20,000 kilometres or annually there after. In the build-up to the Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour, the two Ferrari 612 Scaglietti completed around 5,000 kilometres in pre-testing and preparation, which when added to the tour distance, is a total of 18,000 kilometres. In normal driving conditions, the two cars would be coming up on their second recommended oil change. To check the health of the engines, the Ferrari technicians checked the oil carefully on a daily basis throughout the entire tour, and were very pleased with its performance.

"In collaboration with Shell, we made a deliberate decision not change the oil within our recommended timeframe," explains Ferrari engineer Andrea Costantini. "We knew that this would give us the chance to test and evaluate the engine in the tough conditions of India. We have been working with Shell for a very long time, many years, and we trust them, so we knew that the oil would not let us down on tour."

(Control) Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (Avorio/Ivory) Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (Rosso/Red)

units

Vk100°C (Viscosity) 14.2 14.9 14.8 mm2/s

TBN (Total Base Number) 8.4 3.7 4.1 mg KOH/g

TAN (Total Acid Number) 3.4 6.8 7.5 mg KOH/g

Fuel Dilution 0.11 1.16 1.13 %

Additive Elements

Calcium 2580 2570 2540 mg/kg

Zinc 1230 1180 1190 mg/kg

Phosphorus 1150 980 970 mg/kg

Wear-related Elements

Copper < 1 71 73 mg/kg

Iron 1 32 37 mg/kg

Aluminium < 2 26 24 mg/kg

Sodium 8 24 23 mg/kg

Silicon 3 21 21 mg/kg

Lead < 2 18 18 mg/kg

Inge Jones, Shell Global Solutions, 21 May 2008

"What immediately stands out is that the analysis results for both 612 Scaglietti are almost exactly the same," says Wakem. "This is fascinating, because it is very rare. Despite the two cars having made the same journey, normally you must still allow for variations in engine manufacture. What we can assume here is that Ferrari’s precise approach to engine building means they have truly created identical twins. It also clearly demonstrates the consistency of the Shell Helix Ultra oil, across two different vehicles."

The normal viscosity at 100°C for 5W40 grade lubricant is between 12.5 – 16.3 mm2/s. These results show that while, as expected, the oil has thickened a little due to oxidisation, the oil in both cars is still easily within grade. This means the oil is still remarkably robust, showing excellent shear stability. Put simply, it is demonstrating a high resistance to degradation caused by mechanical forces in the engine.

We usually look at TBN and TAN together in order to understand the levels of acidic combustion products and base reserve in the oil. If the oil is doing its job correctly, the TBN will drop as the base reserve in the oil is used up in neutralising acids produced during combustion. This acid build-up is indicated by the increase in TAN. If TBN is allowed to drop too far and TAN rises to unacceptable levels, at some point a corrosive attack on engine components may start to occur. The wear element analysis results show that this has not happened and that the oil is still protecting the engine.

Fuel dilution is a measure of how much fuel is seeping through into the oil during combustion. It is usually caused by excessive ring wear, which happens if the lubricant is not doing its job correctly. This wear is caused by dirt and acid corrosion. What is excellent to see from these results is that the fuel dilution is around 1% in both cars, which is well within the healthy limit – a particularly good result given the dusty conditions in India. This result indicates the Ferrari engines are in very good condition.

A number of different additives are put into Shell Helix Ultra motor oil for various purposes. Zinc and Phosphorus are key anti-wear components, helping to lubricate and protect the surfaces as they move together. Calcium is a key part of Shell Helix Ultra’s active cleansing technology, helping to prevent the build-up of dirt inside the engine, a factor in preventing power loss. The good news is that these results show the additives are still robust and working well, despite the challenges posed by the roads of India.

The best word to describe these elements is ‘contaminants’. These are foreign substances, either rubbed or corroded off parts of the engine or sucked in from the road outside. These results show that normal wear metals like Copper and Lead from the bearings and Iron and Aluminium from the pistons, conrods and engine block are all present at acceptable levels, which demonstrates that the oil is working well.

In addition to the expected wear metals there are also two other contaminants present - Silicon and Sodium. Silicon is an element contained in sand and also, clay, which is predominant in parts of India. Given how extensive the tour has been, it is not surprising to see significant amounts. Clay in its driest form creates a very fine dust - like talcum powder - which can even thwart the cleverest Ferrari air filter.

The second contaminant, Sodium, is essentially from salt. Again, this can be picked up from dust. Particularly high sodium content will be found in dust around coastal areas, such as those visited by the tour. Salt can have an especially corrosive effect on an engine, so the job of the oil to neutralise it.

"We did not have a single engine concern during the tour," Costantini commented. "These results are very interesting, because they show that the Shell Helix Ultra motor oil was working perfectly, but they also show how well the Ferrari engines performed under very tough conditions. This was the aim of the Ferrari ‘Magic India Discovery’ Tour - we wanted to show that a Ferrari can handle any challenge."

As early as the 1930s Shell was helping Enzo Ferrari go racing, so it was a mark of esteem when Shell was chosen to supply fuel and lubricants to the company he founded in 1947. Today, Shell’s technical partnership with Ferrari is an essential part of its overall design and development strategy, as it seeks to create better products for the road.

In fact, every car leaving Maranello is first-filled with Shell V-Power fuel, Shell Helix Ultra motor oil and other Shell products to create a complete package of engine care.

- Rachel Froggatt ,Regula Bleuler-  photos Shell