What engine oil do you use and why?

[JohnW8]

Like the title asks, what engine oil do you use and why?


Until recently I used Mobil 1 10w/30, because it was readily available, and able to hold up well to higher temps found in a racecar.

What's your choice?

[joeg]

Mobil 1--15 W 50.

Readily available.

[chuck baader]

A racing oil only that contains zink. A street oil will kill a flat tappet motor on the track. CB

[Chip42]

Amsoil dominator 15w50. for the same reaosn Chuck aluded too: ZDDP content. but also because of its temperature stability and flow characteristics. it's survived at 300°F in the MR2 (cooler gets it to 260 in clear track!...warts and all) and still appeared to be stable, where Mobil 1 had shown signs of breakdown.

oh, and I'm a dealer, so... let me know if you need some

[coreyehcx]

10w30 Amsoil Dominator

Same reasons as Chip described.

10w30 puts me at an oil pressure Im happy with for my setup.

[bamfp]

I use nothing that I can buy at a local parts store over the counter. Gibbs, Amsoil, Brad Penn, Redline.

[ajmr2]

I've used Mobil 1 15w50 in my race car for 16 years. No issues. I use Mobil 1 5w30 in my 2 TSXs and my '94 E 150 tow vehicle. No issues. Worth every penny and woudn't use anything else.

[preparedcivic]

In the race car, Mobil One 15W-50. It is the only M1 grade still with a high zinc content.

The autocross car gets 10W-30 M1. My C6 Vette the factory fill M1 5W-30. The Ford trucks get Motorcraft 15W-40 and 5W-20 for the 6.7 diesel and V-10 respectively. The only car on dino oil is the TSX, and that has had 5W-30 Castrol every 5k and it's now up to 112,000.

[gran racing]

For the racecar:

3 quarts Mobil One 0/40
1 quart Rotella 15/40 or straight 30

Why? Kessler Engineering told me to. LOL

[callard]

Dave,
Are you throwing in the Rotella for the zinc?
I'm running Mobil 1 15/50 in the 911 (270 + oil temps) along with some CamShield for the extra ZDDP.
Chuck

[JeffYoung]

For the reasons Chuck lists, I am pretty sure using Valvoline VR whatever in my car resulted in bad cam wear.

Switching over to either Amsoil or Joe Gibbs now for the new motor.

[ShelbyRacer]

Redline 40W Racing.

High zinc/phoshorus, good viscosity stability, excellent heat handling. Runs cooler under the same conditions as Mobil1 and Royal Purple.

Haven't ever tried Amsoil in the race car, but I run it in the truck...

I've been running Royal Purple in the street cars, since I can actually buy it cheaper than Mobil1.

[Greg Amy]

Mobil 1 or NAPA synthetic, 0W-something, whichever is cheaper. Change it every race.

[Wreckerboy]

For the race car - Mobil One Race. Because Dave Wheeler and Bret DePedro made convincing arguments regarding the use of a race-specific formulation that include ZDDP content and other reasons.

For the street cars - various weights of M1 as well. About 500K miles between the three of them with no complaints. Of course, with three street cars on the stuff of course none of them use the same damn spec oil, so I've always gots lots of bottles of the wrong stuff around when it's time to change the oil. At least the street Meotter leaks so much oil that I can just put cheap(er) Castrol dino juice in it.

[BruceG]

Some VEE drivers swear by Brad Penn which is the old "green oil" for PA.Loaded with ZDDP and good for 1200cc VEE engines.

[Campbell]

It is interesting to see all the synthetic oil being used, how often do you change your oil? I use dino oil and change each race.. but the cost is much less. Thanks

[1stgen]

I use the B&G 15/40w full synthetic with an B&G MOA zinc additive. 1.8t motor spinning to 7k, never a problem and motor has full a race season and 3 years of hpde's on it. Was rebuilt in 09'

[1stgen]

Synth oil wont burn like conventional oil, start a fire in your backyard and try it out. Synth will put the fire out before burning. Great for turbo motors and high heat applications.

[racer240sx]

I have been coating my cams with Techline Cermalube coating. Never any signs of wear. Also will help with oil temps. Easy to apply and cure in your own oven.

[Flyinglizard]

Cambell, you dont have to change the syns every race, thus cheaper.
Rotella( my current oil) 5/40 has 1200PPm of ZZp in it and helps the scuff.
Syns will burn , but at a much higher temp. The engine will look brand new inside, even with the rod sticking out.