How many still use Castrol oil ?

I've used Castrol for 30 yrs.  Even use it in my Harley.  Remember when it was Castrol Racing Oil?

Almost everyone has a strong opinion about engine oil.  For us old codgers, who pre-date the synthetic oil revolution, even the subject of multi-grade oil could cause a beef.

There seems to be some, but not much, agreement, such as, modern multi-grade oils are appropriate for a/c engines.  Depending on seasons and geography, 10/30 or 20/50 work well.  The beauty of multi=grade is that you don't need to change the oil merely because the air temp changes where you live.  Billions and billions of years ago, the end of one season meant you should change your oil to accommodate the expected temps in the coming season.  Of course, in those days, I was a broke, dumb kid who rarely changed oil in my 36 hp bug.  When the oil light came on going around a corner, I threw in another quart.  Man, those engines were tough! 

Detergent oils tend to keep small particles suspended, so an oil change with detergent oil should remove harmful byproducts more efficiently than non-detergent.

Synthetic vs. dino oil vs. blend:  the more stock (and smaller) your engine, the less you need synthetic.  For the 2+ liter conversions with remote filters, coolers, etc., synthetic oil will let you prolong the time between oil changes.

The main aspect of oil use that everyone agrees on is to use quality lubricants, and change them at appropriate times.  Sounds like a legal copout, doesn't it?  We all want value from our oil, but clean oil in an a/c engine is extremely important to longevity.

That's my .02.  Others will chime in, I'm sure.

I've been using straight 3-in-1 oil for the past two seasons. It works WAAYY better than the WD-40.

I've used it for 40+ yrs.....   I'm not really sure about this "High Milage" oil vs. the old "Racing" oil....   Right now I'm using Kendall 20w50w because Castrol was not available in 20w50w when I last purchased oil....

Walmart stocks 10/30 for summer and 20/50 for winter.  Either their buyers don't get it, or they are buying seasonal surplus.  20/50 just hit the shelves here in Louisiana. 

be sure to get some oil with zddp or zinc, or you have to use an addative, with it in it. i still use  shell rotella diesel it suspends the ash better, and s.t.p. bill

With my new engine I used Swepco 15/40.  When it was broken in I had planned on using Brad Penn or Valvoline VR1.  Jake Raby also has an engine oil that works well with air cooled engines.

It's too bad Rotella changed their formula.  It was a great oil for air cooled engines, at a excellent price.

Ron, when you refer to possibly using Valvoline VR1 oil, Are you refering to synthetic or non synthetic oil.

Does the non-synthetic valvoline VR1 racing oil have the high zinc/phosphorous in it. Or does some need to be added.

Art

What about the detergent factor, i have read that Valvoline VR1 has less or no detergents. Deterents are there to protect against an increase in harmful deposits that build-up in regularly driven cars, start- stop short journeys etc.

Race cars don't build-up deposits as fast as street cars, due to being driven without the start-stop conditions.

Brad Penn oil is both a street and race oil, it has the increased zinc and effective detergents for engine cleanliness, and protection.

Art

I added the Valvoline VR1 to my list because a number of forum members use and like it.  I haven't  used this oil yet. I took for granted it was synthetic, but I could be wrong.

I like Brad Penn, and (very important) I can get it locally for a decent price.  I run Brad Penn 10-30 in my Ford Ranger, track Miata (now sold), and I plan on switching my 86 Westy over to BP after I deplete my stock of Swepco 10-40.

I've been using Mobil-1 20/50 V-Twin oil for a few years now but may have to start looking for a replacement. The stuff is approaching $11 a quart!

Valvoline VR1 is available as a synthetic or conventional oil. And I'm not using niether, from the research i've done after posting this topic.

IIrc Valvoline comes in a couple of different versions; race oil (without detergents), which needs to be changed very frequently (after every race day? someone correct me if I'm wrong) and with a detergent pack for longer term street use. The last time I looked it had the required zddp levels for flat tappet motors.

tudynelson- what information led you to that conclusion?

Swepco is expensive too.  I paid $240 for a case of 24, which including shipping.

Just a quick note on Brad Penn.  There are 2 versions of Brad Penn, standard oil and their green racing oil.  The Brad Penn Grad 1 Racing Oil (the green stuff) is the oil tested in depth by Jake Raby and Charles @ LN Engineering.  It is a world different than standard Brad Penn (both are in similar bottles), so when buying Brad Penn be sure to specify Grade 1 Racing Oil aka The Green Stuff

I know Jake was working on his own aircooled formula of oil some time ago, working title "Snake Oil", but I do not know current status of that project.

It is 7.00/quart at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Brad-Penn-009-7119S-20W-50-Racing/dp/B002RFDSWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349111191&sr=8-1&keywords=brad+penn+oil

I believe the Jake Raby endorsed oil is named DT50 15w-50 synthetic. Available through <JoeGibbsOilSales.com>...somewhat expensive

I priced it in my area. $131.89 for a case of 12. $10.99 per quart and hard to find.  

Looks like Brad Penn Grade 1 racing or street oil, The green stuff !  is what is going in my car, The reports and reviews are very good. I found it in my area for $7.10 a quart.

Life is Good, Later.

I have been using both Valvoline(black bottle) and Castrol(white bottle) 20w50 V-twin oil. They are both dino oil(non-synthetic). Sometimes you can get it on sale, I got a bunch of Valvoline for $2 a quart! I emptied the shelf! It is usually around $4 a quart, and it appears to have what we need, I have been using this oil for 15,000 miles so far. It doesn't state the contents, but does state that it is for flat tappet engines......... 

I've had good luck ordering Brad Penn racing oil from competition components:

http://www.buyracingparts.com/...nn-20w50---case.html

Shipping adds a lot, though.

The EPA has been reducing the amount of zinc from most over the counter motor oils through the years, to protect catalytic converters and other emissions equipment. Motor builders have seen the affects.

Most over the counter motor oil won't say on the labeling how much zddp is in the quart of oil, it's hard to find. It may just tell you that it has high zinc/phosphorus (maybe).

High zinc does not equal to (detergent oil) Some that have high zinc may be a non-detergent oil, and that's were there may be a problem, Detergent oil prevents oxidation and crude build-up and promotes engine cleanliness . It's abviously good to have both for our motors.

Brad Penn oil, puts it on the wall if your reseach carefully, you can see the numbers, the amount of zinc, in a quart of oil and what it contains. Plus the fact that it is a detergent oil.

Any oil that's SM or SN rated is safe for catalytic converters, so the zddp #'s are too low to protect flat tappets/cams. As I said before, most racing oils lack the detergent add packs and are not suitable for street cars.

go to ln engineering.com   it will tell you how much zddp and other stuff they recommend. bill