Is oil with zinc good for roller cams? I'm thinking about changing to Kendell 20-50 with zinc.

i run valvoline VR-1 racing oil

Craney,
Roller cams do not need the zinc in the oil like flat tappet cams do. I would stick with a good synthetic oil like Mobil 1 15w40 or similar dependiing on your engine build.

Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

A little extra zinc is never a bad thing, regardless of whether you need it or not. It is what gives the cushion for metal on metal contact.

Valvoline VV851 (that is the part number and name of the oil) It can be found at Napa and only comes in 20w-50 i believe. Very high zinc.

Or you could run Gibbs break in oil all the time, also high zinc.

Phil,

I dont think the Gibbs Break In oil is meant to be run for long periods of time. It is a pretty low viscosity.

Gibbs does have several "hot rod" oils that are high in zinc and are meant to be run long term.

Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

VV855 is the part number for Valvoline Racing 20W-50 full synthetic. Excellent product.

Gibbs BR (not BR30, which is straight 30W) is 15W-50. They do say to only run it for break in. What they don't tell you is that it is the exact same product as their XP4, which is their regular petroleum 15W-50. That's straight from their tech guys, it's all marketing. I sell alot of Gibbs oils, and have had many customers run the BR/XP4 for extended periods. It's the best choice for any flat tappet engine, as the levels of zinc and phosphorus are the highest of any oil that I'm aware of.

[QUOTE=cubicinches;3500983]Gibbs BR (not BR30, which is straight 30W) is 15W-50. They do say to only run it for break in. What they don't tell you is that it is the exact same product as their XP4, which is their regular petroleum 15W-50. That's straight from their tech guys, it's all marketing. I sell alot of Gibbs oils, and have had many customers run the BR/XP4 for extended periods. It's the best choice for any flat tappet engine, as the levels of zinc and phosphorus are the highest of any oil that I'm aware of.[/QU
What about Brad Penn

I think Brad Penn has some excellent products as well. Their products are typically lower cost than the Gibbs oils, and I do believe that their break in oil does have levels of zinc and phophorus close to, or equal that of the Gibbs BR. I believe their break in oil is available only in straight 30W, which I feel is fine for dyno work, but for actual break-in in the boat, I prefer a higher viscosity, such as the Gibbs BR, as oil temps will be higher.

Gibbs is also very specific about how they tailor their additive packages. The level of detergents in an oil is all important to it's performance and service life. This alone is the single biggest reason that diesel oils, such as Rotella T, are not as hot of a ticket as many people believe. Do they work? Yes. Are they the best product out there for flat tappet engines? Definitely not. Some excellent info on the subject here:
http://joegibbsdriven.com/trainingce...aboutzinc.html

Brad Penn also offers no synthetic motor oils... If you're running an engine with roller valvetrain, which sees sustained periods of operation at 240+ oil temp, you'd better be using synthetic oil...

This should be enough info to send this thread down the same road that all oil threads eventually go down...

Anyway, Gibbs and Brad Penn are both excellent products in my opinion.

What about Brad Penn