CASTROL LAUNCHES NEW ULTIMATE PROTECTION GTX MAGNATEC

It is a fact that 75% of all engine wear occurs in the first 10 minutes after the key is turned and the average journey takes only 12 minutes! Castrol has therefore reformulated its synthetic based GTX Magnatec engine oil to deliver ultimate protection qualities as soon as the engine is started. The formulation makes New GTX Magnatec up to four times more effective at wear protection than ordinary oils.

New GTX Magnatec now has a unique triple-layer formulation incorporating a protective coat, so while other oils will have slipped away from engine parts leaving them exposed to wear, Castrol's new shielding layer will continue protecting the metal parts when the engine is next started. This benefit will specifically target the most common, and most damaging, type of journey - the short early morning or dusk commute or school-run.

Joanne Jordan, Magnatec Brand Manager at Castrol, said: "Every time you start your car, it takes a while for your engine to be effectively protected by an ordinary oil because it cannot protect properly until it reaches a certain temperature. The New GTX Magnatec now has a very specific and improved special formulation that provides ultimate protection.

"GTX Magnatec is unique because it clings to your engine like a magnet, therefore your engine is ready lubricated and ready protected right from the word go. Even from cold start, New GTX Magnatec provides protection from the moment you turn the key."

New GTX Magnatec is available in 4½ litre and one-litre top-up packs at BP service stations, Halfords, motoring accessory retailers and workshops.

The major benefits of synthetic over mineral-based lubricants are their excellent flow and 'pumpability' properties at low temperature, together with their superior thermal and oxidative stability. By providing better consistency of performance over the full service interval, these properties make synthetic or semi-synthetic oils ideal for use with extended oil-drain service intervals.

When it comes to wear control, other than at cold temperatures where it has been proven that synthetic lubricants reach the camshaft quicker due to their pumpability, you would not expect synthetic lubricants to automatically exhibit better wear control than their mineral counterparts. However, it is the package of special chemicals - generically termed 'anti-wear additives' - added to the base oil that enables the lubricant to protect the engine from damage where high metal-to-metal friction is experienced.

It is the lubricant formulator's skill in balancing these anti-wear additives with all the other components within a modern lubricant that defines to what extent it can protect an engine, not just from wear but also from corrosion, sludge, varnish and excessive oil thickening over time.

New Castrol GTX Magnatec uses a unique chemistry to provide wear protection during start-up from the moment the key is turned, whereas most anti-wear packages, and therefore lubricants, do not become fully effective until the oil has reached its optimum operating temperature of about 60 - 70°C."

With a wear rate of less than 10 nanometres per hour, New GTX Magnatec has demonstrated in tests that it reduces the average wear acceptable for a 10W-40 lubricant by five times. In fact, Castrol has demonstrated in tests that New GTX Magnatec provides up to 60% better warm up protection than its nearest European competitor.

New GTX Magnatec provides three times more oxidation/nitration control than current GTX Magnatec, helping to keep the oil in grade for even longer. New GTX Magnatec also has high sludge and varnish control, as well as superior wear protection.

In addition, New GTX Magnatec is formulated to protect the cylinder as well as the camshaft, thus helping to control oil consumption.

New Castrol GTX Magnatec - Technical Specifications

PERFORMANCE RATINGS
API SL / CF ACEA A3-98 / B3-98 MB 229.1 VW 505.00
meets requirements of VW 500/501

CHARACTERISTICS
SAE Viscosity Rating 10W-40
Density at 15°C, 0.875 g/ml
Viscosity at 40°C, 104mm²/s Viscosity at 100°C, 14.5 mm²/s
Viscosity Index 144
Pour Point -36°C Closed flash point 195ºC
TBN 8.7
Chlorine Level - less than 50 parts per million