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Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:34 pm
by lizard
As a follow on from another thread I'm coming out of the closet and admit I use 100% synthetic 0W 30 oil in all my late model cars and they love the stuff :lol: After using 0W 30 in the SE I was convinced to give it a go in all the others and to me they all feel like they run smother this could be a placebo but Im very happy and will live with it .

Any others in the closet :lol:

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:46 pm
by hks_kansei
I use 10w40 in all my cars, no idea if it's synthetic at all.
Brand is usually a matter of what is there at the shop.

it gets changed every 10,000km give or take a few thousand.

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:37 pm
by sailaholic
I now run 0w50 full syn. I does sometimes sound a bit HLA ticky when it get run hard for a while then Sits at idle.


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Re: Coming out of the closet

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:13 am
by Magpie
HKS 10/55 from memory. It has a max temp of 150 deg c.

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 3:43 pm
by MattR
Depends on the car:

The MX, Penrite HPR30 20-60W as it is suited to the older high milage engine and has plenty of zinc,
The Chugger being an old 60's design and 70's built motor a near straight 50 weight oil with a llot of zinc or again the HPR 30 if nothing else is suitably affordable.
The race car, whatever the engine buider tells me, most likely a Joe Gibbs oil, and
The work ute, whatever the dealer puts in it at service time.

It is worth actually finding out what oil is best suited to your motor. Older designed motors really need a lot of zinc which the normal brands for most cars don't have, especially oils like castrol edge and mobil one. They may have some zinc but usually no where near what an older motor requires, especially if it has a few miles under it's belt.

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 3:52 pm
by Aussie Stig
ZINC? :o

i thought that zinc was only for men who had trouble, er, performing

Surely you mean lead.

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:01 pm
by MattR
Aussie Stig wrote:ZINC? :o

i thought that zinc was only for men who had trouble, er, performing

Surely you mean lead.


Nope, zinc. Zinc is needed as an additive in oil for the older motors and lead was used in petrol as a lubricant for the valve seats, hence when you rebuild an old motor for unleaded, usually new valve seat inserts are fitted.

Basically zinc helps older engines at start up, but destroys catalytic converters over time so the modern oild have been modified to have a lot less zinc, and of course metalurgy and engine design has come a long way in the past 30-40 years.

When anyone mentions zinc, they are actually referring to zinc dialkyldithiophosphate, a compound invented by Castrol for use in mineral-based oils or zinc di-thiophosphate (ZDTP), which is normally used in synthetic oils. Both have been used as an anti-wear ingredient in engine oil for many years. The zinc and phosphorus ingredients appear to be most effective when they are used together. ZDDP/ZDTP is one of many additives that are put into conventional motor oil to improve its lubrication qualities. Other ingredients such as boron and molybdenum are also added as lubricant enhancers.

What was discovered through oil testing by several engine component manufacturers is that many older engines experience a short period of time during engine start-up where critical lubrication is insufficient between metal-to-metal lubrication points when using modern oils with reduced amounts of ZDDP/ZDTP. These same enhancers unfortunately have their downside: The phosphorus in this compound creates carbon buildup in engine bores and valvetrains, and both compounds can also lead to the early demise of catalytic converters. For this reason, the industry has been phasing out zinc and phosphorus levels since 1994, when the American Petroleum Institute’s SH designation became the industry standard, and levels have been further reduced in each subsequent API rating for engine oils. Manufacturers have tried adding more boron to offset the effects of the reduced zinc and phosphorus levels; however, the dry start protection does not measure up to those using more ZDDP/ZDTP. This has opened up a whole new market for zinc/phosphorus additives for oil and many camshaft and engine manufacturers now recommend that an additive be used in initial break-in and for regular use.

- See more at: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012 ... WV6qh.dpuf


from here...http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/10/18/tech-101-zinc-in-oil-and-its-effects-on-older-engines/

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:13 pm
by hks_kansei
I always thought it was the Tetraethyl lead that protected the valve seats and the Zinc content in the oils was more to do with crank bearings etc.
But there's probably some overlap (ie: valves helped by lead and zinc)


Are there any oils available still that are mineral based and have a decent zinc content?
There's a Holden 6 in the garage that's about to be assembled, and will need to be run in.

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:43 pm
by sailaholic
Penrite stuff generally has high zinc. The zinc levels of each grade are available on their website. Not sure about reduction of zinc Penrite synthetic meets the latest api levels and still has high zinc.

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Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:02 pm
by Nevyn72
Got 5W40 Valvoline Synpower put in mine when they did the 100K service.
Why Valvoline? Because that's what the mechanic used for their preferred brand and could supply.....

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:43 pm
by Gladiator
I use Penrite 10 or 15W-40 Fully synthetic in mine, 'cause the dude at Supercheap said it was good. :lol:

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:47 pm
by sailaholic
Penrite have an app you can download or a website which will give you their standard recommendation.

Like most oil companies ( I believe) you can also call or email them directly and ask.


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Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:26 pm
by Locutus
MattR wrote:It is worth actually finding out what oil is best suited to your motor. Older designed motors really need a lot of zinc which the normal brands for most cars don't have, especially oils like castrol edge and mobil one. They may have some zinc but usually no where near what an older motor requires, especially if it has a few miles under it's belt.


HPR30 has 1110 PPM of zinc
http://www.penriteoil.com.au/tech_pdfs/ ... LEVELS.pdf

The closest grade of Mobil 1, 15w50, has 1300 PPM of zinc
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/Mot ... _Guide.pdf

Edge 10w60 apparently has 1050 PPM of zinc but I can't find an official data sheet

fwiw, I use Mobil 1 0w40 but only because it's a cheap full synthetic group iv/v base oil (which happens to have 1100 PPM zinc)

Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:20 pm
by sailaholic
I went the Penrite because it was cheaper (on the day) then the rest of the Sn grade oils plus I like Australian made.

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Re: Coming out of the closet,

Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:22 pm
by project.r.racing
I use Penrite HPR5 5W40 in all the engines in my garage. BP-ZE, LF-VE and L3-VE.