jimbo3

Steve-
I've already picked up a couple of 5 qt jugs of Mobil 15-50. On the circular shaped rating stamp it says "API service SM/CF", but on the adjacent printing is says "API SM, SL/CF". In researching this before purchasing, I recall that this had at least the minimum level of zinc needed, but should I scrap this and go with Brad Penn? (Street use) Looks like the Penn is dino- any issues changing from full synthetic? Best source for Brad Penn? TIA

-Jim

matt777

We need a Rennlist Approved Oil list. Unless I do something different in the next month my car is getting Mobil via the local Porsche shop. They only work on Porsche and all I saw was Mobil boxes.

dcdude

Steve W. just did, in post 15. What can I say? Mobil is a huge brand with a great reputation until now and the world hasn't traveled everywhere yet. Ask them if they even know what ZDDP is. Like any professional, smart shop owners should be open to continuing education...sometimes from a customer. "It takes a village to raise a Porsche!"

The only downside with dino is that you don't get the krazy long intervals, but who really puts on 10K miles between changes anyway? I believe that Redline also has plenty of what we need if you insist on synthetic.

BobbyT

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the quick response. For SoCal temperatures, which viscosity Swepco should I use?

matt777

Perhaps these oils are readily available in your area but I was suggesting a longer list so I might have a chance of finding something around here.
MobilExxon's specs, or lack of, are interesting. it seems that not all oil mfg's publish zinc and phosphorus levels. Apparently the sulfated ash levels (which are published) indicate the zinc content. It's interesting to see that the Mobil 1 15W50 is recommended for older valve trains while the 0-40 is not. I'm not sure 15W50 is a good choice even as a summer oil here. I see that there is a huge thread on Pelican which I will read.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Bobby,

You can use either viscosity but I'd use the 20w-50 for any track usage.


Jim,

If it were me, I'd sell the M1 SM-rated stuff you have and get one of the two I recommended. You & your engine will be the happier for it,...


Et all,....

Mobil have been playing "footsie" with oil specs lately as part of their damage control to marketing. They have complied with the EPA's demand to reduce ZDDP while trying not to lose market share. To that end, they have not been very forthcoming about providing specs on their oils for the folks who need such protection even going so far to say that the current SM-rated 15w-50 has sufficient levels of Zn & P for these engines. I beg to differ,.............

One can use whatever makes them comfortable but I will say that if people persist in leaving ANY oil in the engine for 10K miles, somebody will pay dearly for that practice. This is a "pay now, or pay more later" situation.

Regarding availability,..its been no fun for us having to ship oil here for shop & customer use but the sad reality is that its very tough to find an acceptable product at a local auto parts store. The pedestrian-variety oils are now all SM-rated to comply with the EPA's mandate and that makes for a challenge to find something locally that is good for your engine. Most of the knowledgeable people in this industry are now shipping in the oils used both in the shop and for their clientele. I would recommend that you either do a search for a local dealer or simply call a vendor to ship you what you need. We are shipping a lot of Brad-Penn for that very reason.

BobbyT

Anyone know where to buy Brad-Penn oil near San Bernardino/Riverside, CA?

jimbo3

$54 for a case of 12 (plus shipping from Illinios, no tax), mail order from <LNengineering.com> is my best find so far. They will also do an oil analysis of your used oil for $25. No affiliation, blah, blah, blah. Order on Monday, might have it on Friday.

BTW- thanks for your help, Steve.

-Jim

marret

I haven't ordered from this company, so make no recommendation, no affiliation, etc., but they sell and ship Brad Penn Oil. Following is from an email I received from them.

Asheville Oil offers most of the Racing oils as stock items.

We ship UPS freight paid and added. The UPS charge is usually in the $20.00 range per case. Visa and Master Card are accepted.

Please contact us if we can be of any help.

Thank You,
Kathy Carpenter
Asheville Oil Company
4 Fairview Road
Asheville, NC 28803
828-274-7979

FLYT993

Steve, since you're running BPenn and that is a dino, what are your change intervals? And if you're not blistering the engine on a track what viscosity are you recommending?

Van1

For those of us that feel that we must use a synthetic, what are the best options? Steve, other experts, what's the oppinion on using Mobil Delvac 1 5w-40?

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Dan:

We use the Brad-Penn 20w-50 racing oil and change it depending on how the car is used,...

City driving & idling in traffic requires more frequent changes as does track use but lots of highway driving is easy on the engine so one can go longer. I change oil between 3K and 5K.

Brad-Penn used to be called Kendall GT-1 and I used that in our old IMSA RSR and 935 without any issues whatsoever. IMHO, a 750+ HP 935 is tougher on oil than anything else.


Van1;

The Mobil oils sold in the US and the rest of the world are not the same so I cannot tell you anything about your version of Delvac. You might look at http://www.lnengineering.com/oil/html and see if they tested it.

Elf makes a good synthetic that has sufficient ZDDP for your car called Elf Excellium DID 5w-40. Its a little light for my taste (its formulated for the water-cooled) as these air-cooled engines need a 15w-40 or 20w-50 but it will work. Excellium Racing is better (a 10w-50) and its used by Porsche Motorsports.

Hope this helps,

Van1

Steve, don't let my temporary location fool you. My 993 is back in Omaha, Nebraska awaiting for my return this summer. Thanks for the fast response. I did look at Delvac 1 on LN's spread sheet and it has high levels of P and Zn. As far as Elf oil, I see that they have a 10w-50 version rated at SL. Not much data at LN on Elf oils.

Van1

Sorry Steve, I missed that you mentioned the Elf 10w-50. It is available at one of my favorite places to buy parts for $9.94 per liter or $36.21 per 5 liter jug. I think this will be the way to go for me.

shamrock

wow , This topic has been a bit of an eye opener for me .. I wonder if anyone can help with a few questions as it looks like you guys are way ahead in terms of oil knowledge.
My last service was done with 'Valvoline synpower 5w 40' , the Porsche indie that did the service stated this was the one to use .. It appears , having looked up the spec , that there's only a .077 percentile of zinc in this oil.Here's a link ..
http://www.valvoline.com/products/Synpower.pdf
I'm at the disadvantage of not having the same oils available to me here in Ireland that you guys have there , can anyone recommend a suitable oil to use for my next service .. Ie one I can get in Ireland /Uk?

Btw , my cars a '96 C2 with 47k miles. I'm dong all road driving (not much sitting in traffic) , and about 4k miles between oil services.