Which motor oil are you using?

[Keithc8]

Hate to tell you but the Mobile is not near what it used to be. It has had to change to meet the requirements of the new cars as well. The heavier weight oils are a little better. You better not break in a flat tappet camshaft that has any spring pressure at all on this other stuff.
I am just telling people that there is a difference in the oil now and they have all changed in the last 10 years. All of the cup teams us to run the Mobile but when they changed it to meet the new requirements starting in about 2000 they all had to change due to new wear problems.
I am just telling you the best oil that you can run in your engine. It is the same old story, I have used such and such for 25 years and it is the best there is. Well these are different times and most all of the oils of the shelf are junk for your high end engine. These are just facts that I am passing along.

Good luck, Keith

[zrayr]

Originally Posted by Keithc8

".......... These are just facts that I am passing along.

Good luck, Keith

with all due respect Keith, they are not facts, just merely your subjective opinion based on your experiences.

My subjective opinion, based on my experiences, is different than yours. I've not had wear issues with Mobil 1 15-50. Thousands of miles trouble free, most of it since 2005 with the "new" formulation of Mobil 1.

would be a boring world if we agreed on everything...

Z.

[CobraEd]

Originally Posted by zrayr

with all due respect Keith, they are not facts, just merely your subjective opinion based on your experiences.

My subjective opinion, based on my experiences, is different than yours. I've not had wear issues with Mobil 1 15-50. Thousands of miles trouble free, most of it since 2005 with the "new" formulation of Mobil 1.

would be a boring world if we agreed on everything...

Z.

Just because an engine has not worn out does not mean that the Mobil 1 in question had the same amount of ZDDP as it did earlier. Keith is correct, Mobil 1 15 - 50 DOES NOT have as much ZDDP as it once did. That is not anyones opinion, that is a fact that Mobil 1 has stated many times.

Most engines can still run fine with it though for hundreds of thousands of miles. That point does not speak to the levels of ZDDP for the average engine.


.

[zrayr]

Originally Posted by CobraEd

Just because an engine has not worn out does not mean that the Mobil 1 in question had the same amount of ZDDP as it did earlier. Keith is correct, Mobil 1 15 - 50 DOES NOT have as much ZDDP as it once did. That is not anyones opinion, that is a fact that Mobil 1 has stated many times............"
.

I am not disputing that. I do dispute that their newer formulation has less than than enough zddp to become a hazard to older engines. It currently has 1300ppm zinc and 1300 ppm phosphorus. Still plenty to be protective to flat tappet cam & lifters. I do add Cam Shield when using Mobil 1 0w-40 in the winter.

btw, me having a difference of opinion with Keith does not mean I wouldn't want him to build an engine for me someday. Still dreaming of a Cobra down the line.

Z.

[Ant]

Originally Posted by zrayr

with all due respect Keith, they are not facts, just merely your subjective opinion based on your experiences.

My subjective opinion, based on my experiences, is different than yours. I've not had wear issues with Mobil 1 15-50. Thousands of miles trouble free, most of it since 2005 with the "new" formulation of Mobil 1.

would be a boring world if we agreed on everything...

Z.

Experience counts but it all depends on your application road engine or road race engine, I think most of us realise that modern motor oils are lower on Zinc, and oil companies have listened to the performance car sector and the camshaft break in and wear problems and have designed oils to suit.

There seems to be a great emphasis on lighter weight oils rather than what the oil package is, why would you use a modern catalytic compliant oil, which is lower in zinc when you can buy a number of oils recommended for flat tappet old style performance engines from oil companies.

Just for interest I read through the GM LS7 Crate engine start up instructions on the net, and they dont recommend synthetic oils like Mobil 1 until you have done some break in work and after one preferrably two oil changes on mineral oil.

[Quik289]

Originally Posted by Keithc8

Hate to tell you but the Mobile is not near what it used to be. It has had to change to meet the requirements of the new cars as well. The heavier weight oils are a little better. You better not break in a flat tappet camshaft that has any spring pressure at all on this other stuff.
I am just telling people that there is a difference in the oil now and they have all changed in the last 10 years. All of the cup teams us to run the Mobile but when they changed it to meet the new requirements starting in about 2000 they all had to change due to new wear problems.
I am just telling you the best oil that you can run in your engine. It is the same old story, I have used such and such for 25 years and it is the best there is. Well these are different times and most all of the oils of the shelf are junk for your high end engine. These are just facts that I am passing along.

Good luck, Keith

Keith, Thanks for taking the time to tell us about real world experience and results with the new oil formulations which are light on ZDDP. Your advice is well taken (and wear observations interesting). Please don't forget to update the information in the excellent "Pedigree Packet" that comes with each of your engines. I recently took delivery of a SBF from you for my Cobra, and I believe the information you provided basically says to break it in on 10W-30 or 10W-40 mineral before considering a switch to synthetic, and nothing more. It makes me a little nervous to think that following that advice might not cover me as the oil I used was not Joe Gibbs (I used Rotella mineral spec'd for diesels to have enough break in additives). Admittedly the engine I bought will not see much, if any, track time, but I'm looking forward to checking those HP and torque curves that you provided with some real world driving once the weather clears.

Enjoyed the tour of your facility. Lots of interesting work going on there.