Zinc in the motor oil

[CompSyn]

Valvoline also has a racing conventional oil along with the racing oil. :nachos:

Yep, three different verities:

- VR1 Conventional Racing Oil
- VR1 Synthetic Racing Oil
- Valvoline "Not Street Legal" Synthetic Racing Oil

 

[george68hemirr]

Valvoline also has a racing conventional oil along with the racing oil. :nachos:

Yep, three different verities:

- VR1 Conventional Racing Oil
- VR1 Synthetic Racing Oil
- Valvoline "Not Street Legal" Synthetic Racing Oil

:yeathat:

 

[69hemibeep]

Here is an interesting read that is supposed to be a counter to an earlier article about oil http://www.nonlintec.com/sprite/oils_and_zddp.pdf Personally I will continue to add zddp do to the rise in horror stories due to the oil or outsourcing or both, they took place at about the same time

 

[zupanj]

Bob,

That's a good article and a good find. I love articles like that. I am a scientist and usually skeptical of everything but I must admit I bought into the low ZDDP idea. This was especially true when my engine's cam shot craps right after startup. I did not see who put it together or how the cam was lubed when installed since I didn't own it at that time. I have been using Valvoline ZR1 in both of my cars for years and now I'm wondering if I should use just regular oil.

 

[CompSyn]

Here is an interesting read that is supposed to be a counter to an earlier article about oil http://www.nonlintec.com/sprite/oils_and_zddp.pdf Personally I will continue to add zddp do to the rise in horror stories due to the oil or outsourcing or both, they took place at about the same time

That's a good article. I agree with much of what he says. I would further zero in with regard to what he says on page three:

"For ordinary use, oils simply do not need additional additives. Even the most ordinary motor oils have large amounts of additives as delivered, in concentrations chosen after considerable, sophisticated testing and research. In fact, additional additives can be detrimental; there are lots of horror stories of additives damaging engines, and the FTC has occasionally come down hard on oil-additive marketers.

My personal finding to this is properly formulating a balanced engine oil should be left in the hands of a formulator you trust. In fact one formulator told me that no finished motor oil product is perfect and that every formulation is a compromise. Making the compressive additive package work together as well as possible is a balancing act. This is why I select an oil with ZDDP levels I'm comfortable with from a formulator I trust and leave as is, no need to additise further.

The oils I've got in mind maintain the phos levels under 1400ppm and zinc between 1200 to 1600ppm. So the safe levels most agree on and feel comfortable with.

A regular passenger car motor oil might do the job after proper engine break-in, but I'm not prepared to take the gamble on that one. Plus if you consider investing in a more robust motor oil that can probably last during a year of driving in these expensive play toys that generally don't see a lot of miles per year anyway, then why not pay a little extra per quart and get what you want. That's just my take on it.

Also here's another article not mentioned that I found interesting:http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/oil/index.html

 

[CompSyn]

Was the comparison with Valvoline Race Oil or everyday 10W30?

Okay, got the e-mail back today. The Valvoline product used in the comparison is VR1 Synthetic.