Stock image of a racing car burning rubber before a race. iStock/rcyoung
A Japanese company has released what it claims is the world’s first racing engine oil that uses plant-based raw materials for more than 80 percent of its base oil and has both racing performance and API SP certification.
A market survey on engine oil conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 found that this is the world’s first engine oil for four-wheeled vehicles that combines American Petroleum Institute (API) certification, plant-based oil, and racing performance.
The survey was conducted by Trending Future Research Institute Inc, as per Idemitsu Kosan Company’s press release.
Before beginning commercial operations, the company carried out extensive tests for the product and came up with exceptional results.
Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. says that it uses palm oil from raw materials that meet high standards for the Idemitsu IFG Plantech Racing engine oil; the ester comes from rapeseed and sunflower oils.
Moreover it also states that the carbon footprint of Idemitsu IFG Plantech is 82 percent lower than mineral oil – based on the Japan LP Gas Association estimate of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per unit of plant-derived base oil during the entire product life cycle.
Performance metrics of the plant-based racing engine oil
As per the tests conducted by the company, the new plant-based racing engine oil showed 194 percent improved toughness as compared to other flagship variants.
Moreover, its usage resulted in 50 percent lower coefficient of friction than competitor’s flagship engine oils.
It also offered 169 percent better protection, and 124 percent improved piston cleanliness in internal tests conducted by the company.
Mazda Spirit Racing’s Roadster CNF concept competed in the Super Taikyu Series – pro-am racing series for commercially available racing vehicles – using Plantech Racing oil. The company states that the engine oil proved its worthiness in the five-hour race session.
The company claims that its IFG series of oils are nano-tailored to meet the needs of high-precision Japanese systems and components to improve engine performance.
“Idemitsu IFG Plantech Racing embodies our brand message, ‘The Heart of Technology,’ and is a product that maximizes our technology to enhance engine performance and dramatically reduces environmental impact,” the company said in a press release.
Other USPs and availability
“Our unique tailor-made blending technology combines molybdenum, which reduces power loss caused by frictional resistance, with high-viscosity plant-based esters that thicken the oil film and improve protection performance, in a plant-derived base oil that is challenging to blend.”
The company further said that it achieved performance suitable for racing through its “proprietary Molybdenum Ester Technology.”
The company has created a new elite flagship category for the new plant-based engine oil – which makes it even better than its earlier flagship variant IFG 7.
The Tokyo-based Idemitsu Kosan Company has stated that it will begin selling its automotive engine oil – named ‘Idemitsu IFG Plantech Racing’ – through its online shop for customers in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The press release also mentions that sales in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, China, India, and other countries will be announced as soon as they become available for purchase in local markets.
