August 2009

I recently heard a story about someone who said he wished his computer was as simple to operate as his phone. He got his wish. Phones are so complicated he can’t figure his out any more.

By now you’ve noticed that life, at least here in Western Civilization, is more complicated than it used to be. The evidence is all around us. For example, when many of us were young there were only three TV stations, unless you were from a major metro area like New York. But when cable came along we suddenly had dozens, then hundreds. And with internet video options, it’s thousands.

Medical care used to be easier, too. You went to the doctor and after a diagnosis he prescribed a medicine. Today we have a whole range of health services, from traditional to alternative, herbal to homeopathic. We’re ushered to specialists from allergists to urologists and everything in between. If we get prescriptions we no longer just listen to our doctors but go online to see what the side effects will be and what alternatives there might be, whether herbal supplements or aroma therapies.

So it’s no surprise that our cars are more complicated as well. In the old days you popped the hood and with a minimum of training could figure out many repairs all by yourself. Just use a little applied logic and elbow grease. Nowadays, you open the hood and can hardly find your engine because it is buried beneath a mass of cables, couplings and devices. Exhaust gas recycling, direct fuel injection, variable speed transmissions, electro-magnetic valve actuators, connectors, brain boxes, sensors and chips... It’s a whole new world.

RESPONSES TO COMPLEXITY

There are a variety of ways people respond to complexity. Some people retreat from it, others get jazzed by it. Many of us have found, however, that as systems become increasingly complex they also become increasingly unpredictable. Ultimately, the law of unintended consequences and subsequent failings undercuts our confidence in what we think we know. This can lead to insecurity, though as Dave Barry notes, guys can often mask their insecurity by walking around with large tools in their hands.

The study of complexity has become one of the newest branches of science. In his book Making Things Work, Yaneer Bar-Yam applies insights from this new science to everyday problems. Early in the book Bar-Yam shows how many problems occur because people focus too much on details without a reference to the bigger picture. It is the old dilemma of not being able to see the forest for the trees.

In the auto industry, numerous problems have been created when engineers make modifications in one particular without seeing its full impact on the whole. I will cite just one example because it has a bearing on lube selection. That detail is aerodynamics.

As early as the 1920’s auto engineers began to consider the aerodynamics of a car, with wind tunnels eventually being used to define shapes and styling for improved airflow benefits. Though now replaced with computer-aided design tools, the ultimate goal of reducing drag to improve fuel economy has been a perpetual pursuit. Unfortunately, one of the adjustments to improve air flows was to bring the drivetrain up tighter into the belly of the undercarriage. Transmissions and differentials were suddenly running hotter, so hot in fact that interior carpets have caught fire during some tests where SUVs were pulling heavy loads.

Synthetic transmission fluids and gear lubes are useful for addressing this issue, helping reduce internal friction to keep parts running cooler as well as more efficiently. In fact, synthetic motor oils and drivetrain fluids have been discovered as a solution for many of the issues auto engineers have encountered while in pursuit of improved engine design and function. The high torque and tight tolerances in the Corvette led GM to make synthetics the designated factory fill back in the 90’s. Several years ago Toyota had a problem with gummy sludge interfering with important sensors, with subsequent negative consequences for engine operation. Synthetic motor oils that resisted oxidation and sludge formation helped keep this negative at bay.

IS MOTOR OIL TOO COMPLICATED?

There are some who might suggest that synthetic motor oils and other specialty oils have made the motor oil field too complicated. I would suggest that this complexity can be simplified quite easily with a single question. Is your customer driving a vehicle with a mechanically sound engine? If yes, then he should be using a premium synthetic motor oil. It will protect his engine longer and keep it running more efficiently than a conventional motor oil.

As for viscosity selection, just check the owner’s manual and you’ll be good to go. Unless I’m missing something, this prescription seems pretty clear and simple to me.