What kind of oil are you using?

OregonFerrari forwarded this to me. Had never really considered the chemical differences from one brand to another, much less the difference in additives.

The Difference Engine: All change, oil change
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/11/tribology?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/tribology

... a lot of well-maintained old cars, especially sportier models, have begun to fail in surprising numbers—as if struck down by some virulent new disease...

...To prevent excessive wear of the valve gear, motor oils have traditionally contained a fair amount of a zinc and phosphorus in the form of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP)—with typically 1,700 parts per million (ppm) of zinc and 1,600 ppm of phosphorus. The ZDDP additive works by getting the zinc to react with the iron of the tappet surface and cam lobe, creating a glassy sacrificial barrier...

...the ZDDP in motor oils has been steadily reduced. Lately, however, the concentration has fallen precipitously in America...

 

AE Haas has pretty much covered it...

I use Royal Purple 20-50w, but in an old 308GTB it shears down/dilutes pretty quickly.

Regular interval on changes (3-4K miles)..

 

Oh good - let's find something else to worry about...

In the competition/performance engine building business, this was our advice to folks who asked what kind of oil to use: "Go to the parts store, stand in the oil aisle, close your eyes, spin around three times and point. Whatever brand of oil you pointed at of the proper weight will work just fine." It still will.

 

Ha, ha ... right. "Castrol 20/50" on my 76 308 and "Mobil 1 Synthetic" on my 96 'Vette. Works.

 

Valvoline VR1 Racing oil 20W50 in my 308 QV.

 

RedLine 5w/50

 

AGIP SINT

 

Castrol semi-synth 10w40

 

0W40 Mobil 1 synthetic

 

Rotella T 15W40. The car is a '77 308.

 

Castrol 20-50 every 3K miles.
The one time synthetic was put it it seeped out of everywhere.
Back to dino stopped the weeping.

 

I use Redline

 

Castrol Magnatec 10W 40.

 

Brad Penn 10-40 winter & 20-50 summer, not cheap but has enough zinc for cams

 

I used Agip Sint 2000 10W50. Currently it's in the shop and they are going to use Shell 10W60.

Thanks for the information about the oil and valves. What's the consensus on lead replacement additives? Are they useful? Do they protect the valves?

 

+1 5w/40

 

Castrol 20/50 and filter every 3000 miles.

I am guessing oils will change before i am do again though, I have put 4000 miles on the car in 5 years, so I am do for my next change in 2 to 3 years

 

I asked my machinist what kind to use, when I ever get her up and going, and he recommend Valvoline VR 10 30.

He said the racing version has all the "good stuff" in it.

 

I used this in old vettes I had. Was very good stuff. Old musle car guys swear by it.

 

whatever happend to oil being oil?

 

"whatever happend to oil being oil?"

Marketing and advertising happened!

Go to 10 different shops and see what oil they "recommend" for your car...You can count on the fact that they will not be the same. Why? Because they are going to use the oil that they can get the best cost/benefit on. If they can buy brand X for 2 bucks a quart and sell it to you for 5 bucks or buy Brand Y for 3 bucks a quart and sell it to you for 5, which one do you think they are going to be stocking/selling/claiming is the best?

I have seen shops (and worked in them) where marketing guys showed up one day and the shop went in literally one day from saying to customers, "By God, Valvoline is the best there is," to "Castrol is the ONLY oil we would ever use in a customer's car." It's absurd but marketing is marketing and companies can't survive without it.

Note: I apologize to Castrol and Valvoline - it could have been any other motor oils but the example was what happened. At various times shops I worked with used: Kendell, Valvoline, Penzoil, Castrol, Mobil, Motul, Shell, Chevron, Quaker State...and those are the ones that come immediately to mind. And they changed as it was profitable to do so. Sometimes they went from one, to another, than back to the first one.

That would seem to be a tough sell but somehow it worked and customers never seemed to catch on - January: "X oil is the best," June: "X oil sucks, we use Y." Oct: "Y has always been over-rated, tests show X is better." Ever wonder why all those "tests" they quote are just vague, like that..."tests show" but what tests?

It's all ludicrous.

 

Same with gasoline, it's heavily government controlled, except for a cleaning agent, it's all the same. Fancy station + great store = expensive fuel

 

SHELL Rotella T 15W-40

 

Thats great oil, I have been using it in my first (255,000+ miles) and second (175,000+miles) diesel dodge trucks. Comes in gallon containers

 

These are fine Italian machines.

I only use the finest single-estate olive oil I can find.

Now I clean the garage floor with a little black pepper and a baugette!