More about oil; I know, I know...

Pretty interesting stuff, Al.

I did find that running a thinner oil did help reduce oil temps as well as improve cold start ups.

I remember you making that observation before, Terry.

Al,
I'm always. Little leery of testing that mentions a specific product to be used and then makes a case for it. I'm guessing the oil folks do some research also to make a decent competitive product to sell but when money is involved....

Wow......long read.

 

Informative read, though.

 

I have to admit that I jumped to the ranking prematurely, but I'm slowly plowing through the body of his paper and he's bringing up some stellar points about what Zinc does (and does not do) to the metal surfaces it's shielding, along with a lot of other great info.  

 

Our use of engine oil gets complicated a bit by the pressure-regulated, temperature-modulating system it circulates in, hence Terry's observation of lower oil temps with thinner oil (Justin's been saying that, too.....me too!)  Knowing how the VW oil system works, that just makes sense, if you consider that the oil delivery and cooling system is designed for 10W-30 through 10W-40 weight oil to make it all work correctly as the designers envisioned.

 

Maybe if we get a few of the more technically savvy people on here to plow through this paper and get a discussion going we can focus in on both the proper oils to use (I see more than several already) and the proper weights to use (and why) as well and get that "published" on here so more people will have a better understanding of how to take proper care of their custom, VW engines.

 

My 2 cents....

I would agree with his point that more ZDDP doesn't increase protection, it increases the duration of protection. But duration of protection is still important for flat tappet engines as they consume the ZDDP at a faster rate compared to a roller setup. As his test wasn't concerned with duration, only ultimate protection, I'd still be running an oil with higher ZDDP. Personally, I'd like to see a comparison between different ZDDP levels and whether you could run the more common low ZDDP oils with equivalent wear if you changed them twice as often as a high ZDDP oil.

Aaah...good grief!

 

I tried to absorb what appears to be significant information in this guy's PhD thesis on oil additives...but went crossed eyed instead!!!

 

Doe's he EVER MENTION the product name, source, or manufacturer of "Oil Extreme Concentrate"?????

My question too Carl.  Just a bit skeptical as with foods that are good for you one day and bad the next.  I like to see more debate and let the dust settle........

 

Here you go, guys - Be prepared for sticker shock!

 

(But you DO get enough for 24 oil changes - Think of it as "Costco" or BJ's pricing)

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...F8&condition=all

But apparently Brad Penn 10W30 part synth. has only modest wear protection.  Oooops.....

And is No. 100 on the list w/o andy additives.......

Very good Gordon. So at almost $12.00 per oil change should we be buying cheaper oil (like $4-5/qt.) and add this stuff??

 

Since Brad Penn is Very high up with the additive but about 100 on the list without.  Sorry, Im reading this one with great interest.  Where is Al??

 

I'm suspicious of the veracity of unidentified, unverifiable sources for claims and testimonials...and probably, as he claims, he's the only one with the background , expertize, and patience to accurately conduct these tests...which means they won't, or can't be duplicated...duh?

 

And I think it's interesting that he never refers to the staggering cost of this magical elixir. Not even an innocuous statement that "it's expensive, but well worth it"... to soften the blow of sticker-shock. I also think it's odd that he undertook this exhaustive time consuming documented investigation without any financial sponsorship or support

But wait, if you order right now...

 

FWIW - The 1835cc in my '95 VS got whatever was on sale at Pep Boys ($4.50-$5.00/qt). Typically a GTX or Valvoline in 10-40wt. Changed oil every 5K miles.

 

Before some A-hole driver crashed my car, our VS 1835 logged just over 98,500 trouble free miles on this oil regimen!

 

…your mileage may vary... 

 

I still haven't met Jim, but from his posts here he seems like a reasonable, common sense sort of dude.

 

Could it be that has more to do with long engine life than anything else?

 

Keep your eye on the temp gauge, back off before it gets hot, and drive it like it's a VW and not a GT3?

 

Just a thought.

 

 

I agree with Carl---the thesis would be more believable if the miracle additive wasn't being touted.  Damned smart guy but maybe a smart marketeer too. 

 

I'm definitely from Missouri on this "analysis".

It did make me think maybe I should be using Valvoline VR1 instead of Brad Penn.