Best Oil for 308 GT4???

i have been using Redline 10-40 in my 911's, AND my 308's. Regular valvoline or Havoline 10-40 in the muscle cars. the thinner oils DO FLOW better, as Dr AEhass threads have indicated. I also use either a1/2 qt of Marvel Mystery oil, or 1 can of BG MOA, for the extra protection.

I swear, i had an 85, and an 87 911 at the same time, in the same garage side by side. one had Bradd Penn 20-50, the other Redline 10-40+1 can of MOA. You could start each car, and see, hear, and feel the car with the thinner oil running smoother, and rev freer, faster than the car with the molasses 20-50 in it.


I am not using 20-50 anymore, and i still have several cases of it.

my 208 Dino also has fresh Redline 10-40 + MOA in it.

pic:
Stunning 87 Mondial is owned by Jfrazar, who is storing my unwanted 208 for me.
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I was just talking oils with my mechanic last week since my car is in for a belt service, and he really felt strongly that I go with Swepco 15/40 in my '79. I had been running the Kendall 20/50 over the years, per another mechanic, but my understanding is that the formulation has changed (a la Brad Penn). Furthermore, I was never that sold on the "20" aspect of it from all the great AEHaas threads, but I suppose I convinced myself that my 80,000 mile engine would benefit from the heavier oil since it was likely not as "tight" as a more modern engine.

I'll be going with the Swepco in the crank case and tranny (don't remember the weight on that one), so I'll report back with my impressions...

 

The European Standards are much better than here. Some specific brands and grades are available here: Mobil 1 0w-40, Castrol Syntec 5w-40 are the 2 most common. Ever notice the American made Redline, Royal Purple, and Amsoil are not API certified? Royal Purple won't even provide their full test results.

 

Interesting... I've got 6qts or so of that very same Redline fluid in my garage right now (that I proposed I could bring in during the service) that my mechanic said to avoid! So funny... I know my car has the swepco in it now - blue in color - and my 2nd gear works great when cold, so I guess I'll just stick with it. I completely understand your position, though, and hope you find the oil that works best for you! Just be sure to share your results so the rest of us can benefit, as well!

 

I'd suggest that you run the Brad Penn oil or the Swepco. Either would work fine. This has been discussed to death on other forums.

As for the issue with Swepco transmission fluid, think of it this way. Not all gearboxes need the same thing, as the way the parts work may be a little different. Swepco first became popular with Porsches, in their transmissions that use a baulk ring synchromesh. When they changed to a Borg Warner style of synchromesh, other gear oils worked better. It's not that the Swepco product was bad, it just wasn't the best choice for that particular design. You also have to factor in the age and wear of a tranny. What is optimum for a nearly brand new one may not work as well in something 500 miles short of needing a rebuild.

JR

 

You won't get a consistent answer here, or probably anywhere for that matter. I'll just say I use a product with higher levels of zddp only because of the flat tappet issues I've read about here. We will see in another 4 years when I pull the valve covers off again.

 

I think I'm going to cry. "unwanted 208" That is the sadest thing I have ever heard. I wish I had to money and space so I could care for it.

 

+1 ..............

 

I'm the Royal Purple guy, as they sponsor me..it's made in Houston.....(Porter, TX. actually)

But Robert,

For our older cars we might follow the footsteps of Napolis, who IIRC is using Shell Rotela T in his Old Girls and admits to adding some oil supplement to it in a ratio....

Maybe a quick PM to him will confirm?

 

How much do you want for it, again??

That's a very cool car, IMO.

 

Valvoline 20-50.

Has made a big difference to my perception of "noise" from the engine, seems to run quieter and better.

My engine has been rebuilt and has about 1K miles on it.

Though I have noticed that when cold i.e in a climate of 5C to 15C if the engine is cold and you look through the oil filler cap, it takes a bit of time before you see any signifinant oil flow through the visible inlet journal on back 1-4.

Guess that is the extra viscosity when cold, but oil presssure goes up immediately, when comapred to 10 - 40 oils.

 

I've been using Mobil1 15w-50 for a long time now. No issues with leaks. Buy the gallon sized jugs from Walmart.

 

That's what I did.

 

I'm using Mobil 1 0W40 in my 328 on the basis that it should get up & around the engine faster when cold.

Unless you live somewhere very warm (or hit the track very hard) I'm not sure why you'd go to a 20W50. AFAIK the current recommendation from Ferrari here in Europe is Shell Helix (synthetic) 5W40.

I thought the original oil spec for most of these engines was 10W40.

 

Original spec was 10w-50 (NLA), then changed by Ferrrari to 10w-40.

 

That's the philosophy of Porsche and Mercedes, start up protection and that grade is Euro spec state side. Whatever oil you get should say European car Formula or Specially formulated to a german manufacturers standards.

Personally I use the Motul engine flush and oil.

 

Hi Rob,
are you certain that lack of zinc is the reason for the marks you see on your cam lobes?

Anyway, Mobil 1 lists how much zinc and phosphorus is in each of their oils:
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf

 

I emailed Rob that guide a few days ago

I recently switched over to Mobil 1 20W50 Motorcycle V-Twin oil. I used to use Castrol Syntec 5W50, but had used up my last batch (of pre-SM API rated stuff) for my 2009 oil change. For this year I started to use Mobil 1 as the latest batch of Syntec is SM rated and as I understand it, has unsafe levels of zinc & phosphorous for our 308's. Apparently, Castrol does make a Syntec 20W50 for older engines, but it isn't available in Canada. That, and the fact the Mobil 1 is readily available here and Walmart has it for the best price going (> $14/L Cdn)...

I was going through some old FCA Prancing Horse magazines today and came across an oil article in the Tech Section (issue #172, 3rd quarter, 2009).

 

Too long to paraphrase. I'll scan it and email it to you...

 

Which Rotella Rob, the 5w-40 synthetic, or the 15w-40 dino version?