This page deals with Shell brand oils

Introduction

Rotella Gas Truck + SQUID INK M12 is one of the best oil combinations tested. With the acknowledgment of editorializing, the results are incredible. Almost unbelievable, but repeated testing has proved it to be true. However, there are caveats, please read the Rotella section below.

Legend

N/A = NO ADDITIVES

M# = SQUID INK ADDITIVE MIX VARIATION

C# = CUSTOM MIX, SEE UNDER CHARTS FOR MORE DETAILS

Results

Rotella Gas Truck 5W30

Recommended blend: M12 (please read below)

SLR-2 Scoring ---

N/A: 76.14
M12: 97.16

This is one of those oils that is seen as a “those in the know use it” cheap alternative. It is $18-25 per 5 qt. It is specifically designed for trucks and towing, and is high detergent but also high load bearing. However, our testing provided some questionable results. Initial lubricity was rather poor, but once the initial wear happened and the parts were moving well, this oil was fantastic and provided some of the best continual results in any base, out-of-the-bottle oil tested so far. While the initial scarring was larger than expected at 30 minutes, the continued wear was minimal at 60 and 120 minutes in every combination tested, including base. Overall this oil without additives seems comparable to more expensive oils like Royal Purple High Performance and performed better than Mobile-1 Advanced Full Synthetic Extended Protection. With M12, this oil is #1.

SQUID INK M12 provided astonishing results, resulting in the least scarring of any oil tested as of this posting. It out performed even Valvoline VR1 + M12, but with the reduction in harmful ZnDDP. HOWEVER, these results were achieved by shifting friction from the components to the oil. M12 is a "thicker" combination -- while nearly all SQUID INK blends have elements that create multi-layer chains shift friction from the components to the oil, M12 creates a few more, stronger layers than other mixes such as M1 or M5. These layers are what take the friction away from your engine's components, but at the cost of added oil operating temperature. Therefore, it's recommend that a quality external oil cooler is used when M12 is mixed with Rotella to help keep these temperatures in within a healthy operating range. It's also worth noting that as the layers started to build on the components, the temperatures dropped significantly. This can be seen in the 120 minute measurements.

The M12 blend also increased the power required differential by around 10% at both the 60 and 120 minute marks (base/total watt 229.5/256.5 N/A vs 237.0/267.4 M12 @ 120 minutes). This is likely due to the additional layers of friction material incorporated as well as the increased temperature. While the motor is located isolated from the flywheel and wear wheel by a drive belt, the heat to the driveshaft of the machine would also translate to the bearings. This is something to take into consideration, as the same effects will happen in your engine. Good engine cooling and oil cooling is highly recommended, even necessary to use M12 with Rotella.

Shell Rotella Gas Truck 5W30

But how reliable are these results?

Take a look at the 120 minute comparison of N/A (no additives) vs M12. As always, all tests used the exact same cylinder for consistency and reliability of results.

*, **: reruns to verify performance and were done back-to-back after all other tests.

Some final notes on Rotella:

The bottle really stinks. It's filled almost to the brim which makes pouring difficult. Using pipettes or syringes is how we draw oil for testing, but when adding this to your vehicle it's much more likely to spill than other bottles which have additional room helping the oil pour rather than just run down the side of the bottle.
This oil with M12 was messy to test. It attaches so well to the components that it would run down the arm that holds the wear-cylinder and drip down the joint onto the table. This resulted in oil loss from the reservoir, and toward the end of the 120 minute testing the reservoir was at the minimum level.
- Deductively it seems this would be fantastic for overall engine lubrication as the moving components would retain oil film layers even after vehicle shutdown and periods of no movement, but more testing and data is needed to support such a claim. This has been observed in the lubricity testing -- cold- and hot-starting is significantly improved with M12 over N/A -- but more information and testing is needed and will be available as we're able to do so.

Ultra Helix 5W40

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