Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) Based Lubricant for Light & Medium Duty Axles

The axle lubricant (SAE 75W‐140) widely used in the market place over the last few years is primarily formulated from polyalpha olefin (PAO) basestock.  This investigation focused on polyalkylene glycol (PAG) base stocks which are significantly different chemically from PAO and because of their polar nature it is hypothesized that they can adsorb relatively easily on contacting surfaces resulting in significant friction reduction and improved fuel economy. Axle efficiency is generally quite high at high torque range but it could be quite low at low torque  range representative of EPA drive cycles. Therefore, this project primarily focuses on improving  axle efficiency and thus fuel economy in the low torque range while maintining all durability attributes.