When i bought the car back in the day i switched it straight to mobil 1 5w-30. When i hit 80K miles i switched to royal purple 10w-30. I have been please with the royal purple, but the engine just doesn't seem the same with it. Seems like the royal purple doesn't "seal" as well as the mobil 1 5w-30.

I have been looking into the motul products for the last couple days and have been very pleased with the reviews i have read and that they are pretty big in the racing scene.

So here is my question: Since i have a little over 100K miles on the car (101,xxx) would it be ok to go back to 5w-30 or should i stick with 10w-30?

Also, what is going to be the difference between a "racing oil"

http://www.motorspotstore.com/300vpower5w30.html

and a regular 5w-30 synthetic oil?

http://www.motorspotstore.com/815wec10sy.html

Also, if you have read this far...maybe you can help me out. I know the 5w or 10w is the thickness of the oil (i think) what is the other number? 5w-30, 10w-40 and what would happen if i put 10w-40 in the engine?

-Sean

 

nOObie!
What's written on your oil bottle and what does it mean.

This post may seem like going back to basics but I am constantly surprised by the amount of people who do not know or understand what is written on a
bottle of oil and therefore no idea of what they are buying/using.

To be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it look for something that does!

1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. Motor oil, Gear oil etc)

2) The viscosity (i.e. 10w-40, 5w-30 etc for Motor oils and 80w-90, 75w-90, etc for Gear oils)

3) The specifications that it meets (should contain both API and ACEA ratings)

4) The OEM Approvals that it carries and the codes (i.e. MB229.3, VW503.00, BMW LL01 etc)

Ignore the marketing blurb on the label it is in many cases meaningless and I will explain later what statements you should treat this with some scepticism

So, what does the above information mean and why is it important?

THE BASICS

All oils are intended for an application and in general are not interchangeable. You would not for example put an Automatic Transmission Oil or a Gear Oil in your engine! It is important to know what the oils intended purpose is.

VISCOSITY

Most oils on the shelves today are "Multigrades", which simply means that the oil falls into 2 viscosity grades (i.e. 10w-40 etc)

Multigrades were first developed some 50 years ago to avoid the old routine of using a thinner oil in winter and a thicker oil in summer.

In a 10w-40 for example the 10w bit (W = winter, not weight or watt or anything else for that matter) simply means that the oil must have a certain maximum viscosity/flow at low temperature. The lower the "W" number the better the oils cold temperature/cold start performance.

The 40 in a 10w-40 simply means that the oil must fall within certain viscosity limits at 100 degC. This is a fixed limit and all oils that end in 40 must achieve these limits. Once again the lower the number the thinner the oil, a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil at 100 degC etc. Your handbook will specify whether a 30, 40 or 50 etc is required.

SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications are important as these indicate the performance of the oil and whether they have met or passed the latest tests or whether the formulation is effectively obsolete or out of date. There are two specifications that you should look for on any oil bottle and these are API (American Petroleum Institute) and ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles) all good oils should contain both of these and an understanding of what they mean is important.

API

This is the more basic as it is split (for passenger cars) into two catagories. S = Petrol and C = Diesel, most oils carry both petrol (S) and diesel (C) specifications.

The following table shows how up to date the specifications the oil are:

PETROL

SG - Introduced 1989 has much more active dispersant to combat black sludge.

SH - Introduced 1993 has same engine tests as SG, but includes phosphorus limit 0.12%, together with control of foam, volatility and shear stability.

SJ - Introduced 1996 has the same engine tests as SG/SH, but phosphorus limit 0.10% together with variation on volatility limits

SL - Introduced 2001, all new engine tests reflective of modern engine designs meeting current emissions standards

SM - Introduced November 2004, improved oxidation resistance, deposit protection and wear protection, also better low temperature performance over
the life of the oil compared to previous categories.

Note:

All specifications prior to SL are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same level of performance or protection as the more up to date SL and SM specifications.

DIESEL

CD - Introduced 1955, international standard for turbo diesel engine oils for many years, uses single cylinder test engine only

CE - Introduced 1984, improved control of oil consumption, oil thickening, piston deposits and wear, uses additional multi cylinder test engines

CF4 - Introduced 1990, further improvements in control of oil consumption and piston deposits, uses low emission test engine

CF - Introduced 1994, modernised version of CD, reverts to single cylinder low emission test engine. Intended for certain indirect injection engines

CF2 - Introduced 1994, defines effective control of cylinder deposits and ring face scuffing, intended for 2 stroke diesel engines

CG4 - Introduced 1994, development of CF4 giving improved control of piston deposits, wear, oxidation stability and soot entrainment. Uses low sulphur
diesel fuel in engine tests

CH4 - Introduced 1998, development of CG4, giving further improvements in control of soot related wear and piston deposits, uses more comprehensive
engine test program to include low and high sulphur fuels

CI4 Introduced 2002, developed to meet 2004 emission standards, may be used where EGR ( exhaust gas recirculation ) systems are fitted and with fuel
containing up to 0.5 % sulphur. May be used where API CD, CE, CF4, CG4 and CH4 oils are specified.

Note:

All specifications prior to CH4 are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same
level of performance or protection as the more up to date CH4 & CI4 specifications.

If you want a better more up to date oil specification then look for SL, SM, CH4, CI4

ACEA

This is the European equivalent of API (US) and is more specific in what the performance of the oil actually is. A = Petrol, B = Diesel and C = Catalyst
compatible or low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur).

Unlike API the ACEA specs are split into performance/application catagories as follows:

A1 Fuel economy petrol
A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
A3 High performance and/or extended drain
A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines
A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance

B1 Fuel economy diesel
B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
B3 High performance and/or extended drain
B4 For direct injection car diesel engines
B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance

C1-04 Petrol and Light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 low SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C2-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C3-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible, Higher performance levels due to higher HTHS.

Note: SAPS = Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous and Sulphur.

Put simply, A3/B3, A5/B5 and C3 oils are the better quality, stay in grade performance oils.

APPROVALS

Many oils mention various OEM's on the bottle, the most common in the UK being VW, MB or BMW but do not be misled into thinking that you are buying a
top oil because of this.

Oil Companies send their oils to OEM's for approval however some older specs are easily achieved and can be done so with the cheapest of mineral oils.
Newer specifications are always more up to date and better quality/performance than the older ones.

Some of the older OEM specifications are listed here and depending on the performance level of your car are best ignored if you are looking for a
quality high performance oil:

VW - 500.00, 501.00 and 505.00

Later specs like 503, 504, 506 and 507 are better performing more up to date
oils

MB - 229.1

Later specs like 229.3 and 229.5 are better performing more up to date oils.

BMW - LL98

Later specs like LL01 and LL04 are better performing more up to date oils.

 

Good recap Jeff.

Bottom line Nismo, go ahead and change brands and weights. You should be running a 5W30 and not a 10W30 anyhow unless you are FI.

 

The W rating is only for when the oil is cold.

 

haha where di you copy and paste that from jeff? Geez make my question seem a lot more stupid than what it really is I know you don't put transmission oil in the engine

Anyways, i always thought FI applications were running like 10w-40 or 15w-50 - for whatever reason i dont know.

http://www.motorspotstore.com/moraoi.html

When you click on any of those racing oils it will tell you what it should be used for "endurance races" "hill climbing" "drag racing" and so forth.

http://www.racinglab.com/grenoi.html

When you go there it says (greddy engine oils)
10W60 (Big Turbo & High Horsepower, Engine: 2.0L & Larger)
5W40 (VTEC and High Revving Engines, Engine: 1.6L to 3.0L)
5W30 (Turbocharged and Euro , Engine: 1.6L to 3.0L) )

So all in all what would happen if i put lets say 15w-50 in my car instead of 5w-30?

-Sean

 

What makes you think you need to use these racing oils? And what makes you think these oils will help you in your street applications? you planning on changing that Motul oil every few thousand at $12.xx a quart? You think that stuff will benefit you in any significant amount over something like Mobil 1 or Penzoil Platnium at $5 a quart?

 

Jeff, im not "thinking" that it is going to improve anything or that is is going to make my "streetable" application any better. I am simply asking what the differences are between them and what would happen if i were to run 15-50 vs 5w-30? I don't want this to turn into your usual pissing contest. If you want to sit there and try to bash a simple question im asking then just don't respond.

-Sean

 

There's not really enough information from the info you posted to really answer your question other than me trying to understand your basis of your choices. If you do not want to search for the information available, then I guess you are subject to answer the questions be posted to you.

If your intention is not to make your streetable application any better, then why pay $28.xx for 2 quarts of oil designed for racing in your street car?

 

I really don't know what other kind of information you could be looking for? Yes i would like my engine to run better, but that shouldn't have to be stated on a car forum. My car is used on the track every week just about and is driven hard from time to time. It is also a daily driver.

Here is the correct link - the other one was the homepage that i kept getting.

http://www.motorspotstore.com/moenoigaandd.html

So simply stating what is going to be the difference between running a 5w-30 and a 15w-50. Would it hurt the engine? Is it going to run better? I don't know...that is why i am asking questions.

So stop trying to break this thread down and stop trying to turn it back on the fact that "its my fault" "the reason i asked this is the reason you are getting this". If you want to sit here and try to act like i am asking for your arrogant responces then just go somewhere else

-Sean

 

What is your specific definition of "better"??? Hurt the engine? Well that depends on if these oils have the additive package to allow you to run the change interval you intend.

Look man, I'm not trying to "break you down". I could have done that in 1 sentence.

If you want to run some oddball viscosity and pay 3-4 times more for an oil that won't benefit you in any meaningful way, go ahead.

My questions are an attempt to see how well you have thought about your choices. Clearly you haven't thought past what you really need and what you see others using. You want the best of the best of the best oil designed for a very narrow operating parameter. Why? I don't know. I don't think you know either. I'm just sayin'.

 

As for power loss, could just be cylinder wall wear. When the wife's car went over 60K miles, I dumped a can of Restore in it. It was her car, just to see if this helped, it did. It evened out the compression and restored power, weird stuff. I would not use it in the G, but with that many miles it might help.....

 

Dude Restore is some nasty stuff.

 

Lesbo I mean Nismo

I even bumped an oil thread that probaby contains much better choices for oil just for you.

 

Yeah, it will mess up the internals, but it does work, at least temporarily.

 

Id prefer to have the best of the best rather than the "**** of the ****" if you will. My car is driven about 3000 miles every 3 weeks. in those 3 weeks the car is tracked 3 times and driven pretty hard in the mean time. Lots of highway miles and long distance runs (2 1/2 hours at a time about 6 times a week). I am just looking to switch oils because i feel that the royal purple is really not doing its job. I have used mobil 1, but from what i have read about them in the past couple months it is driving me in the wrong dirrection. I have heard great things about the motul racing and i know the autobacs super GT series use it as a sponsor oil, so it must be good oil.

I just want to know what would happen if i were to run 15w-50 vs 5w30 in my kind of driving conditions.

-Sean