Put some of each kind of oil in a pipe cap. Then heat the crap out of it on the side of the pipe cap or thick metal container with a torch. The regular oil will turn black and smoke. The synthetic oil will will just bubble and will not change color and will look ok when you are done. I heated the crap out of the syn. oil and all it did was bubble. I also did this twice as long as with the regular oil. The regular oil burned up in no time. This made a synthetic believer out of me. Been using Moble 1 ever since.
Horses of a different color... Synthetics are good for holding a viscosity index over a wider temperature range as your example demonstrates thermal breakdown of conventional oil. Extreme pressure and anti-wear additives such as the ZDDP is demonstrated in different tests all together. There are ASTM test criteria for testing the ability of the oil to mantain an oil film and reduce friction under high loading like our flat tappet cams are exposed to. You must get the spec data sheet for each of the oils you wish to compare to get the ratings for each test. In my line of work I generally see Mobil products exceed the test standards for a given application so I am naturally a fan of Mobil products, but you must look at the specific anti-wear and EP test data outlined in the spec sheets to get a true comparison. You can obtain them usually free of charge through the manufacturer or dealer if you ask for them. Erik
I have no dought that everyone needs to add the ZDDP to their oil now. I myself have not used it yet but I have been thinking about starting to use it now. The test I did was was just some crazy idea I had about 15 years ago.
I just use cheap regular motor oil, changed frequently, and ZDDP. Cheapest form of insurance known. Since the car spends 6-8 months laid up in an unheated storage facility I figure it's better to dump the oil than take the risk of having it degrade due to temperature swings and condensation. I used to like Texaco Havoline but we can't get that stuff up here in Canada anymore, so it's just regular off the shelf Canadian Tire crap dumped every 1500 miles, or twice a year, whichever comes first.
I have been using Mobil 1 20W-50 in both my Buicks (70 and 71 455s) for a number of years now. I have not experienced any leaking problems. Have driven both cars long distance to national events and vacation trips. They sit for the long winter. While at the BPG nationals last year, I bought the zdd additive from Greg Gessler and added it immediately to the wagon, brought home extra for next oil changes. I also use a Mobil 1 oil filter on all my cars, M1-203 for the 455 but I believe this has now been discontinued and tough to get. I used Baldwin B-39 I believe prior to the Mobil filters. I figure the price of the synthetic oil and Mobil filter is a relatively cheap maintenance expense for my investment. I also have Mobil synthetic in the rear diff of the wagon and will change to synthetic in the the other when I can.
Listen guys....you dont need any additives with Amsoil. In just about every ASTM test...Amsoil is first...or damn near it... Granted it's expensive....but the ole saying goes...you get what you pay for (in most cases...lol) Take what ever dino fuild and add what ever you want...and Amsoil will still better for your motor. My lil 300 has 97600 miles...and I started using the syn stuff when I got it with 94300 miles. It leaked like a sive...put in the Amsoil syn stuff for high milers (and the good Wix filter) and...*poof*...leaks "mysteriously" all gone.:TU:and I got the garage floor dino oil stains to prove it!! lol Not a Amsoil pitchman neither...jus one hell of a satisfied customer. Happy motoring Mark
My engine builder insisted that I break the big nailhead in on Rotella T. Rotella does still have the zinc in it. I have verified this with Shell. After break-in, my builder said that I could continue to use Rotella or switch to a synthetic. Several people here have mentioned that the high zinc content is necessary only for engines with flat tappet cams. They are correct. A couple of members disputed my statement in a previous post about Rotella having the older proportion of zinc. I do have a letter from one of their lubrication engineers verifying the zinc content.
I use regular oil and a bottle of EOS in my GSX and Mobil 1 and a bottle of EOS in my turbo car which as a roller cam. I feel synthetic is better in the turbo car to protect the turbo. Paul
