benjen

Why are you surprised with different answers? The oil choices that keep coming up are so close in their properties and what they do it was pretty much a fore gone conclusion. The shear resistance of the oil is way more important than if it's 10w, 15w or 20w at start up and 40 w or 50w when hot, just sayin'.

minxguy

Comp Cams.

Ken

benjen

Yes and no. 2 of the principals that own COMP are partners with Lake in Driven. Personally, not as COMP Cams. Fine line I know, but that is how they state the relationship.

Borgie

iTrader: (22)

Joe- Great information! My aim is to hopefully educate, and dispose of some old wives tales and as always, learn more along the way. My guess is Dave from RedLine will recommend 10w-40. Something valuable to note is remember that all of these oils do not share similar base oil formulation. Driven is a MPAO, REDLINE is a majority POE(polyol Ester) and Amsoil is a PAO and slight (rumored) addition of POE or similar Ester. With most high VE (viscosity index) synthetic oils, it is vital to remember that they can behave in a bearing for example, much differently than their conventional counterparts of the same grade.

benjen

Seems like we are getting a bit over the edge, MPAO, POE, similar Ester. Do most people on here know what you are talking about with those terms. Basically what I thought I knew about base oils is they are made from natural gas, and go through clean up process' that at their best level would be eatable and go down from there. I thought some of the "better" name brands were a step below eatable and many of the other "lesser" brands were a step below that. Whether or not that is MPAO,POE,etc. I certainly don't know.

pvan1

Been reading with interest the diverse info in this thread and think oil is alot like Vodka and women. Each of us have criteria that makes sense to us when we select Oil, Vodka, and Women.

In my neck of the woods a few guys with long racing credentials in circle boats and circle track cars that others pay attention to are using Schaeffer 20/50.

I use it mainly because these guys say the formulation features zinc and a propietary moly that they say sets Schaeffer apart from others. Are they right I really don't know... but I am paying $12 a quart and I sometimes pay $32 for a fifth of Chopen Vodka; plus I have bought a $100 round of shots for a table full of hot women that did not even say thank you. Point is change your oil often, drink the Vodka you like, and if making a fool of yourself by buying drinks for women that could care less about you works for you..have at it.

launchpad475

iTrader: (1)

<<Tell your BRO dallas I say hello! Next time you can address me by name. >>

not sure how I got dragged into this, I don't know 540Donzi from a can of paint. You either for that matter.

Have you ran that Improved-Racing T stat yet? Those are for cars (with air cooling, not water like a boat). I ran the 212 t stat all summer with average results, ALL T stats will bypass some oil and in my case I never see anything near 212 for that thing to operate correctly. The tech department sent me the new-updated one (the one in your pic) and I have had better results but certainly not getting to 212, EVER. I run a Mr Cool cooler. I'll see 180 ish on the gauge after flogging the bejesus out of it, and that temp is backed up more or less with a heat gun.

MILD THUNDER

iTrader: (3)

Makes sense. I noticed one of the things Driven was very excited about in one of their youtube videos, was the MPAO and how it can offer a viscosity of a 50 grade, but in a 40 grade. Just not sure why they suggested the 15w50 if that is the case. So far, they were the only one who asked what the bearing clearances were. Still no reply from Redline, Brad Penn, or Mobil yet.

It definitley appears that a modern quality synthetic 15w50, or 20w50, is a much better choice than a straight 50, if 50 grade is what one wants. Same for the 40, why run a straight 40, when you can run a 10w40, 15w40 quality synthetic. I can see where the guys who like straight weight oil like that their are no viscosity improvers to break down leaving them with a much lesser grade of oil after some time, but it appears that the oil makeups are great these days, and as long as its changed in a reasonable amount of time, it should not pose any problems. At least from the window Im looking thru at this point.

Borgie

iTrader: (22)

It's actually quite relevant to discuss base oils utilized, as they perform differently inside an engine viscosity wise. Esters are not "hydroprocessed" or derived in any way from a crude oil product. The oil types you have referenced above are GROUP III & III+ products. This is the reason for so much diversity in the recommendations Mild Thunder is getting back from tech. They consider all Performace aspects of their particular oil, not just one, for example winter viscosity rating. And it's worth noting that a synthetic winter rating of let's say 20, will always outperform a similar conventional/semi synthetic in cold starting cinditions.

Borgie

iTrader: (22)

Yes, straight weights do have that advantage, however if one were to spend a few more dollars on a stable multi viscosity synthetic, they would avoid the VII penalty and all those negative attributes, along with having an oil that flows really well in low to moderate ambient temperatures. The only way to do this with a straight weight is to warm the oil before starting the engine. They also don't contain detergents in the racing sraight weight viscosties, and friction modifiers, so frequent changes coupled with heating of the oil is mandatory.