Requirement for oil additive on every 599??

True. I know the name of the product but don't yet know its properties.

 

Brian, can you please tell us, what the Name of the product is? Thanxxx

 

Ferrari of San Francisco uses Swepco 502.

 

http://www.swepcousa.com/lubesite/products/h502.htm

 

Ferrari dealers use Swepco 502 as an oil additive for all Ferraris except 599s and 612. For the 599 and the 612 they use a product called "TUTELLA". Tutella seams to work better with the 12 cyl engines. The purpose of the additives is to quite down any ticking from the valves, and more importantly to prolong the life of the internal components of the engine. The additives are supposed to leave a film on the internal components so that less friction/wear is experienced especially on start up. You need to use one bottle of swepco for every 4to5 liters of oil. I usually use 2 bottles for every oil change. For the 599s and the 612s I use one Tutella bottle per oil change. PM me if you need additional info.

 

That is correct. Some engines run like a washing machine and almost every engine sounds a little different. The additive seems to quite them down. Think of it as an extra protection for the engine rather than a supplement to the oil. It cannot be bad but to the contrary, it will better lubricate the internal components. Swepco has been around for a long time and has been used by many other brands such as Porsche .... Tutela is made in Italy. Most delaers stock both. If ou can't find it, PM me and i'll send you some.

 

Brian, Tony- Is this stuff worth using in older cars like my 575M with 17,000 miles? I usually am not big on oil additives.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Your car has been running without it for 17,000 miles. It is not a requirement but rather a recommendation by Ferrari. We add it to every Ferrari we work on. It does help.

 

Hmmm. I guess Ferrari couldn't work out a deal with the folks who sell "RESTORE" at autozone...or all of the other 100w oils in a can that "quiet" lifters...

 

Unfourtunately this oil additive has not worked on quieting down my lifters

 

A waste of money. I used to drink the Kool Aid and used the Swepco too. I came to my senses though.

 

Snake oil.

 

The only endorsed additive.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The only additive that will is when Ferrari gets a quiet lifter design and adds them to your motor. Until then they are going to try and pacify the customers with magic motor honey because it is a cheap way to delay the inevitable and convince a percentage of them that they are addressing the problem.

When hydraulic lifters were introduced in American cars it took a few years to make them good. When the Germans started using hydraulics they ignored all the lessons learned by the Americans because they knew better. Another case of the Germans reinventing the wheel. Mercedes lifters were truly awful. Well now it is Ferraris turn. They have been at it since 95. Any year now they will get it.

 

Can you tell me exactly what the problem is with Ferrari lifters particulary on the 599? I am not mechanically inclined so please make it easy for me to understand if you can. Thanks!

 

Brian- The solution, obviously, is to get a louder exhaust system so the lifters do not bother you. Since I was brought up on solid lifter Chevy engines (still have the clips to keep the oil from soaking your pants while adjusting clearances) and have an HGTC exhaust, lifter noise does not bother me at all. 20 years flying fighters helped, too.

No snake oil for me.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

They are noisy due to a design fault. Specifically what I have never bothered to look into. Using additives to make a lifter quiet can sometimes work to free those that are sticking as a result of byproduct build up but that is not going to be an issue on brand new cars. They bleed down and fail to totally pump back up. It has not been a problem except for the noise. I under took to get rid of the noise in an early Benz with hydraulic lifters once. After about 40 lifters we found 16 that were reliably quiet.

 

A couple of decades of high power rifles pretty much did it for me.

 

Ferrari dealers are using both additives. Again, they use Swepco for all except 599s and 612s,where they use the Tutela product. It is a known problem for Ferrari lifters to be on the noisy side. This is by no means a solution to the design problem, but rather one way to quite down the lifters if your hearing is still good enough to detect the clicking sound. Considering what you spend on service, the cost of the additive is minimal. Again, you don't have to use it, it is a "recommendation" and not a "requirement" by Ferrari.

 

Tony- Cost is definitely not the issue. Band-aiding a problem and potentially causing another due to messing with oil properties is my only concern. Most wear on engines is caused by cold starts, and something that changes cold start properties is not something I want in my engine.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

How can a great automotive company like Ferrari who has won many F1 Constructor Championships and built so many wonderful engines not know how to build and design hydraulic lifters that are NOT noisy?