Which Oil ? Advice Please !
Discussion
I have a std 98 chim 4.0 28k miles (recently purchased), which requires a yearly 6k service, its a weekend car only so no daily driving, i have booked it in to a reputable indie who has a number of oil options. Which Oil should i use ? some threads say mobil 1 0w 40 is sometimes too thin for cars not used daily, some say use the thicker mobil 1 motorsport 10w/40 - what about shell helix semi synthetic 15w/40 ???. With the car being stood during the week, will thinner oils leave the top end abit dry on start up ??
Rawstrona - everyone has their own opinions and favourite oils.
I use Castrol Magantec GTX 15w-40, which, IIRC, is recommended by Dave Batty and Austec (AFAIK, Austec actually use the equivalent Valvoline semi-synth but as this can be difficult to get hold of, recommend Magnatec as an alternative).
I use Castrol Magantec GTX 15w-40, which, IIRC, is recommended by Dave Batty and Austec (AFAIK, Austec actually use the equivalent Valvoline semi-synth but as this can be difficult to get hold of, recommend Magnatec as an alternative).
I had a major service done at a main dealer last December and they put Mobil 1 0w/40 in.
I'm a complete mechanical numptie, but I heard somewhere that 0w/40 is used for winter and 15w/50 for summer??? Was always 'told' to use Mobil 1 though...
(In case it matters, mine's a 4.0 Chim with ~43k miles.)
I'm a complete mechanical numptie, but I heard somewhere that 0w/40 is used for winter and 15w/50 for summer??? Was always 'told' to use Mobil 1 though...
(In case it matters, mine's a 4.0 Chim with ~43k miles.)
Consensus is that 0W40 is too thin. A thicker synthetic or semi-synthetic is the general recommendation. I've run mine on a semi-synth (generally Magnatec) for ~40k miles and so far so good - car on 62k now. I have the oil changed every 3k. It may be overkill, but it seems to have stood me in good stead.
Steve.
Steve.
Because the TVR is not an exact science they all vary, one will be happy on 0w-40, others will leak like a sieve with that viscosity.
I personally recomend a 10w-50 full synthetic as the best all round grade, this gives you good cold start protection and good protection when hot for when these cars get used how they are supposed to be.
If the car sits for periods of time then consider an ester based oil, this is the polarised molecule that leaves a film of oil over the engine, so when it drains back into the sump you still have an important film over the engine aiding cold start protection, they are also very fluid at low temperatures and very shear stable.
Magnatec has ester content, however this is the result of some clever marketing, for ester to be effective in an oil you will need 20%+, magnatec has only a few % at best.
Good ones to look at would be Silkolene, Motul, Redline and Mobil.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Guy.
>> Edited by opieoilman on Tuesday 15th March 12:23
I personally recomend a 10w-50 full synthetic as the best all round grade, this gives you good cold start protection and good protection when hot for when these cars get used how they are supposed to be.
If the car sits for periods of time then consider an ester based oil, this is the polarised molecule that leaves a film of oil over the engine, so when it drains back into the sump you still have an important film over the engine aiding cold start protection, they are also very fluid at low temperatures and very shear stable.
Magnatec has ester content, however this is the result of some clever marketing, for ester to be effective in an oil you will need 20%+, magnatec has only a few % at best.
Good ones to look at would be Silkolene, Motul, Redline and Mobil.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Guy.
>> Edited by opieoilman on Tuesday 15th March 12:23
Which of the "good ones to look at" do you sell, OP?
I thought the issues with the RV8 oil were minimising camshaft wear and operating the hydraulic tappets, one man's leaks are just another man's rustproofing.
And as an oil-ignorant consumer, I always thought Magnatec was marketed as being magnetic, and sticking to the moving parts by magnetism, don't remember them mentioning esters in the ads? I always wondered how that helped with alloy engines... then again, that pesky camshaft must be steel...
Must get a puddle of Magnatec and see if I can drag it about with a magnet. Actually no, I'm not quite that bored.
I thought the issues with the RV8 oil were minimising camshaft wear and operating the hydraulic tappets, one man's leaks are just another man's rustproofing.
And as an oil-ignorant consumer, I always thought Magnatec was marketed as being magnetic, and sticking to the moving parts by magnetism, don't remember them mentioning esters in the ads? I always wondered how that helped with alloy engines... then again, that pesky camshaft must be steel...
Must get a puddle of Magnatec and see if I can drag it about with a magnet. Actually no, I'm not quite that bored.
deeen said:
Which of the "good ones to look at" do you sell, OP?
I thought the issues with the RV8 oil were minimising camshaft wear and operating the hydraulic tappets, one man's leaks are just another man's rustproofing.
And as an oil-ignorant consumer, I always thought Magnatec was marketed as being magnetic, and sticking to the moving parts by magnetism, don't remember them mentioning esters in the ads? I always wondered how that helped with alloy engines... then again, that pesky camshaft must be steel...
Must get a puddle of Magnatec and see if I can drag it about with a magnet. Actually no, I'm not quite that bored.
I sell them all other then Redline, as it is too much money IMO.
How does the oil stick to alloy, well it is not magnetic but electrostatically (sp) charged, just like rubbing a balloon on you hair and it sticks to the wall.
Cheers
Guy.
Guy, do you stock Millers, Morris, or Synta oils?
They are equal or better spec than your recommendations.
I suspect not, because Synta fully synthetic 10/40 for about £16 for 5L is cheaper than anything you stock of equivalent spec, by a long, long way.
I ran my Chimaera on Synta for thousands of miles with no porblems at all. After all, it's hardly a high tech engine is it?
They are equal or better spec than your recommendations.
I suspect not, because Synta fully synthetic 10/40 for about £16 for 5L is cheaper than anything you stock of equivalent spec, by a long, long way.
I ran my Chimaera on Synta for thousands of miles with no porblems at all. After all, it's hardly a high tech engine is it?
Tyre Smoke said:like you i used to read too much into the spec rating of an oil.theres more than one way an oil can be formulated to meet a certain spec apparently.theres also more than one way of acheiving a synthetic oil also,i think.at £16 for 5 litres your probably getting what you pay for i suspect,otherwise nobody would use anything else would they? you can run any car no problems for thousands of miles on the cheapest of oils if changed regularly,but some of us want whats really best for longevity/minimal wear.also,how long the original quality of your oil is maintained must vary a lot between the lower and higher brands i imagine.in other words,dont be naieve,guy really does know what hes talking about,unlike most of us
Guy, do you stock Millers, Morris, or Synta oils?
They are equal or better spec than your recommendations.
I suspect not, because Synta fully synthetic 10/40 for about £16 for 5L is cheaper than anything you stock of equivalent spec, by a long, long way.
I ran my Chimaera on Synta for thousands of miles with no porblems at all. After all, it's hardly a high tech engine is it?
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