What grade is A3B4 engine oil?
1 Answers
A3B4 engine oil does not have a specific grade; it belongs to a relatively high-grade mainstream lubricant, designed for catalytic gasoline and light-duty diesel engines. It is equivalent to the SL and CL grades in the API classification. A3B4 engine oil is a testing and certification standard for automotive lubricants established by the European automobile manufacturing industry. 'A' represents gasoline engine oil, with classifications such as A1, A3, and A5; 'B' stands for light-duty diesel engine oil, including B1, B3, B4, and B5. The numbers indicate the oil grade, with higher numbers representing higher grades. The difference between A3B4 and SN in engine oil lies in the fact that they are grades certified by two different associations: the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API). A3B4 is an engine oil standard established by ACEA, representing lubricants for gasoline engine modules, while SN is a classification verified by API. Although these are two different certification standards, there is a certain correlation between ACEA and API. For example, A3B4 is only equivalent to the SL grade in API, making SN relatively more advanced in comparison. It is worth noting that different EU certification standards do not indicate the quality of the engine oil but rather reflect different applicability standards. After all, every vehicle uses a different engine, so the type of oil required also varies. Most domestic vehicles use gasoline engines, which require one of three types of engine oil: mineral oil, semi-synthetic oil, or full-synthetic oil. When selecting engine oil, it is necessary to choose based on the engine type, and there is no need to deliberately switch to other standards. Using oil that does not meet the specified requirements can have adverse effects, impairing the engine's performance.
