Does anyone use the Valvoline VR1 racing oil? If so what weight is best for a HP street engine? They have SAE 50 and 20W50 at Napa. Thanks.
Synthetic and regular, both have zinc. I use 20W50 in my Y-block, with the heat of the summer in NE (been there) you might want to use the 50 weight.
20w50 in my blown 392 Hemi. Went into Autozone a few months back & took 8 qts to the register. Guy says it's on sale for $2.49 each quart. I bought all they had- 35 quarts.
What is the engine and specs? What is the climate like? I think it depends on your climate and season and engine. For instance I usually put the Valvoline racing 20W50 in most engines out here in San Diego. Obviously you are not working on one, but for example I have ran across some volkswagen people that have argued a 0w 30 is the best for their engine because you don't want too much oil pressure because then the engine does not cool as well as it should. If you go online to valvoline's web site you will see other weights, even 10W30 is advertised, although I have yet to see any on the shelf. You can always pick up a bottle of the ZDDP additive as well.
i use the 20/ 50 all summer in my big block drag car,, but use the comp cams zddp additive also because i run a solid cam non roller,,,,, 4 years,, about 400 11 second runs, i ve cut open about 15 oil filters so far and found almost nothing ,,
Rick's Garage,....Is that full synthetic, or blended ? I'm a believer in full synthetics,...and a bonus, if it has added zinc ! Thanks............ 4TTRUK
My engine builder told me to run regular conventional Valvo racing oil but was not specific about weight. My engine is a flat tappet 454, with a lunati 578 lift cam. the engine only has around 500 miles on it at best. So it is barely even broken in. It has been setting the last 4 years because I got hurt at work but am starting to get it back up and running. I live in central Nebraska and it is hot here in the summer. I do most of my driving/cruising at night, and I don't race. Just roast the tires here and there.
My engine guy told me 20/50w in my motor with the solid lifter cam. Brad Penn is also a great choice, but I have to order it, VR1 is on the shelf at NAPA and Autozone.
Depends on your bearing clearances. 20w-50 is still pretty thick oil and is probably fine. I use straight 50w in my blown alcohol sbc because I set the clearances loose (.0035-.0038" on the mains, .003-.0032" on the rods) and its a racecar so its only ever driven in warmer weather at the track/car show.
Just use a good zinc additive, I've been using the RISOLINE zinc additive that O'reily's carries lately. I use 4 quarts of regualr Valvoline and 1 quart of non-detergent to cut down the detergent a bit and throw in the zinc additive and it's good to go.
Valvoline VR1 is available in 10W30, 20W50, and straight 30, 40, 50 and 60 weights. I use 10W30 VR1 that can be ordered at most parts store that carry Valvoline oil in my area, or off the shelf at Lane Automotive in near by Watervliet Mi.
Read here: www.ZDDPlus.com Racing oil is not recommended for the street as described. If you need ZDDP, it is sold by an Alliance Vendor here - support the HAMB vendors!
I have been using Valvoline Racing oil in my Roadster for 40 years, In my falcon for 30 years and now in my Fairlane for the last 5 years - since I got it. Since these are not commuters but rather weekend warriors I see no reason to not use it even though some folks say it is not for daily use. I would rather have a known factor protecting my internals.
I've been using straight 40 wt. racing oil in my 283, (bored to 301), for almost 35 years. It has always worked well, even when I was driving my 55 all year around. It did crank over a little slower when it was below zero, though. Still have standard bearings in it too.
i use 20/50 vr1 in a 383 sbc stroker year round. it has a solid lifter cam,alum. rad,350auto,single 4barrel@180-190 degree in bad humidity here in carolina. the engine is 13 yr old & just hooked up an msd al box that was a great improvement on gas mileage & dont diesel any more. i change oil and filter every 3 mo. i drive it all the time as i am trying to drive the wheels off it before i die. when engine was fresh it was rated @475 hp...............................
Agreed. I've used Valvoline Racing oil in street vehicles since 1968. 396 & 454 Chevelles with solid lifters, 283 with a 30/30 solid cam, a 370/350 with the solid cam, ....... you get the idea. NEVER a problem (related to the oil ) with any of them. My son is a distributor for Brad Penn and uses it in his Altered race car, but I stick with Valvoline.
Sorry to be vague on engine specs. It is a 468 with a 600 lift hydraulic cam, I think 2.25-1.85 valves (I think) been awhile. Tunnel ram with two 450 edelbrocks. I took the 20W50 back today and bought SAE30 weight after reading BITOG website and talking to my engine builder. I am also thinking about buying a quart of the Lucas oil additive but it is $17.99 and I don't think I really need it. The engine is only a street engine. I do not race it and it probably doesn't have over 500-600 miles on it yet. It has just been setting. I bought a new Royal purple oil filter for it today so should be good to go. The website said any engine before 1994 would benefit from an additive because of the way they were built. My block and and heads are 1974 (heads are 781 casting). The rest is all Summit.
Okay, I gotta jump in on this. I have run Valvoline racing in EVERTHING I drive for the last thirty years now, and that has always been "hot rods". The only exception to that was when I first built the Plymouth's big engine, I was kinda misled by what was current "in the know" stuff about zinc removal in oils. The net result was a lobe so flat it looked like Nebraska! I have gone back to Valvoline racing for everyday use in that engine again. It still has the needed zinc to do the job without additives. The other that I have successfully used in flat tappet applications is Castrol GTX. My girlfriends Mercedes came into my life quite a few years ago, and after running my VR1 for one change the Mercedes elite types round here tipped me to that. All of the older Mercedes are flat tappet and seem to do very well on this stuff too. Stuff I care about though, VR1 ONLY!!! By the way, it has nothing to do with "it's only for street and not a race car" if you have a flat tappet cam in your car, you will need zinc whether it's in your oil or added - PERIOD. Please take the very expensive learning's of someone who has dealt with this deal before. And, if you decide not to add or run the VR1, please understand that there is much more involved than replacing a cam and lifters. When that lobe does go, it sends a slurry of crap through every passage your engine has destroying every soft bearing it come in contact with. Trust me, the VR1 is worth the price!
From a dirt track racing standpoint, we only run Brad Penn. For the unfamiliar, this is the old Kendall "green" oil. In 27 years, we've never had an oil related failure, and our builders want to know what we're doing to keep our engines so clean. These are 650+ hp, 15.5:1 engines, which may be slightly more than someone would have on the street. Nothing against the others, but it's hard to walk away from something that has been this good to us.
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