To help protect an engine’s myriad parts from vigorous metal-on-metal wear, Kendall Motor Oil has employed the use of a different kind of metal: Liquid Titanium.
“In this time where engines and vehicles are lasting longer, and as we go through this prolonged recession, this helps prolong the life of the engine,” says Steve Tarbox, director of product management for ConocoPhillips.
The Liquid Titanium-enhanced motor oil is now a part of the company’s offerings, and the Kendall synthetic, full synthetic and high-mileage oil will be distributed through all of ConocoPhillips’ channel partners, even those who sell the company’s peripheral brands, like 76, Phillips and Conoco.
The new technology works with oil additives like zinc to provide extra wear protection. For example, when testing the new oil, researchers found that between a cam lobe and a tappet, titanium was bonded to the metal surface, says Tarbox. “It’s not like a coating. It’s actually a surface active chemistry.”
He adds that the Liquid Titanium oil passed a battery of engine wear tests under high temperatures and high loads and is accredited under ILSAC, GF-4, API SM and other industry categories. And under sequence tests like IVA and IIIG, the Liquid Titanium motor oil resulted in a 50 to 60 percent micron reduction in wear when held up to other types of motor oil.
“We were really proud of these results,” Tarbox adds. “The wear results are more indicative of premium-tier products, but they’re in our mainline products.”
Another test conducted by researchers measured Liquid Titanium’s effect on a vehicle’s exhaust catalyst, which has been rendered ineffective by phosphorous deposits, he says. The Liquid Titanium had no adverse effect on this exhaust component.
The Liquid Titanium motor oil is the result of focus groups with technicians, consumers and marketers, among others in the industry, and the line features an enhanced logo and new design that references the company’s racing heritage, accompanied by print, video and online marketing campaigns.
In October, the new Liquid Titanium line was part of the company’s “Town Hall” circuit, which included Las Vegas, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, says Marshall Cohen, ConocoPhillips’ director of Commercial Lubricants brand management.
The company also has an array of materials for the shop and parts store, like banners, truck wraps, static cling oil change reminders, floor mats, brochures and take-home sheets.
To learn more, visit www.kendallmotoroil.com/titanium.