I am a member of BITOG (bob is the oil guy) and am curious which brand oil and weight the majority of you LT-1 guys are running. Thanks

 

Syntec or Mobil 1 - 10w30

 

German Castrol (Syntec) 0W-30

 

Mobil 1 15w50 for years.

 

great guys, keep em comin!

 

AMSOIL 25w50

 

If the engine is stock (internal), use any 30 weight oil: i.e 0, 5, or 10w- 30.

If you live in warm climates, use 10w- 30. However, if you live in the North, 0w or 5w is best. I would not use 40 or higher weight oil in a stock engine. If the engine was not built with this weight in mind, you will score the bearings and cause premature engine wear in a short amount of time.

I've used 0w or 5w in the winter, and 10w - 30 in the summer (Mobil 1) for 15 years. The internals of my engine appeared brand new upon disassembly last year. My mechanic was shocked to see how pristine the inside of the engine looked.

 

any proof of scoring the bearings/premature engine wear?

 

Valvoline 5w30 Conventional. Ive used synthetics alot in previous cars but it just seems like a waste of money for something i use on the street that doesnt get run hard. I change it every 2000 miles since i can get a 5qt container at Walmart for $12.

 

Proof? If you mean...did I see it on my engine? No. I know better...

But using the wrong weight oil (too high or too low) is common knowledge to be a great way to damage a motor. Ask any engine builder. Use what the engine builder designed the engine to use (clearances). Why would you not?

Funny story...ran into a kid years back in a Pep Boys buying 20w - 50 oil. So I asked what he was going to use it for, a race engine? No he said...his Honda Civic. I tried to explain to him that that was ludicrous, but he insisted "more is better". I even explained to him that the oil will be like honey in the winter, and by the time it flows to the top of the engine during start-up, he's probably taken years off his engine.

Needless to say...he ignored me. The mechanics and I had a good laugh...

 

Same with me

 

[QUOTE=Al 96 Ram Air T/A;12714989]If the engine is stock (internal), use any 30 weight oil: i.e 0, 5, or 10w- 30.

If you live in warm climates, use 10w- 30. However, if you live in the North, 0w or 5w is best. I would not use 40 or higher weight oil in a stock engine. If the engine was not built with this weight in mind, you will score the bearings and cause premature engine wear in a short amount of time.

I've used 0w or 5w in the winter, and 10w - 30 in the summer (Mobil 1) for 15 years. The internals of my engine appeared brand new upon disassembly last year. My mechanic was shocked to see how pristine the inside of the engine looked.[/QUOTE

I am fully aware of this as I have studied lubricants in depth for many years.

 

No slight intended dude...there are a lot of kids on these sites. Without knowing who the OP is, I assume nothing.

 

I am fully aware of which weights to use as I have studied oil for years. FWIW and with all due respect your statement about using 40wt in a stock motor is completely incorrect and anecdotal at best. This has never been proven!The differences between a 30 and 40wt are not huge in most cases, especailly considering shear. Efficiency will be affected in a small way, but premature wear does not go up as you have described in such a short time. And engine builders are not the best sources of lubrication knowledge due to agendas and old school mentalities. They are not tribologists, not even close. Please list facts as this has never been proven in testing. So many variables when looking into lubrication. The largest arguement is can the same rate of wear be had using a 0w-20 as opposed to a 5w-30. Some find it can be done but there is not enough concrete evidence and it only relates to certain applications.And many times the heavier oil wins out. Also consider there are differences between like weight oils one 5w-30 will have a certain HTHS(high temp high shear rating)while the other brand will have a different one. HTHS plays a huge role in wear as you will find if you do your research. There are as you are seeing many variables when looking at oil. This is without looking at varying chemisty used in different motor oils (moly,zddp etc......) We havent even delved into the different oil groups offered and the fact that some synthetics actually satisfy a more broad range of requirments viscosity wise. You have to look at the spec sheet for any given oil and consider if it has the tendency to shear in said engine.....I could go on forever really. I am not trying to be condicending and am not a kid.ha. So dont take it the wrong way. There were many things I believed prior to digging into lubes years ago that I learned were merely old wives tales/urban legend. Now considering the winter or cold number, yes some very very small(usually undetectable) amounts of wear MIGHT be generated with a higher weight rating, but you will not ever see this in your ownership. Many LT-1 guys on BITOG run 10w/15w-40 diesel oil (HDEO) like rotella and get better results than when using a 5w-30. The differences we are discussing can usually be picked up in UOA (used oil analysis) but this is not as realiable as tear down which many like myself have done.

I am merely looking to see what you guys use. I am not looking for a recommendation but understand I may have not been clear with my intentions. Some of the obove info may or may not be review. But I can say without a doubt that running a 40wt in your LT-1 or any motor for the most part will not lead to scoring of the bearings and increased wear in a short amount of time. I actually ran Redline 10w-40 in my LT-1 (stock short block) for near 30k with a blower and it looked great upon tear down, as it should. I am not the end all know all of lubrication.I just want to set the record straight.

 

how do you feel about Amsoil? ill be using 25w50 in my forged 383 (HV pump with billet oil pump drive)

 

Assuming I ever actually drive my car again, I'll be running German Castrol.

 

Amsoil is a good group IV synthetic which performs well. Remember one of the biggest gains from a synthetic is extended drain intervals and resists heat very well, (volatility) but this depends upon the type of synthetic(Group). Here amsoil in this grade excels. Amsoil sometimes gets a bad rap and is compared to Amway because of their sales structure, but they have very high quality lubricants if you can look past that.

Out of curiousity why are you using a 25w-50? That is a very viscous oil. Is this a track only car? I have used a 10w-40 (redline) for years in a high output LT-1 for years with great results. The pumpability when cold (25) is gonna be very poor. And anything beyond 40wt when warm in our motors with near stock clearances is not going to provide any added insurance. Take a look at the HTHS of this oil on amsoils site. It should be above 3.5 for your application atleast. Even then the viscosity is WAY overkill. Compare some of their oils and look into your intended use. Let me know if this helps.

 

in my lsx stroker truck i use 20w50 vr1 racing oil for the break in dayz and then 5-30 mobil 1 synthetic and valvoline

for the LTx camaro i stricktly use valvoline racing oil 20w50

 

i run mobile 1 high millage..it has more zinc in it the the normal oils..the zinc is what you want for the bearings..yrs ago the oil people cut down on how much zinc they put in there oils...i know people who make 1200-1700 rwhp that use the mobile 1 and after 100 runs there bearing still look new... 5-30w is what i run

 

Yes but it isnt the zinc that protects the bearings. It goes deeper than that as far as the chemical reaction that takes place on the metals surface. You are correct oil companies went away from ZDDP due to mostly concerns over it poisoning catalytic converters. And some of the top race team do indeed use mobil 1. Their 0w-40 is very popular. Some smaller teams use the 5w-30. Most all of the upper level teams use Mobils race oils. Cant go to good old wally world and find a Mobil oil product used in KART,INDY,F1,NASCAR lol as I am sure you are aware. Some people believe what they see on the side of a race car.