Oil selection (10/2009)

[StreetSnake]

First off, I'm in ohio. I used to run Joe Gibbs XP4 (15-50) but the shop who put on my oil thermostat talked me into royal purple, I think 5-15. I was concerned about how thick (maple syrup) with cold start up, etc. But the "sticking" qualities have got me thinking again. I wish we all could come to a consensus. What do you all think. 427 windsor, 550HP/550TQ.

Accusump: I have been thinking about installing one of these systems on my car as well. How many different components need to be ordered? I notice they don't have a kit. I'd like to get it put on over the winter.

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Gunner

Working under cars is one of my special horrors - .

Then you need one of these.

Originally Posted by Gunner

Rod, I settled on plain old Castrol 5W-30 for this change,

In the end, a mild hydraulic engine that won't see anything but mild track time (if that), the cooler and thermostat taking care of temps, and a plan for fairly frequent changes let me go with a fairly ordinary good quality dino oil instead of anything more exotic..

I think you're absolutly right. All the ASE oils are good, and all have their perks and drawbacks. For the vast majority of cars, a good dino oil changed regularly is all they need. Spending more doesn't get you more; there's no "value added".

Originally Posted by Gunner

Anyone have preferences for a filter? I was going to replace the Fram with the same thing; I've had good luck with Fram products.

Fram is probably the worst one on the market. I use a Purolater Pro-1 or Motorcraft. Both are easy to come by, and relativly inexpensive.

Originally Posted by StreetSnake

I wish we all could come to a consensus. What do you all think. 427 windsor, 550HP/550TQ. .

You won't really find a consensus. Mostly because each car has some differant uses. I use only RP; but I put in a lot of track miles. My street cars get a synthetic blend for the longer drain intervals.

Originally Posted by Gunner

Accusump: I have been thinking about installing one of these systems on my car as well. How many different components need to be ordered? I notice they don't have a kit. I'd like to get it put on over the winter.

They do have installation kits. But, unless you're tracking the car, the Accusump is not necessary. It adds weight, complexity, expense, and leak points that you really don't need. Looks cool, though.

But, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[Gunner]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

But, unless you're tracking the car, the Accusump is not necessary. It adds weight, complexity, expense, and leak points that you really don't need.

Just a correction, I wasn't the one who posted about the Accusump.

Anyone use/used oil heaters as a reasonable option for reduction in wear? Most seem to need to be mounted to the bottom of the pan, a chancy location in these ground-scrapers. It does seem like 100W or so of heat applied for an hour before starting would help in many ways.

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Gunner

Just a correction, I wasn't the one who posted about the Accusump.

Anyone use/used oil heaters as a reasonable option for reduction in wear? Most seem to need to be mounted to the bottom of the pan, a chancy location in these ground-scrapers. It does seem like 100W or so of heat applied for an hour before starting would help in many ways.

A friend of mine did that. But only because he wanted to use a straight 50 racing oil. Oil that thick needs help on a cold morning. I use a 10W-40, so morning starts are not a problem.

There's no evidence that oil pan heaters will significantly decrease engine wear for most cars.

I don't think start up engine wear is that big of a deal. No DD has anything like that, and they easily last 100K miles. It's pretty rare for a CObra to see that many miles. Just drive it and don't worry about it.

[RodKnock]

Well, I ordered the Joe Gibbs Hot Rod Racing 15W-50 conventional racing oil.

$8/quart It better be good.

Maybe I should have picked up a hot dog and some engine oil from 7/11.

[cobred]

Curious, this thread came up just after I read an article in this months Muscle car review magazine. I thought the zinc was only important to break in a solid cam but they said you can round a lobe at any time. My engine has 5000 miles on it now but I am looking into something for next oil change, not sure what yet but this thread is very informative.
Has anyone looked into or used Slick 50, do they still sell it? Years ago my boss had a mild 428 in his truck, we rebuilt the engine and after the propper break in he used the slick 50. after very few miles he had to lower his idle about 100 rpms, I guess from less fricton. Any thoughts?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by cobred

Years ago my boss had a mild 428 in his truck, we rebuilt the engine and after the propper break in he used the slick 50. after very few miles he had to lower his idle about 100 rpms, I guess from less fricton. Any thoughts?

A new engine will normally do that as it breaks in over the first couple thousand miles -- I doubt Slick50 had anything to do with it. There are a lot of "snake oil" additives on the market. Your best bet is to use a quality oil from the get-go. Solid flat tappets need more zinc/phos. than a hydraulic, but there is no downside to having a high zinc/phos. content with your hydraulic cam unless you have a catalytic converter (which 99% of Cobras don't).