ILSAC GF-8 replacement fuel economy test to receive a restart

Development of the replacement fuel-economy test for ILSAC GF-8 will begin again after the International Lubricants Specification Advisory Committee (ILSAC) determined that the proposed test hardware does not adequately represent modern engine designs and does not provide sufficient fuel-economy differentiation for a new passenger car engine oil category.

ILSAC GF-8 is the next-generation passenger car engine oil specification intended to replace GF-7. The new category aims to support contemporary gasoline engines by delivering improved fuel-economy retention, enhanced wear protection, stronger oxidation resistance and compatibility with increasingly stringent emissions and durability standards. ILSAC GF-7 was first licensed in March 2025, and GF-8 development is moving toward a targeted first licensing in the third quarter of 2028.

As with earlier ILSAC specifications, GF-8 will be licensed and administered by the American Petroleum Institute (API) under API 1509, the Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS).

During a meeting of the Auto-Oil Advisory Panel (AOAP) on December 11 in Houston, Texas, ILSAC said changes to procedures for the proposed Sequence VI-G fuel-economy test are necessary.

Fuel economy remains a fundamental element of ILSAC specifications, even as U.S. policy shifts toward easing fuel-economy and emissions regulations introduced by previous administrations. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) within ILSAC stressed that long-term engine and lubricant development continues to be driven by global efficiency goals rather than short-term regulatory changes, and that GF-8 must demonstrate meaningful fuel-economy performance regardless of policy uncertainty.

OEMs called for the VI-G test to be restarted after concluding that the original test configuration used high-tension aftermarket piston rings that do not reflect production engine designs. The higher ring tension, along with piston-to-wall clearance effects, increased mechanical friction and limited the test’s ability to distinguish lubricant-related friction reductions. Modern gasoline engines increasingly rely on lower-tension piston rings to reduce parasitic losses and improve efficiency, underscoring the need for production-representative test hardware.

Despite the restart, ILSAC said the overall GF-8 development schedule remains unchanged, with technology demonstrations planned for 2026, specification approval in 2027 and first licensing in 2028. Participants noted, however, that the timeline allows little margin for additional delays.

Funding for GF-8 test development has yet to be resolved, as API cannot finalise a memorandum of understanding with ILSAC until the full GF-8 test slate is confirmed.

For now, work on ILSAC GF-8 continues, but the fuel-economy test central to the new specification has effectively returned to square one.

The detailed article is published by https://theshopmag.com/ can be accessed from https://theshopmag.com/news/api-request-ilsac-gf-8-motor-oil-category/?utm_source=chatgpt.com