I am using Castrol 20/50 in my engines as well as Kendall I would like to hear from you which oil do you think is best to use and especially living here in Phoenix AZ with the heat in the summer. I have used Valvoline in the past and no problem with it. Lets here everyone choice of oil you are using and why do you think your choice of oil is better. Thanks Frenchy
There are three things in life you should never talk to strangers about - Politics, Religion , and Oil
Shell Rotella 15w40 or 20w50. contains enough zinc to protect those old flat tappets and it is cost effective
I agree with Unclee.I had a boss that always said to use any oil companies premium brand.Now thanks to to the epa we have to get zink additive to go with it.
Caution on the Rotella as not all of it contains a high level of zinc and phosphorous. New diesels have catalytic converters therefore the low zinc. I use Valvoline VR-1 Racing Oil. it contains 1400 PPM of zinc and 1300 PPm of phosphorous.
Hey has anyone heard about problems with a lack of ZDDP in oils or something? :::: runs out of the room::::
Valvoline 30W Racing Formula. I have to order it from my NAPA store -- they don't stock it -- and a case is a little bit pricey. But it's got the zinc and phosporus older engines need without the need for additives. It's also available in multi-viscosity formulations as well.
WITHOUT HESITATION, Valvoline VR1, pick your grade. I use 20-50 due to hot days in SoCal. But you can buy 10-30 if you are in a cold climate. As stated already the Diesel oils no longer have the right amount of Zinc Phos Extreme Pressure additives they used to due to EPA regulations and so the DPF technologies are kept clean and effective.
Dollar General has some cheap 10w30 with an SJ rating. Wonder how much zinc it's got? My best running rig was bought new by a guy who owned a trucking company. Ran Delvac 15w40 its whole life so I'm doing the same. Looks clean under that valve cover.
I use Valvoline Racing 50wt or 60wt (whichever I can find) in all of my machines. I get better oil pressure using this stuff and there really isn't much need for a multi-weight oil here in Phoenix.
Aside from Valvoline having high levels of zinc and phosphorous they often have great discount coupons on their web site. Last year you could get a $50 rebate on a case of VR1. That was almost free.
Here are my thoughts on oil: Now, i'm still in the stone age and run flat lifters on all my cars and probably will for the next forseeable future because i'm cheap. Now, do you really need a ZDDP sufficient specific oil for flat lifters---especially at stock valve spring pressures? I have no idea. However, my philosophy is that since oils that have a sufficient amount of ZDDP---enough for flat lifters (like 1200-1400 parts per million or something like that) only cost a little more than "any old oil" that you can find at the autoparts store, then it is cheap insurance to be safe and use the ZDDP specific oil. We are only talking a few dollars difference here even if you change every 3000 miles and i'm not even sure that is nessesary anymore. i use Redline synthetic 10W-30 for a small block chevy and 4 cyl. i am looking at Royal purple xpr in 5W-30 and 10W-30 weights because you can find it at some stores---i.e., pepboys.
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