I've had a couple people tell me they use this oil in their high performance engines. I always thought this oil was for semi's and farm equipment? what do you guys think?

 

You don't need anything like that in an LT1. If you don't want to use the stock 5W-20 you can use a 10W-30....

I use that Rotella oil in my Land Rover as that is the current best practice thinking for those old school engines. I use Castrol 5W-20 in both the T/A and the 'vette and both have great oil pressure and close to normal fuel economy....

 

Most 15w40 oils are made for diesel motors. They typically have more anti-wear ingredients like zinc. Old diesels and tractors need that because most have solid flat tappet cams and mechanical injection pumps. Parts prone to accelerated wear. I use 15w40 as "poor man" break in oil, and because I usually have some around for my tractors or diesel trucks.

I would not run it in an LT1 as normal oil. Everything in an LT1 [except stock rockers] is rollerized and designed from the factory for 5w30. [The bearing clearances, etc.]

 

i use it in my e30 318is. wouldn't in an lt1

 

I assume that's a typo..... factory recommendation for the LT1 is 5W-30.

Hempy has a built stroker - a blower and nitrous - you can't tell that, because he doesn't bother to use a "Signature".

Ask the builder what he recommends.

 

Yes, a typo..my apologies.

Thanks for picking that up....

 

well put Injuneer, I meant to do a signature the last time you mentioned it. Car will not be run in winter or rain (she will be treated like a queen) the guy I bought her from didn't build the engine just told me that he only did 1 oil change and used the rotella 15w40. I think I would feel more comfordable using something thicker than 5w30. also not sure if it matters but car has a 7qt oil pan.

 

Only the engine builder knows how he set up the engine.

My builder requires a 25W-50 Pennzoil GT Performance Racing oil, when the engine is running on nitrous. For winter operation, when there isn't any nitrous use, back in 2000 they recommended 10W-30 Pennzoil Turbo Oil, but that is no longer made. I took it on my own to use Brad Penn Grade 1 10W-30 racing oil.

The shop was not big on synthetics, because they felt the extended life of synthetics was being wasted in an engine that has very little mileage put on it. They had UOA on enough of their engines to specifiy the Pennzoil products with confidence.

 

i ran it in my previous GTP and in my DD prizm and have never had a problem. i put in in my firebird right before winter but only drove it about 50-60 miles before i parked it for winter. i'll be sure to let people know if i have any problems. i don't plan to switch to anything else unless i find a good reason to. if it worked fine in my 3800 making 320hp/380tq for many many hard miles i assume it i'll be alright in my mostly stock LT1.

 

Is the loss of fuel mileage a good enough reason? That thicker oil will reduce your fuel mileage noticeably.....

 

not really, it's a summer weekend only car. i pretty much only take it out for track events or weekend hooning.

i used to use Royal Purple when i had a turbo'd 4cyl. car and loved it. when i got my GTP i kept using it and got scolded by a few mechanic friends saying that i should only use M1 in GM motors because that's what they use in developing the motors. i used M1 for a while then after reading about many people having great success with Rotella T6 i started using it. IMHO all the name brand synthetics are fine as long as you use a good filter and change them in a reasonable amount of time. it seems like there is people who will swear by any brand so it's really hard to decide what to use personally.

i wish there was a good 3rd party test of all the oils out there showing power and wear resistance over time. i'm not by any means saying that Rotella is better than any other oil, but i don't think that it's any worse and for the price ($19 for 4qts) you can't beat it.

 

There is a forum where people actually test oil. Read all about it.

- Bob is the Oil Guy

 

yea i've read on that forum many times. like i said, each brand has their loyal followers that claim they are the best. there are so many other variables that can cause damage that it's hard to say one oil allows more or less damage to accrue. i've used Royal P, M1, and Rotella T6 and have never had a motor blow. i guess for how treat the cars any of the 3 is sufficient. that's saying a lot because i'm not gentle on them at all.

 

A 15W oil is not going to circulate as well on cold start as a 5W or 10W oil. If you live where it's extremely warm, that might not concern you. But for most people, good oil circulation on cold start is one key to long engine life.

It's your engine, run what you want. But don't assume that it's the solution for everyone.

 

syn oil options for an LT1 - Bob Is The Oil Guy

seems they've discussed this before. some say rotella (or M1 40wt) is fine, others say it's ok but unnecessary, some say it's completely wrong. some story, new day.