10w40 oil ?

[wearl]

going to change oil now , in chicago area. going with brad penn. would the 10w40 be good from now till spring . can i run it year round, or 20w50 in summer. i will drive the car over winter on nice dry days.

[1990C4S]

You don't say what kind of car you have. Air cooled?

And not trying to be a dick, (since you are reasonably new here) but you might 'search' that question. There are about 100,000 oil threads here. From brand to viscosity to additives it has has been discussed. And re-discussed ad nauseam. You will find far more info than you want, and it is all there NOW, as opposed to waiting for an answer here.

Or plan b). Do you have an owners manual for your car? It will show you recommended viscosity vs expected ambient temperatures.

So: If you have an air-cooled 911, I would guess that your choice of 10W40 BP is very good...

[lupin..the..3rd]

Assuming you have an air-cooled 911? I run 10w-40 year round. Even when I'm at the track for 3 days straight and it's 100 degrees outside. 10w-40 only. Brad Penn is a good oil, but I use Redline. Just as much ZDDP as Brad Penn, but with a more durable and longer lasting full synthetic base.

I don't like 20w-50 at all. It's too thick for this engine and all its passageways and long oil hoses. Your engine will actually run cooler with 10w-40 than it will with 20w-50. Don't take my word for it, try it back to back on your own. Of course this goes against the common internet lore, so I expect the 20-w50 parrots to all start squawking about now...

[plumb4u2]

I'm NOT trying to start an argument with you Lupin but why would you say 20-50 is too thick when that is what is recommended by Porsche for the widest temperature range (according to my 84' owners manual)

I agreee that it is a very thick oil but I would think that Porsche wants it in there for a reason?

[lupin..the..3rd]

Originally Posted by plumb4u2

I'm NOT trying to start an argument with you Lupin but why would you say 20-50 is too thick when that is what is recommended by Porsche for the widest temperature range (according to my 84' owners manual)

I agreee that it is a very thick oil but I would think that Porsche wants it in there for a reason?

I'm not saying that 20w-50 is bad. I'm saying that 10w-40 is better in the winter, as the lower viscosity provides more protection during cold starts. I'm also saying that 10w-40 is better in the summer, as the lower viscosity helps your engine to run cooler.

Many folks are under the mistaken impression that they need 20w-50 to cope with high engine temperatures in the summer. I'm saying the 20w-50 is the cause of their high temperatures. The 911 has an enormous oil pump as compared with other cars. That pump takes measurable hp to run when it's pumping a very high viscosity oil, and that adds a measurable heat load to the engine, particularly when your turning that oil pump at 6000 rpm on the track.

Also, engine oil in 1984 is very different from engine oil in 2011. The formulas have changed dramatically in 27 years.

I will be posting the results of my comparison next month, so stay tuned. I used ln engineering to perform used oil analysis. I did six track days in July and August on the same 10w-40 Redline oil. Last summer, I did six track days on Brad Penn 20w-50. Same car, same engine, same months of the year, same race track. The only thing different is the brand and weight of the oil. FWIW, my oil temps on the 10-w40 were consistently 10 degrees cooler...

[HarryD]

From the '84 Owners manual:



So it looks like 10W-40 is an ok choice. But do be aware that if it has an API SL/SM/SN certification, it may not have enought ZDDP for your flat tappets.

Of course, we will not discuss Zn, P, and TBN. There is already a very long thread on that topic.

[wearl]

i have a 1984 911. i just asked about the weight not oil type , for winter time in chicago. i have found the brad penn oil a couple miles from my house thats why i am using it. if it was not locally found i would go with something else. thats good to know i can use year round.

[NoLift911]

Valvoline 20w 50 racing - year round...

Have used this for 15 years - honey in, honey out...it's a good cheap oil.

[dshepp806]

"too thick" seems to denote an "issue", no?

Doyle

[brads911sc]

The real issue is that unlike 20w50 which is exempt from the rules... 10w40 is under the rules. So Brad Penn with 20w50 is fine, their 10w40 may not be because it falls under the rules.. many of the brands that are great in 20w50 are no better than walmart oil at 10w40.
unless you have an analysis showing that it has enough ZDDP, i wouldnt use 10w40. Just my .02.

[175K911]

Originally Posted by wearl

i have a 1984 911. i just asked about the weight not oil type , for winter time in chicago. i have found the brad penn oil a couple miles from my house thats why i am using it. if it was not locally found i would go with something else. thats good to know i can use year round.

I haven't run a 911 in the winter for many years. But two friends with Carreras here in the Chicago area run the BP 10W40 for the winter with no issues. Then 20W50 again for the summer. One of them tried to keep the 10W40 in his '87 last summer and with a/c on in downtown traffic his oil temps ran well above 250. The 20W50 BP brought it back down to about 220.

[AVDCAV]

20-w50 parrots was classic " that was a
Good morning read, feels good to
Laugh in the morning.

[petrolblue83911]

When it's really cold out 20-50 weight can be harder to start, that' why some us in the northern climates use it in the winter.

years back, I used to run my 914 with straight 50 in the summer, but belive me, if you ever tried to start a car filled with 50 weight when it's 5 degrees F. outside...you'd know why a thinner oil is better in the winter! for that car I would aways switch to either straight 30 or 10-30. it would leak a bit..but it would start just fine.

obviously 20-50 is not nearly as "thick" as straight 50, but the 10-40 will let the car start easier.

[HarryD]

Again, the issue is not 20W-50 vs 10W-40 but if you have what you need in hte oil you select. Many ofhte SL/SM/SN oil lack sufficent ZDDP to adequately protect parts subject to high pressure wear. The problem will not reveal itself until your cam go flat or you suffer other expensive engine damage.

If you are going with the BP10W-40, per the Product data sheet (http://www.amref.com/CMSFiles/File/bp_pb/7126_50_44_58_19_BP_PG1_Multigrade_HP_Oils_PB.pdf) you should be ok. Be aware that other vendor 10W-40's may not be a good for your car.

[wildcat077]

Like many of the other posters mentioned,you can spend a whole weekend reading through all the contradictory oil posts on this forum ... what it comes down to is what's good for YOUR car !
Climate,planned mileage between oil changes,track use,etc ...

Cheers !
Phil

[dshepp806]

I'm considering moving from the BP 20W50 in the summer, to the BP 10W40,..just to make the start up wear minimized during the cold days,..it looks to have sufficient Z&P......although I've not run this stuff through the Labs....

BEST!

Doyle

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by lupin..the..3rd

Assuming you have an air-cooled 911? I run 10w-40 year round. Even when I'm at the track for 3 days straight and it's 100 degrees outside. 10w-40 only. Brad Penn is a good oil, but I use Redline. Just as much ZDDP as Brad Penn, but with a more durable and longer lasting full synthetic base.

I don't like 20w-50 at all. It's too thick for this engine and all its passageways and long oil hoses. Your engine will actually run cooler with 10w-40 than it will with 20w-50. Don't take my word for it, try it back to back on your own. Of course this goes against the common internet lore, so I expect the 20-w50 parrots to all start squawking about now...

I have spoken to the online Redline rep, and he says that their 10/40 is as thick as other companies 20/50. He said it was the right oil for an air cooled 911. If you read the web site, they always recommend going one grade below what you have been using.

So what I am saying is that you are using a 20/50 equivalent.