seattle951

Any opinions about Amsoil 5W-40 European Car Formula?

I just moved to Dallas, TX from Seattle. In Seattle, my 944 ran nicely on 5W-30 synthetic. Based on my "gut", the car ran best on Royal Purple. However, I often ran Mobil 1 since it was available at Costco.

I just drove my 1989 Mercedes 300SE from Seattle to Dallas and it is time to change the oil. I would like to purchase one oil for both cars.

The Amsoil website recommends 5W-40 European Car Formula Full SAPs for both cars. I have heard good things about Amsoil but never tried it.

My 951 has 10,000 to 15,000 miles since a full rebuild at a high-end shop. It dynos 320 rwhp on a Mustang and 350 rwhp on a Dynojet (think boost was slightly higher when on Dynojet.) The car has about every part that Lindsey Racing makes and a Garret 3076R double ball bearing turbo.

The car does seem to go through a quart of Mobil 1 about once a month when driven about 1200 miles. No sign of leakage and no indication of burning.

I do not race the car and occasionally do a DE day. Normally, I just drive the car around town on the weekends. The cooling system was modified and the temperature stays reliably between 1/4 and 1/2 on the gauge. The engine and turbo combination is very smooth.

What do you think about this Amsoil for both my cars? What is the signficance of SAPS?

Raceboy

After trying different oils over years, my vote goes for Motul 300V 20W60, absolutely the best stability at high rpm/loads (oil pressure stays the same no matter how hard you have driven).

40W range oils are way too weak.

seattle951

Your driving style is different. You drive your car on the track and push your car hard. My car is driven in city traffic at low to medium rpms. My engine will never get hot enough to require the heavier weight oil.

Raceboy

Even on my purely street-driven 924 with 2.5 16v turbo engine I use 300V. I used Motul X8100 5W40 fully synthetic but after some pulls the oil pressure was 0.5 bar lower at load than with normal operating temps, that shows that it became too thin. Yet I have good oil cooler and hefty coolant rad.

It is cheaper to buy the best oil than to rebuild engine...

Drive your 951 low to mid revs? It makes more sense to NA your turbo then

V2Rocket

does it snow where you live?
if not, you should run 20-w50 or better.

ive seen a full BAR difference in oil pressure at idle and running by switching 944s from 10-30/10-40 to 20w50, the recommended oil weight from the 944 owners manual from 0-40+ celsius

Raceboy

It sure snows here in Estonia, but in summer temps are usually 25-35 celsius.

And I guess it snows in Seattle too

seattle951

Some ice in the winter, but the car will not be driven in bad weather. It will stay in the garage. With 5W-30 in Seattle, I have 2.5 bar of oil pressure at idle. When rpms pick up, it locks at 5 bars. It has been running that way for years. The only reason I am thinking about moving to 5W-40 is because of the higher temperatures in Dallas. If I were still in Seattle, I would have stayed with 5W-30.

What do you think of Amsoil, specifically their full SAPs oil?

seattle951

It rarely snows in Seattle. The city is close to Puget Sound and the ocean regulates the temperature. The summers are very mild in Seattle.

Dallas, TX is a different story. Ice storms in the winter and extremely hot in the summer.

seattle951

I started running Royal Purple 5W-30 after talking to their technician. He reviewed the performance modifications and recommended this weight. The mechanic that built the motor concurred. I have never had an oil pressure problem.

My enjoyment from the car came from building it. It is too uncomfortable to drive and it only goes out a couple of times per month. It has stiff escort cup suspension that is hard on the internal organs. The engine is twitchy and unrefined. Insanely fast, but twitchy.

If I were going to drive one these every day, I would own a stock S2. My gutless Mercedes 300SE is the perfect daily driver, safe, quiet, easy, reliable and comfortable.

Anyway, I still enjoy the hobby and tinker with the 944 often. My 8 year old son enjoys helping out and learning about cars. I am only keeping it so that we have a joint hobby.

333pg333

I've heard of bad experiences with RP and running a 5w/30 sounds crazy to me but each to their own. I'd rather use water.
Escort cups are like running wood instead of springs. Upgrade to a modern shock and you will be amazed at the difference and want to drive the car a lot more often.

seattle951

So far, I have never had a mechanical engine problem with the car. However, I do believe the oil consumption is a little high. I will be switching to 5W-40 for the reasons mentioned originally (hotter weather).

I agree with the comments about the Bilstien escort cup setup. The ride is terrible. However, I am done spending money on this car. I have four other cars to choose from.

The feedback I was looking for was on Amsoil and this particular product? Any thoughts?

gruhsy

There is a good post on here about oil that should be used. Personally I would never run a 5 weight oil.

Read what the factory manual says. It's printed right in the factory manual.

I would run at least a 20/50 in Texas. I use 20/50 and I'm in Calgary which can be way colder than anyone down south.

my 2 cents

seattle951

i was really hoping to avoid a discussion about oil weight and instead gather opinions about Amsoil.

The "W" stands for winter and is not the weight. As I understand it, conventional oil starts with the "W" number and uses additives to provide the proper viscosity. As the additives are used up, the oil goes from 5W-30 to 5W-25 and so on. Synthetics on the other hand start with the top number and additives bring the number down for cold starts. Over time, a 0W-40 becomes 5W-40 and then 10W-40 and so on. Since most engine wear occurs at startup, a low "W" number is important.

The owners manual for our cars was written in the 1980s. The technologies in today's oils were not invented yet when the document was printed. If I am not mistaken, the most recent Porsche service bulletin recommends 0W-40 for the Porsche 944.

Many newer cars require 5W-20 since manufacturing technology has improved and tolerances are lower. The lower the oil weight, the better it flows. The better it flows, the more heat is dissipated in the oil cooler. Of course, too much of a good thing is a problem when the oil gets too thin to do its job. Racing applications are a real game changer with high heat differentials (This does not describe my use case.).

Anyway, I am looking for an oil that will last for 5,000 miles for street use that is a match for the Texas heat. I need lots of additives to go this long reliably. The oil should be as thin as possible but still provide the correct lubrication within environmental conditions. Amsoil claims that it can delivery on these goals.

As mentioned, oil pressure in my car has been perfect on 5W-30 and the engine runs cool because of the upgraded cooling system. My tolerances should be excellent because of low mileage and a high quality build. I expect it will run hotter in Dallas compared to Seattle.

Lots of opinions on oil. However, I am looking for insights into Amsoil's European product with high SAPS. Thoughts on the Amsoil product?

Voith

You missed this little part of oil literature. Also try to find another car with that size and weight of tappets that has a recommendation beginning with 0.

Otherwise amsoil looks good on these tests.. http://www.upmpg.com/motor_oil/motor_oil_testing.htm

SamGrant951

I have used Amsoil with great success for years, 20w50 in the 944 and 5w40 in the BMWs. I just switched the racecar (944n/a) over to Millers 10w50 and may switch the 951 over as well.