What oil for the RV8 engines??

[300bhp/ton]

Just curious as to what you guys consider to be the best grade and type (and brand) of oil to run in the Rover V8 engines?

Cheers.

[Colin L]

ONLY USE Mobil 1 Motor Sport 15 / 40 oil and change every 5,000 miles. or once a year

Best oil you can get.

Colin L

[CHGRIFF]

Millers COR 20w 50 was specifiaccly developed for the Rover V8 and older. Have used this foe many years with without probs.
Have had issues with Mobil 1 as many others with hydraulic lifters sticking. Change to Millers and tghe problems were resolved.

TVR specified Mobil 1 as the canny PW had a deal with Mobil for suppling oil to new cars, better than buy one get one free, Mobil making their money with after sales.

Cut blurb from Millers web site:

Millers Oils Motorsport product range

ENGINE OIL


PRODUCT NAME AND VISCOSITY:
COR 20w50

DESCRIPTION:
COR 20w50 is a high performance synthetic fortified competition engine oil especially developed for short oval racing engines requiring a 20w50 viscosity.
It is based on the highest quality performance additives and shear stable viscosity improvers in synthetic and mineral base oils.

APPLICATION:
Use as received for lubrication of competition engines derived from production engines.
Ideally suited for use in competition engines e.g. Rover V8, Ford Kent and Pinto engines in all sectors of motorsport.

[pwd95]

Agree you don't have to use Mobil 1. No doubt it's a good oil but my old Wedge had a barnstorming J.E.Engineering built 4.5 RV8 in it. I rang them up & asked what oil they recomended. They said a decent 10-40 semi synth changed regularly would be fine. Regular changes 2-3k miles, will do far more good than an expensive oil left in there for a longer period.

[Zippee]

I ran my old 400 on Shell Helix 10/40 and never had any problems with temp, pressure or oil usage.

[kwosimodo]

guys at Top cats recommended 10 / 40 semi synth for my cerb too.

[rev-erend]

Quite frankly its a very old engine design.

You can run some pretty cheap oil in it and never have a problem
- it does not like really trick oils like 0w/20 etc .. and
I did not feel it was happy with Mobil 5W/ ??

but good oils like Millers 20w/50 race and many others like
like silkoline are excellent. Have a look at the opie oils thread
at the top of the page.

The Millers CRO - CRO stands for competetion Running in Oil .. is
not really what is needed.

[SteveGRF]

I use Valvoline 20W-50 VR1 racing oil (usually brought from Reel Steel who are local to me currently £27/ 5 lts), there was recent debate on a V8 US forum about wether it really had the additional additives to warrant its racing claims. The company came back with an official statement to support its claims based on a technicality of it being sold for low milage use i.e older / classic car / street racing etc. All something to do with allowable additive levels & goverment lead polution levels, any way - cheaper racing grade oil suits me
I have used it in my RV8's for 4yrs now based on anothers recommendations - its good stuff at a reasonable price - especially when you have to buy 6 Lts plus @ each oil change & top up spare!

[Stig]

SteveGRF said:

I use Valvoline 20W-50 VR1 racing oil (usually brought from Reel Steel who are local to me currently £27/ 5 lts), there was recent debate on a V8 US forum about wether it really had the additional additives to warrant its racing claims. The company came back with an official statement to support its claims based on a technicality of it being sold for low milage use i.e older / classic car / street racing etc. All something to do with allowable additive levels & goverment lead polution levels, any way - cheaper racing grade oil suits me
I have used it in my RV8's for 4yrs now based on anothers recommendations - its good stuff at a reasonable price - especially when you have to buy 6 Lts plus @ each oil change & top up spare!

+1. Worked a treat in my TVR's RV8 and the Ultima's SBCs.

[Wildfire]

Stig said:

SteveGRF said:

I use Valvoline 20W-50 VR1 racing oil (usually brought from Reel Steel who are local to me currently £27/ 5 lts), there was recent debate on a V8 US forum about wether it really had the additional additives to warrant its racing claims. The company came back with an official statement to support its claims based on a technicality of it being sold for low milage use i.e older / classic car / street racing etc. All something to do with allowable additive levels & goverment lead polution levels, any way - cheaper racing grade oil suits me
I have used it in my RV8's for 4yrs now based on anothers recommendations - its good stuff at a reasonable price - especially when you have to buy 6 Lts plus @ each oil change & top up spare!

+1. Worked a treat in my TVR's RV8 and the Ultima's SBCs.

+2 Yep used this in my Minis and my TVR no issues.

[jr6yam]

I use Valvoline VR1 10/60 semi synth in my chim'
seems like good stuff.
The main thing is, whatever you use, CHANGE IT REGULARLY

John

[Graham]

I've been using a cheap mineral 20/40 in the tuscan ( solid lifters) with no problems but i do tend to change it after about 4 hours running....

That said Im on Royal purple at the moment as I got hold of half a barrel of it free:-) but its only 5w30.

[Boosted LS1]

A straightforward 20/50 will do. These engines like volume.

[Yellabelly]

Wildfire said:

Stig said:

SteveGRF said:

I use Valvoline 20W-50 VR1 racing oil (usually brought from Reel Steel who are local to me currently £27/ 5 lts), there was recent debate on a V8 US forum about wether it really had the additional additives to warrant its racing claims. The company came back with an official statement to support its claims based on a technicality of it being sold for low milage use i.e older / classic car / street racing etc. All something to do with allowable additive levels & goverment lead polution levels, any way - cheaper racing grade oil suits me
I have used it in my RV8's for 4yrs now based on anothers recommendations - its good stuff at a reasonable price - especially when you have to buy 6 Lts plus @ each oil change & top up spare!

+1. Worked a treat in my TVR's RV8 and the Ultima's SBCs.

+2 Yep used this in my Minis and my TVR no issues.

+3 As recommended by V8D after they rebuilt my engine and they know a thing or two about engines!

[350Matt]

Thick stuff

15W 50 or 20W50 the best is Silkolene

[Hoover.]

by the sounds of it NOT Mobil 1 and NOT fully synthetic.....

[Kevin VRs]

Ran several Range Rovers to silly mileages (150K+) on simple 20/50 changed every 3-4,000 miles, never any problems. Would probably go semi-synthetic nowadays, but must be 'thick' stuff (20/50) for me.

[300bhp/ton]

Thanks for the replies

Always ran mineral thick stuff in the past. Changed to a modern thinner oil and didn't think it seemed as happy, so wanted confirmation of my error. Which I now have

Will be swapping it back to something more sensible ASAP.

Cheers