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Companies with fleets of diesel light commercial vehicles
Protecting and maximising the availability of your light commercial vehicles, minimising costs and complying with legislative standards are all key to running a successful business. We draw on our technical knowledge and expertise to deliver a range of heavy duty lubricant products, business services and maintenance solutions that we believe can help to add real value to your operation.
Protect Your Equipment
You need to know that the Shell Lubricants you use are designed to help protect your vehicles even in extreme conditions. Through the use of adaptive technology, Shell lubricants react to the operational conditions of your vehicles to help provide optimal equipment protection.
Shell Rimula
Shell Rimula heavy duty engine oils are designed to protect the components in which they are used by helping to reduce acids, deposits and wear to maximise your equipment life. Our oils are also designed to adapt chemically and physically to help protect your engines even in extreme conditions..
Shell Spirax
The Shell Spirax range of heavy duty oils has been designed for use in manual gearboxes, transfer gears and differentials and can provide operators with lubrication options that range from standard protection levels to our leading extended drain interval, synthetic products that can help to contribute to a reduction of maintenance costs.
Shell Donax
The Shell Donax range of oils are designed to help meet the demanding requirements of modern transmissions. These include products that meet the latest heavy duty transmission requirements from makers such as ZF, Allison and Voith. Shell is a leading supplier of heavy duty automatic transmission fluids (ATF) to heavy duty vehicle manufacturers, that provide protection and performance and that can also help to enhance your operational efficiency.
Shell Retinax
Shell Retinax heavy duty greases are designed to deliver the performance required by operators, from standard extreme pressure protection through to advanced lithium complex greases and specialities such as friction modified fifth wheel greases and semi-fluid products for automated chassis lubrication systems.
Shell Coolants
Shell Coolants are high-quality, fully formulated antifreeze/coolant products that have been designed to provide effective heat transfer and all climate, year-round performance.
Meet your maintenance challenges
Choose the right oils
It is important that you choose the most appropriate Shell oils for your vehicle type and the level of protection you wish to achieve.
To assist you in selecting the most appropriate Shell heavy duty lubricants to help protect your vehicle, Shell has developed LubeMatch, a dedicated lubricant recommendation tool. By simply answering a few questions, Shell LubeMatch can help you to determine the most appropriate Shell lubricant product for use in your vehicle.
Currently purchasing Shell Rimula products and want to know which product within the new Shell Rimula range you should now be purchasing? Refer to our transition tool for assistance.
Improve your business
By thoroughly assessing your fleet’s needs and lubricant related business practices, we can provide customised recommendations that we believe can help to deliver efficiencies in your business operations.
Shell LubeExpert is Shell’s range of critical application support and inspection services including Special Equipment Reliability Services and LubeAdvisor.
Encouraging a proactive maintenance approach through use of condition-based maintenance philosophy rather than a reactive or break down method.
Technical Support
Shell LubeAdvisor is designed to support the technical requirements associated with the lubricants you use and more importantly the machines and vehicles they are designed to keep running.
Shell’s technical team are tribology experts and able to provide the following services:
- Plant Audits
- Lubrication surveys
- Lubricants storage and handling advice, and
- Product recommendations
Knowledge Base
Our Technical Advice centre is sure to be able to answer your lubricant related questions. Please contact them at technical-au@shell.com.
What’s new about the Shell Rimula Energised Protection range?
We've introduced a new product tiering system and product names to make it easier for you to choose the right Shell Rimula product for your needs. From R3 to R6 the higher the tier the increased level of energised protection provided.
We have also introduced a new formulation for Shell Rimula R4 L 15W-40, which will be upgraded to API CJ-4 specification.
We’ve also added new-to-market technologies to support low-emission engines such as Shell Rimula R4 L and Shell Rimula R6 LM. Changes that reflect our commitment to providing products to meet the challenges that you face now and in the future.
Why have you changed the range?
The differences are in response to changes in our customer needs, the market and technology landscape.
The new range has products for existing engines and applications to the next generation of oils for Euro 5 compliant vehicles. Some of the products already meet anticipated future needs of the API, ACEA, JASO and truck maker specifications.
Meanwhile, the new tier system helps make it easier for you to choose the right oil for your needs.
What do the performance tiers refer to?
By moving through the tiers from Shell Rimula R3 to R6 you are gradually increasing the level of protection against acid corrosion, wear and build up of deposits. Higher tiers also generally mean an increase in oil drain interval – with the R6 tier offering the longest interval for many vehicles.
The additional benefits are indicated by letters:
L = low emissions: enhanced compatibility with latest-technology engines
M = maintenance saving: meets long-drain requirements for many engine makersWhy should I use Shell Lubricant products rather than other heavy-duty lubricants?
Extensive development and testing in conjunction with customers has demonstrated the benefits of our range, and how our oils support increasing the effectiveness of transport operators: helping to lower operational costs, whilst helping to improve operational efficiency and helping meet sustainability objectives.
The changes to the Shell Rimula range and packaging make it even easier to help choose the right oil for your vehicle and business needs, with the confidence that the lubricant will respond when and where you need it to.
What is Energised Protection and how does it work?
Energised Protection describes the way in which our technology adapts either physically or chemically to changing conditions experienced by the vehicle.
Our oils are ready for action when you need them to be: Shell Rimula technology lets you choose the level of protection you need in three critical areas - the areas that threaten your engine most.
Acid control – acids formed when diesel fuel is burned can escape into your oil, where they can corrode parts of your engine. Shell Rimula oils contain powerful neutralising agents that help protect the engine from attack.
Deposit control – Build-up of excessive piston deposits can result in ring sticking and abrasion and cylinder wear. This shortens engine life and increases oil consumption. Shell Rimula Energised Protection oils contain active molecules that block or carry away particles that can cause deposits.
Wear control – keeping moving metal surfaces separated is a vital function of an oil. Failure can result in "hot spots" and wear. Shell Rimula oils contain molecules that transform into protective films that keep metal surfaces apart, helping to prevent wear.
What are the tough conditions that Energised Protection will help deal with?
Lubricants that contain Energised Protection are ready for action when you need them to be, including:
- Meeting the challenges of a fleet that deals with a lot of stop-start driving conditions
- Undertaking long journeys across different climates and terrains
How does Energised Protection protect my engine from acids?
Acids are formed whenever fuel is burned. Some of these acids can escape into the crankcase and oil, attaching themselves to unprotected parts of the engine and leading to corrosion of vital components. Shell Rimula Energised Protection oils release powerful neutralising agents as soon as it comes into contact with the acids, which protect the engine from attack.
This is a particularly important line of defence for vehicles vulnerable to acid attack, such as those which run on higher sulphur fuel; those with low emission engines with exhaust gas recirculation; or those enduring extended stop-start conditions where acid condensation may form inside the engine.
How does Energised Protection keep my engine clean?
Piston and general engine cleanliness is critical to ensure proper operation and long engine life. Clogged up pistons for instance can result in ring sticking, abrasion and wear of the cylinder, shortening engine life and increasing oil consumption.
Shell Rimula Energised Protection oils contain molecules that block or carry away particles that can cause deposits, keeping the engine running smoothly and efficiently.
How does Energised Protection prevent wear and tear?
If you rub your hands together they get hot – the same happens in an engine when metal surfaces rub together. This can cause “hot spots”, leading to wear and ultimate component or engine failure.
Shell Rimula Energised Protection oils contain molecules that can sense extreme heat and pressure and transform to produce protective films that keep metal surfaces apart. This helps prevent damage and keeps the engine running for longer.
How will choosing Shell’s lubricants benefit my business’s bottom line?
Choosing the right range of lubricants can have an impact on the cost of running your fleets/machinery in many different ways:
- Assist in maximising the life of your vehicles
- Assist in extending maintenance intervals, therefore reducing maintenance costs
- Reducing operating costs by preventing unplanned breakdowns
- Reducing operating costs by improving engine efficiency and providing greater fuel economy
We also provide services to your business that go above and beyond the product itself. For example, we provide oil analysis services and innovative maintenance solutions to help the efficiency of your workshop operations.
How exactly will Shell Lubricants help reduce maintenance costs and improve downtime?
Shell Lubricants contain adaptive technology, providing targeted protection to the engine in the toughest conditions. They do this by:
- Neutralising acids, which can cause corrosion and wear
- Controlling the build-up of deposits
- Reducing wear and tear through maintaining protective oil films that keep critical engine components separate
All three protective mechanisms extend the engine life, reducing expensive maintenance costs, and keep the vehicle on the road for longer. For example, Shell Rimula R4 L showed significant improvements in wear protection over 28 million km of testing in labs and on the road, compared to previous generation 15W-40 oil.
What do you mean when you describe your oil as “Energy Saving”?
When we talk of an oil being energy-saving (or fuel efficient) it is important to define the benchmark. In most cases this benchmark is the most commonly used type of heavy-duty engine oils used in the market or customer segment, which in general means we’re making comparisons against the performance of an SAE 15W-40 conventional oil.
What do you mean when you describe your oil as “Maintenance Saving”?
All oils save maintenance – their basic function being protection. However, when we refer to “Maintenance Saving” oils we are typically meaning those oils that have been approved by truck makers against their longest drain interval specification, or oils which may have the performance to support extended oil drain operation under certain circumstances.
What do you mean when you describe your oil as “Low Emission”?
Engine oils can contribute to engine/vehicle emissions in three ways:
- By directly contributing to emissions through oil consumption
- Through helping ensure that the engine/vehicle continues to operate efficiently – inefficient engines generally produce more emissions
- Through directly impacting fuel efficiency.
When we label an oil “low emission” it means that the oil has a reduced ash and SAPS content that results in a lower direct contribution to emissions.
What do you mean by “Low-SAPS” and “Low Ash”?
Low-SAPs oils have reduced levels of “Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur”. Most oils contain a variety of chemical components designed to enhance the performance in one way or another. Traditionally oil formulators have used compounds containing sulphur (S) and phosphorus (P) to provide wear protection, plus metal containing detergent components to protect against acid corrosion and keep the engine components clean.
These metal components in particular are non-combustible, meaning when oil is burned a small level of residual ash is produced. The industry measures this as “Sulphated Ash”. Hence “Low-SAPS” oils have reduced levels of “Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur” – or simply less ash.
Low-SAPS oils are generally specified for the latest vehicles fitted with exhaust after-treatment systems such as diesel particulate traps and catalysts of certain types that can have their performance impacted by lubricant components contained in the vehicle exhaust.
Can the new oils be used with bio-fuels?
Yes – but the engine manufacturers’ recommendations on oil drain intervals for engines operating on bio-fuels should be observed.
I have seen that Shell Rimula R4 L is formulated with Group II oils. What does this mean?
Group II base oils are not considered to be synthetic. They are manufactured using severe hydro processing which results in an oil typically with a very low sulphur level and a low “aromatics” content.
Compared to Group I (or conventional) base oils these oils can provide performance advantages in anti-oxidancy and dispersancy – two important performance areas for heavy-duty diesel engine oils.
Shell Rimula R4 L takes advantage of these characteristics to deliver a low-SAPS high performance engine oil suitable for use in most modern vehicles.
