Heavy duty grease used in Grand Prix racing cars
Did you know that one of the Mobil branded industrial greases used by many industrial organisations throughout the world to improve the productivity of their operations is the very same used in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Grand Prix racing cars?
The high performance synthetic grease Mobilith SHC™ 220 is used to protect both the wheel bearings of McLaren’s Grand Prix cars and a wide range of equipment operating in industrial sectors, such as mining, steel, pulp and paper and general manufacturing.
The toughest operating grounds
Both the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ team and industrial organisations need their equipment and machinery to perform in highly challenging operating conditions. For example, when McLaren drivers Jenson Button or Sergio Perez approach a turn and apply the brakes, the grease in their car’s wheel bearings is under an incredible 15,000 times more pressure than in the vehicle’s tyres.
Commercially available Mobilith SHC™ 220 grease protects the bearings from these demanding pressures, and also from extreme heat. Temperatures generated by the adjacent brake rotors can spike to more than 850ºC, which is high enough to glow bright red. But a protective layer of less than one micron thick is all that’s needed for Mobilith SHC™ 220 to keep components cool and reduce friction and wear.
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ team has relied on the technology of Mobil wheel-bearing greases for more than 300 Grand Prix races, winning one in four races it has ever entered. Despite the extreme challenges of competing on the grid, the team has not experienced a single wheel-bearing failure in more than 19 years of racing and partnership with ExxonMobil.
This same track-proven technology is used to safeguard machinery, applications and vehicles used in some of the world’s most demanding industrial environments, including mine sites, steel mills and pulp and paper plants. For example, machinery in the pulp and paper industry operates at speeds of over 2,000 m/min and steam temperatures that exceed 200°C.
The Mobilith SHC™ range of grease is used in a wide variety of industrial applications. For example, in the iron and steel industry, engineers apply Mobilith SHC™ grease products to enhance protection of conveyor components in lime, coke and sinter plants and plate mill drive spindle connectors, pickle line and rolling mill machinery in forming plants.
In the mining sector, Mobilith SHC™ greases are used to protect numerous applications working under harsh operating conditions, including grease points on conveyors, drills, haul trucks, bulldozers, wheel loaders, and electromechanical shovels.
The Mobilith SHC™ series is a range of multi-purpose, extreme pressure greases recommended for heavy-duty industrial applications. They have a synthetic base fluid and offer outstanding high and low temperature performance, retaining excellent grease performance in some of the harshest operating environments.
Their excellent thermal stability and oxidation resistance delivers extended service life with longer intervals between relubrication and improved bearing life, while the enhanced protection and reduced wear offered by the Mobilith SHC™ series can reduce costs associated with additional downtime and maintenance.
Other industrial lubricants which help optimise the performance of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes™ Grand Prix racing cars
In addition to Mobilith SHC™ 220 grease, ExxonMobil provides a range of industrial lubricants both inside and outside of the cars to help give the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team a competitive edge.
In the car:
- Mobilith SHC™ 1500 Grease - used in plain and rolling element bearings, the grease provides excellent protection when operating at extremely slow speeds, under heavy loads and high temperatures. In the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car Mobilith SHC™ 1500 is applied to the tripod joints on the driveshafts which deliver an incredible 750 horsepower to the rear wheels.
- Mobil SHC™ 500 Series Oil – The sophisticated hydraulic system of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Grand Prix car uses Mobil SHC™ 500 Series oil, which offers excellent low and high temperature performance making it an excellent choice for equipment that is subjected to a wide range of start-up and operating temperatures.
In the McLaren technology centre:
- Mobil DTE™ 25 Hydraulic Oil – This supreme performance anti-wear hydraulic oil supports a number of key functions in the wind tunnel, including lubricating the tension of the steel belt, tracks and braking. Mobil DTE 25 provides long oil and filter life and optimum equipment protection.
- Mobil machine shop lubricants – technically advanced machine shop lubricants and fluids that are specifically designed for the metal working sector and being used today in the McLaren Technology Centre, including:
- Mobil Vactra™ Oil Numbered Series premium quality oils for slideways
- Mobil Velocite™ Oil Series low viscosity oils for high-speed spindles
- Mobil DTE 10 Excel™ Series groundbreaking supreme- performance oils for hydraulic systems
- Mobil DTE™ 20 Series high-performance oils for hydraulic systems
- Mobilmet™ and Mobilgrind™ Series neat oils for metal cutting, grinding and honing
- Mobilcut™ Series multipurpose, low-maintenance, water soluble cutting oils
Delivering optimum performance in severe conditions
ExxonMobil’s drive to innovate through involvement in Grand Prix racing – both in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ cars and at the McLaren Technology Centre - allows the company to develop products that perform in some of the severest operating conditions. Combined with ExxonMobil’s engineering expertise, this delivers not only quicker lap times and improved reliability, but enhanced top of the range products that offer significant benefits to the industrial sectors throughout the world.
