I saw a dyno test on TV where the Tornado made power. Funny thing is the before test of that 90s Impala was 20hp down in the before test then made what it should have in the after.

When you see a dyno test on TV watch the operator, they DO sometimes hold back in the before tests. The Tornado test guy was staring intently at the readout so he could manipulate the number and hold it back.

Besides that a couple HP on the dyno is meaningless for a street car is the oil does not hold up to street use.

 

I've been using Valvoline for over 25 years and never had any kind of engine trouble. I keep vehicles for many years, some to over 150,000 miles.

 

[quote=96capricemgr;6186172]I saw a dyno test on TV where the Tornado made power. Funny thing is the before test of that 90s Impala was 20hp down in the before test then made what it should have in the after.

When you see a dyno test on TV watch the operator, they DO sometimes hold back in the before tests. The Tornado test guy was staring intently at the readout so he could manipulate the number and hold it back.
quote]

are u trying to say the horsepower tv guys are lieing? i love those guys. yeah but most do if there getting paid by the product or bend the truth to make the product look good. i seen it many times. and oh, got to love those tornados, it gave my camaro 100 hp and saved me 20 mpg

 

i can hear a blow-off valve type of sound coming from the tornado in my intake

 

1/4 mi

 

 

Do you think maybe a better basis would be a used oil analysis, telling you whether the oil is actually protecting your engine?

Maybe some 0W-2 would make your car even faster in the 1/4-mile:

 

Here you go:http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1764763

I like the Redline 10w-40 for a well exercised LT1!

 

As interesting as that data is, I don't think it helps "roadrocket1" justify his use of Royal Purple.

 

True but it is a 6 year data base of an LT1 that is incurring high G(i.e. low oil pressure spikes, boundry layer lubrication) and sustained high RPM full throttle usage correlated to wear. Keep in mind, this engine has over 100 hours of track use so whatever conclusions we can draw from the data are meaningful to LT1 owners that drive hard. My layman conclusions are:
1) 10w-40 is my preferred viscosity for high temp operation
2) Ester based oils lower wear in high G, low pressure situations
3) Strong additive package(high ZDDP, Moly) helps

 

I think it useful from the perspective that you showed people there IS a meaningful way to MEASURE oil performance. They do not have to rely on marketing as they have to date.

 

You seem to be missing the point. No one is questioning the data you posted, and it is VERY useful.

My initial response was to an individual who justified his oil choice by the results of (apparently) 1/4-mile (drag racing). I was simply pointing out that he was not using the correct criterion for oil selection.

Not sure why this is so difficult to understand - we are both saying the came thing, essentially.

 

My LT1 went 335,000 miles on Valvoline 5W-30 conventional oil before I rebuilt it to add performance. It now has 390,000 and still running great. During the rebuild, virtually no wear visible. The reason I rebuilt was the cam shaft lobe developed a chip causing a tap.

I have a full size blazer (5.7L) with 340,000 and never had a major repair done to it. 5W-30 conventional Valvoline oil. Used for towing, etc.

Just my experience for what it is worth.

 

For a head/cam <400rwhp hard driving LT1 with 75k miles what grade oil would you guys recommend? Since last oil change a little over 3000 miles ago I've put another 2QTs of 5W-30 (Chevron brand I think) to keep leveled (also have 2 minor leaks :P ).

I've always guessed since making 100hp more I should maybe get some oil with better temperature rating at least, but I don't know enough about oils to decide...

Should I try Mobil1 5W-30? Or go to something like Castrol Syntec 10W-40?

Thanks.

 

I run Mobil 1 in my LT1, but all my other cars get Havoline, I did have one car I ran Castrol in with no issues. I think its more about doing the maintenance regularly than the type of oil you're using. Although I wouldn't buy any house brands myself.

I bought mine with 117k on the clock (supposedly 50k on the short block according to the paperwork) and it has 180k now. I beat the crap out of it for the first year or two and it still has never used a drop of oil, ever. So if it's really 120k on the engine that's good, if it's truly 180k on the engine, then that's even better. Now I may blip the throttle occasionally, but never like I did before, on top of the fact that I don't drive it regularly anymore either.