Oil advice and recommendations here!

Oil advice and recommendations here!

Author
Discussion

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Monday 5th June 2006
quotequote all
Hi,

Westfield
Rover 4.6 v8
Tuned by John Eales with forged pistons etc
2-3000 miles on engine
Currently has magnatec 15-40 in it.
About to change the oil and it gets used for enthusiastic road driving and very enthusiastic track driving.

If you recommend a synthetic can I simply drop out the castrol and drop in the synth or do I need to flush?

Any idea of the capacity of a 4.6l rv8 in terms of oil?

Thanks,

Mark

opieoilman

Original Poster:

4,408 posts

235 months

Monday 5th June 2006
quotequote all
I'd not use a basic oil in a track car, use a proper fully synthetic 10w-50 or 15w-50.

This really explains why it's a no, no.

If you are "modding" your car and adding BHP or using it on track then consider your oil choice carefully as the stock manufacturers recommended oil will not give you the protection that your engine requires.

A standard oil will not be thermally stable enough to cope with higher temperatures without "shearing" meaning that the oil will not give the same protection after a couple of thousand miles as it it when it was new.

Let’s start with the fundamentals. An engine is a device for converting fuel into motive power. Car enthusiasts get so deep into the details they lose sight of this!

To get more power, an engine must be modified such that it converts more fuel per minute into power than it did in standard form. To produce 6.6 million foot-pounds per minute of power (ie 200 BHP) a modern engine will burn about 0.5 litres of fuel per minute.(Equivalent to 18mpg at 120mph). So, to increase this output to 300BHP or 9.9 million foot-pounds per minute it must be modified to burn (in theory) 0.75 litres.
However, fuel efficiency often goes out of the window when power is the only consideration, so the true fuel burn will be rather more than 0.75 litres/min.

That’s the fundamental point, here’s the fundamental problem:

Less than 30% of the fuel (assuming it’s petrol) is converted to all those foot-pounds. The rest is thrown away as waste heat. True, most of it goes down the exhaust, but over 10% has to be eliminated from the engine internals, and the first line of defence is the oil.

More power means a bigger heat elimination problem. Every component runs hotter; For instance, piston crowns and rings will be running at 280-300C instead of a more normal 240-260C, so it is essential that the oil films on cylinder walls provide an efficient heat path to the block casting, and finally to the coolant.

Any breakdown or carbonisation of the oil will restrict the heat transfer area, leading to serious overheating.

A modern synthetic lubricant based on true temperature-resistant synthetics is essential for long-term reliability. At 250C+, a mineral or hydrocracked mineral oil, particularly a 5W/X or 10W/X grade, is surprisingly volatile, and an oil film around this temperature will be severely depleted by evaporation loss.

Back in the 1970s the solution was to use a thick oil, typically 20W/50; in the late 1980s even 10W/60 grades were used. But in modern very high RPM engines with efficient high-delivery oil pumps thick oils waste power, and impede heat transfer in some situations.

A light viscosity good synthetic formulated for severe competition use is the logical and intelligent choice for the 21st century.

Cheers
Simon

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Monday 5th June 2006
quotequote all
opieoilman said:
I'd not use a basic oil in a track car, use a proper fully synthetic 10w-50 or 15w-50.
Ok, thanks... can I just drain out the magnatex and pour in the synth or do I had to completely drain the system?

Regards,

Mark

opieoilman

Original Poster:

4,408 posts

235 months

Monday 5th June 2006
quotequote all
Mark,

Just get out what you can, the synthetic should do the rest.

Look at the following ones on offer on our website:

Silkolene Pro S 10w-50 or Pro R 15w-50

Cheers
Simon

dern

14,055 posts

278 months

Monday 5th June 2006
quotequote all
Thanks Simon,

Mark

sb-1

3,315 posts

262 months

Friday 23rd February 2007
quotequote all
What oil for my 2000 Alfa156 2.5V6 please.Is the Alfa oil any good?

Cheers

Steve

opieoilman

Original Poster:

4,408 posts

235 months

Friday 23rd February 2007
quotequote all
As a top option you are looking at a 5w-40 full synthetic for all year round use. Any good name brand will be fine.

As a cost option a 10w-40 semi is also suitable.

Cheers

Guy.

PUGRWD

5 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th February 2008
quotequote all
Hi,
What would you sugest for this
1600 toyota 4age
small port head rally engine 185bhp spends most of its time between 5k and 8k..
I was thinking about Millers 10-60 but its a bit steep !!
Would 5w/40 do the trick ?
cheers In advance
PS its dry sumped aswell ......

Edited by PUGRWD on Wednesday 6th February 19:57

Lalic Dejan

3 posts

192 months

Tuesday 18th March 2008
quotequote all
hi
Can you tell me what oil (engine 270k) to use in my BMW E36 318i,1991 year of production,with m40 engine ? Also in dif. and transm.. Thanks.

Edited by Lalic Dejan on Tuesday 18th March 18:46

colinm5

2 posts

191 months

Saturday 26th April 2008
quotequote all
opieoilman said:
TJ,

For the diff, have a look at the Castrol SAF XJ, this is the BMW longlife 75w-140 for their LSD's.

Fuchs Titan ATF4000 is fine if the gearbox requires an ATF.

For the engine, if it is just commuting and fast road use I would look at a BMW approved 5w-40 full synthetic,if the car is driven hard or used on track then look at a 10w-50, Silkolene and Motul are tops and BMW approved.

Cheers

Guy.

colinm5

2 posts

191 months

Saturday 26th April 2008
quotequote all
Hi Guy,

I am a new E34 M5 3.6 owner - What on earth is Pentison 11.s for the PAS/Self-Leveling shocks?

Cheers,
Colin

opieoilman

Original Poster:

4,408 posts

235 months

Saturday 26th April 2008
quotequote all
A power steering fluid or a hydraulic oil, must confess I've not heard of it.

Cheers

gordyboy18

2 posts

219 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
quotequote all
Citroen C5 2.0 HDi 2002
64,000 miles
Gentle 100 mile daily commute via motorway.

Hi Guy,
My query isn't really about which oil to use as I'll be using Fuchs Titan Supersyn 5W-40 as recommended by your website, and I already know your opinions on additives like Molyslip 2001E, but what do you think of products like Wynns Engine Oil Flush? Is it actually cleaning things as it claims or has it just giving me a nice placebo effect for the last few years that I've been using it?

Cheers
Gordon.

Talkwrench

909 posts

232 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
quotequote all
colinm5 said:
Hi Guy,

I am a new E34 M5 3.6 owner - What on earth is Pentison 11.s for the PAS/Self-Leveling shocks?

Cheers,
Colin
Used in many BMW's for steering and brake boost hydraulics. There are two main types and the correct one must be used. I believe one is synthetic and the other is mineral based. They are not interchangeable and do not mix. Known as Pentosin 7.1 and Pentosin 11.s. One is red and the other is green.
GSF do an equivalent for both types, manufactured by Bilstein and it is excellent. Far cheaper than buying from a dealer. They don't always know what "Pentosin" is though, so say that you want hydraulic fluid for your E34 and they should be able to find it listed. If its old, original stuff thats in your car, its well worth draining the system and replenishing the whole lot.

sideways20vT

163 posts

185 months

Monday 20th April 2009
quotequote all
Hi Guy,

What oil would you suggest for my 2001 Ibiza Cupra 1.8 20 valve turbo.

It has had a fair few modifications and power has been upped from 156 bhp to 202 bhp.

I currently use 5w-30 castrol edge fully synth. Is this o.k?

Also, how important is it to use manufacturer approved oils? For example, I would like to use motul 300v 5w-30 but it doesn't state that it meets VAG 504.0 standards. Does it really matter?

Thanks in advance.

PJ S

10,842 posts

226 months

Monday 20th April 2009
quotequote all
300V would show VAG 504.00 Specific oil a clean pair of heels - there is a VAG Specific 504.00-507.00 version of the 8100 range, which would be every bit as good, if not better than, the Castrol you're currently using.
Your horsepower increase won't make a difference, so there's no particular need to opt for 300V if that was your thinking - but as an oil, it's pretty much top of the tree no matter which engine you're running it in.

jas81172

4 posts

173 months

Thursday 8th October 2009
quotequote all
hi what would you suggest for the engine oil, atf and power steering fluid that i could use for my BMW E30 320i 1988 model and for my Honda Odyssey 1999 model esp for honda which only recommends their own atf which is hard to find and expenssive.i'm in new zealand by the way.tks.hope to hear from you.

nightprince

1 posts

164 months

Friday 23rd July 2010
quotequote all
Dear Guy, I have used Mobil synthetic lubricants since 1974 (when they were called SHC)Recently I have purchased a 944 and the owner was reccomended only to use GTX which goes against all I learned as a Rally Mech in the 1970's/80's was this information correct? - I STILL use Mobil although now it is called Mobil 1 rally - 0-60visc. will this be a better hoice for the Porky? I tend to drive very high milages in one hit from the Uk to Russia!! - around 3500 miles. your modern oil experience and advice would be most appreciated
Regards David

LuckyLes

1 posts

137 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Hi,
Can I mix Fuchs ATF 4000 and Penrite ATF MHP in a Mitsubishi Pajero 3.5 V6 petrol Auto transmission?

opieoilman

Original Poster:

4,408 posts

235 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Yep, should mix just fine!

Cheers

Guy