Engine oil and supplement?
- Thread starter RPM
- Start date
Corley
New Member
Ron,
I'm sorry, but I don't think "ONLY" and "$9.00 A QUART" belong in the same sentence! My Studebaker Drivers Club news magazine tech advisors have researched this and claim that running STP provides enough ZDDP for protection, so I use that. (It has other benifits for engines that may sit for long periods as well.) They also recommend Brad Penn racing oils, but I don't have a local source for that.
Corley
I'm sorry, but I don't think "ONLY" and "$9.00 A QUART" belong in the same sentence! My Studebaker Drivers Club news magazine tech advisors have researched this and claim that running STP provides enough ZDDP for protection, so I use that. (It has other benifits for engines that may sit for long periods as well.) They also recommend Brad Penn racing oils, but I don't have a local source for that.
Corley
Lucas racing Only 20-50 Non Synthetic 7 bucks a quart is cheaper than an engine. IMHO
Corley
New Member
Tom,
Ron asked about your flat tappet engines. That roller tappet LS1 you've got can run full synthetic, no problem (but my '00 'Vette manual say's to run 5-30 Mobil 1 only in it), but do you run it in a flat tappet engine too? I didn't think it contained enough ZDDP for that.??? Is there something about Valvoline full synthetic 10-30 that we don't know that makes it OK for flat tappet engines? Please clearify / justify what you said. Enquiring minds want to know...
Thanks,
Corley
STP..... ?
Stay Together Please
Suppresses Total Performance
Stay Together Please
Suppresses Total Performance
Mike
Well-Known Member
For those that think Rotella is the answer, I recommend you spend a bit of time researching the various types of zinc additives used in engine oils. Particularly if used in a new engine, the zinc in Rotella won't have any lubrication effect on initial camshaft/lifter wear, as it requires more heat and more load to become effective, as compared to passenger car applications. ZDDP is a class of additive, not a specific chemical, so you will find different ZDDP formulations being used in different oils. And the ZDDP formulations in truck oils simply will not become effective lubricants until the engine sees higher temperatures and higher loads.
For the fellows trying to run commercially available engine oils with ZDDP additives, you're burning money on every purchase. Today's oils have really high detergent levels and that means those detergents will flush away any engine deposits. Including deposited zinc. Detergents in oil have no means of distinguishing the composition of engine deposits, they just flush everything away.
For my money, the Joe Gibbs Driven Hot Rod oil is the best bet. I know there are a lot of people who say they are having good luck with Brad Penn, but they continue to tout their high detergent levels, whereas Joe Gibbs oil is trying to balance ZDDP levels and detergent levels. I've also seen some chemical analysis reports on Brad Penn that don't seem to match up with what they advertise for zinc and phosphorous levels, so that raises some questions in my own mind.
The race-only oils have the ZDDP, but they lack in detergent properties. Since I'm not looking for an engine oil that needs to be changed out every 500 miles, I want oil that has some detergent properties.
ATF can be used as a flush, but I would recommend adding a quart of it, prior to every 5th or 6th oil change, starting the engine long enough to reach operating temperature, with NO LOAD being placed on the engine. Shut the engine down and get the oil/ATF drained out of it while it is still hot. If you're really that concerned about keeping the crankcase clean as a whistle, just start using a lighter-weight engine oil, which will net you the same result. Cold flow characteristics of the lighter-weight oils make them attractive, as well as the tiny bit of horsepower you will also find there.
For the fellows trying to run commercially available engine oils with ZDDP additives, you're burning money on every purchase. Today's oils have really high detergent levels and that means those detergents will flush away any engine deposits. Including deposited zinc. Detergents in oil have no means of distinguishing the composition of engine deposits, they just flush everything away.
For my money, the Joe Gibbs Driven Hot Rod oil is the best bet. I know there are a lot of people who say they are having good luck with Brad Penn, but they continue to tout their high detergent levels, whereas Joe Gibbs oil is trying to balance ZDDP levels and detergent levels. I've also seen some chemical analysis reports on Brad Penn that don't seem to match up with what they advertise for zinc and phosphorous levels, so that raises some questions in my own mind.
The race-only oils have the ZDDP, but they lack in detergent properties. Since I'm not looking for an engine oil that needs to be changed out every 500 miles, I want oil that has some detergent properties.
Ted, please tell me you are using ATF as a flush only, prior to an oil change. The way your post reads, you are running a quart of ATF at all times. I had a buddy who worked at Chrysler Engineering and they would add a quart of ATF to their dyno mules to accelerate both bearing wear and camshaft/lifter interface wear.
ATF can be used as a flush, but I would recommend adding a quart of it, prior to every 5th or 6th oil change, starting the engine long enough to reach operating temperature, with NO LOAD being placed on the engine. Shut the engine down and get the oil/ATF drained out of it while it is still hot. If you're really that concerned about keeping the crankcase clean as a whistle, just start using a lighter-weight engine oil, which will net you the same result. Cold flow characteristics of the lighter-weight oils make them attractive, as well as the tiny bit of horsepower you will also find there.
The 15W-50 Conventional?
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