Lucas 20W50 Racing Oil....?
04-25-2013, 12:08 AM
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Lucas 20W50 Racing Oil....?
I'm going to change my oil this weekend and have a question. I've got 6 qts of Lucas 20W50 Racing Oil. I know it is very high in zinc and I know Lucas makes some good products. Here's my question....is 50W to thick for my 350? I have used Comp Cams 10W30...but it's so hard to get locally. The car is not a racer and the engine rarely goes over 4000 rpms. It's a daily driver & boulevard cruiser. . Also, what are your thoughts, comments and ideas about Lucas oil? 
04-25-2013, 01:25 AM
#2
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Lucas makes good stuff...so no problem there. You live in Shreveport..so it's going to get hot this summer..so it won't be too bad.
Depending on the wear and clearances in your engine...I would expect it's thicker than you need especially since you've apparently been doing fine with 10-30.
You could do some mixing with some 5/30 or something to thin it out a little. Or just use regular stuff and trade it to someone else?
JIM
Depending on the wear and clearances in your engine...I would expect it's thicker than you need especially since you've apparently been doing fine with 10-30.
You could do some mixing with some 5/30 or something to thin it out a little. Or just use regular stuff and trade it to someone else?
JIM
04-25-2013, 03:10 AM
#3
Safety Car
Just me, I wouldn't run over a 10W40 and a I kind of like the "Zmax: additive, seems like the engine starts and runs smoother?
My oil brand is Qastrol.
My oil brand is Qastrol.
04-25-2013, 04:32 AM
#4
Team Owner
Smart people use the oil weight to adjust their oil pressure.
Like if you put in 5W-20 and your idle pressure is 5 psi hot and all the lifters are making noise. You might have been smarter to use 10W-40 and watch the pressure gauge.
Or if you put in straight 50 weight racing oil because that is what they use in the dragster at the NHRA race and you can't figure out why your gauge is always pegged. Your just stupid!
Like if you put in 5W-20 and your idle pressure is 5 psi hot and all the lifters are making noise. You might have been smarter to use 10W-40 and watch the pressure gauge.
Or if you put in straight 50 weight racing oil because that is what they use in the dragster at the NHRA race and you can't figure out why your gauge is always pegged. Your just stupid!
04-25-2013, 10:16 AM
#6
Race Director
The stuff is thick as heil when it's cold. I run semi-synthetic Brad Penn 20W-50 it is very good when it's cold and stays the same when it gets real hot. The 20W50 dino oil is for racing motor that have looser bearing tolerances, I wouldn't use 20w 50 dino oil in my engine 
04-25-2013, 01:12 PM
#7
Drifting
It says “Racing Only”. Racing oil is made to be changed frequently and probably has less detergent and other additives than oil meant for passenger cars. The amount of zinc should not be your only concern.
04-25-2013, 03:37 PM
#9
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The Lucas Racing Only oil has zinc and phos levels that are so extremely high (their 10W30 has 2642 ppm zinc and 3489 ppm phos), that this oil really is only suited for short life dedicated racing engines, as the name implies. Using zinc/phos levels this high in other engines could be cause for concern, since excessively high levels, used for more than just break-in, can actually “cause” engine damage rather than “prevent” it.
And 20W50 is thicker than is ideal. Consider THE BENEFITS OF USING THINNER OIL:
• Thinner oil flows quicker at cold start-up to begin lubricating critical engine components much more quickly than thicker oil can. Most engine wear takes place during cold start-up before oil flow can reach all the components. So, quicker flowing thinner oil will help reduce start-up engine wear, which is actually reducing wear overall.
• Thinner oil also flows more at normal operating temperatures. And oil FLOW is lubrication, but oil pressure is NOT lubrication. Oil pressure is only a measurement of resistance to flow. Running thicker oil just to up the oil pressure is the wrong thing to do, because that only reduces oil flow/lubrication. Oil pressure in and of itself, is NOT what we are after.
• The old rule of thumb that we should have at least 10 psi for every 1,000 rpm is perfectly fine. Running thicker oil to achieve more pressure than that, will simply reduce oil flow for no good reason. It is best to run the thinnest oil we can, that will still maintain at least the rule of thumb oil pressure. And one of the benefits of running a high volume oil pump, is that it will allow us to enjoy all the benefits of running thinner oil, while still maintaining enough oil pressure. A high volume oil pump/thinner oil combo is preferred over running a standard volume oil pump/thicker oil combo. Because oil “flow” is our goal for ideal oiling, NOT simply high oil pressure.
• Oil flow is what carries heat away from internal engine components. Those engine components are DIRECTLY oil cooled, but only INdirectly water cooled. And better flowing thinner oil will keep critical engine components cooler because it carries heat away faster. If you run thicker oil than needed, you will be driving up engine component temps.
• Thinner oil will typically increase HP because of less viscous drag and reduced pumping losses, compared to thicker oils. That is why very serious Race efforts will generally use watery thin oils in their engines. But, an exception to this increase in HP would be in high rpm hydraulic lifter engines, where thinner oil can allow the lifters to bleed-off at higher rpm. In everyday street vehicles, where fuel consumption is a consideration, thinner oils will also typically increase fuel economy. The majority of new cars sold in the U.S. now call for 5W20 specifically for increased fuel economy. And now Diesel trucks are increasingly calling for 5W30, also for fuel economy improvement.
• With the exception of high rpm hydraulic lifter engines, almost no engine should ever need to run oil thicker than a multi-viscosity 30 weight. The lower the first number cold viscosity rating, the better the cold flow. For example, 0W30 flows WAY better cold than 20W50. And 0W30 flows WAY better cold than straight 30wt, which is horrible for cold start-up flow and should be avoided at all cost. And the lower the second number hot viscosity rating, the better the hot flow. For example, 0W30 flows WAY better hot than 20W50.
• Thicker oil DOES NOT automatically provide better wear protection than thinner oils. Extensive “dynamic wear testing under load” of dozens and dozens of motor oils, has shown that the base oil and its additive package “as a whole”, is what determines an oil’s wear protection capability, NOT its viscosity. For example, some 5W20 oils have proven to provide OUTSTANDING wear protection, while some 15W50 oils have only been able to provide MODEST wear protection. So, do not run thicker oil under the false assumption that it can provide better wear protection for our engines.
• BOTTOM LINE: Thinner oils are better for most engine lubrication needs.
540 RAT
Member SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
And 20W50 is thicker than is ideal. Consider THE BENEFITS OF USING THINNER OIL:
• Thinner oil flows quicker at cold start-up to begin lubricating critical engine components much more quickly than thicker oil can. Most engine wear takes place during cold start-up before oil flow can reach all the components. So, quicker flowing thinner oil will help reduce start-up engine wear, which is actually reducing wear overall.
• Thinner oil also flows more at normal operating temperatures. And oil FLOW is lubrication, but oil pressure is NOT lubrication. Oil pressure is only a measurement of resistance to flow. Running thicker oil just to up the oil pressure is the wrong thing to do, because that only reduces oil flow/lubrication. Oil pressure in and of itself, is NOT what we are after.
• The old rule of thumb that we should have at least 10 psi for every 1,000 rpm is perfectly fine. Running thicker oil to achieve more pressure than that, will simply reduce oil flow for no good reason. It is best to run the thinnest oil we can, that will still maintain at least the rule of thumb oil pressure. And one of the benefits of running a high volume oil pump, is that it will allow us to enjoy all the benefits of running thinner oil, while still maintaining enough oil pressure. A high volume oil pump/thinner oil combo is preferred over running a standard volume oil pump/thicker oil combo. Because oil “flow” is our goal for ideal oiling, NOT simply high oil pressure.
• Oil flow is what carries heat away from internal engine components. Those engine components are DIRECTLY oil cooled, but only INdirectly water cooled. And better flowing thinner oil will keep critical engine components cooler because it carries heat away faster. If you run thicker oil than needed, you will be driving up engine component temps.
• Thinner oil will typically increase HP because of less viscous drag and reduced pumping losses, compared to thicker oils. That is why very serious Race efforts will generally use watery thin oils in their engines. But, an exception to this increase in HP would be in high rpm hydraulic lifter engines, where thinner oil can allow the lifters to bleed-off at higher rpm. In everyday street vehicles, where fuel consumption is a consideration, thinner oils will also typically increase fuel economy. The majority of new cars sold in the U.S. now call for 5W20 specifically for increased fuel economy. And now Diesel trucks are increasingly calling for 5W30, also for fuel economy improvement.
• With the exception of high rpm hydraulic lifter engines, almost no engine should ever need to run oil thicker than a multi-viscosity 30 weight. The lower the first number cold viscosity rating, the better the cold flow. For example, 0W30 flows WAY better cold than 20W50. And 0W30 flows WAY better cold than straight 30wt, which is horrible for cold start-up flow and should be avoided at all cost. And the lower the second number hot viscosity rating, the better the hot flow. For example, 0W30 flows WAY better hot than 20W50.
• Thicker oil DOES NOT automatically provide better wear protection than thinner oils. Extensive “dynamic wear testing under load” of dozens and dozens of motor oils, has shown that the base oil and its additive package “as a whole”, is what determines an oil’s wear protection capability, NOT its viscosity. For example, some 5W20 oils have proven to provide OUTSTANDING wear protection, while some 15W50 oils have only been able to provide MODEST wear protection. So, do not run thicker oil under the false assumption that it can provide better wear protection for our engines.
• BOTTOM LINE: Thinner oils are better for most engine lubrication needs.
540 RAT
Member SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)