This is something that everyone needs to read, if you are racing your car or just taking it to car shows your engine oil is the life blood that keeps your car running.

The more aggressive your setup, or the harder you drive your car, the oil you use becomes even more important.

Over the last 10 years, We have recorded approximately 10 failed lifters from customers in the US with our cam kits. We sell on average 150-200 cam kits per year, and more cams by themselves. 6 of these have been in the last 12 months.

Doing testing and research with oil companies, Comp Cams, and also with some of our partners in the turbo production the newer 'EPA approved' oils are reducing the anti wear additive packages more so every year and are increasing the amount of detergents in the oil. While this might sound good to keep the inside of your engine clean it is not helping on keeping the oil protecting like it should.


That is why it is more important now more so than ever for those of you tracking your car, installing bigger cams, turbo's and superchargers that you run an oil that will hold up and protect your investment.

With any of our cam kits we highly suggest the use of a quality oil with a high content of Zinc and Phosphorus. For those racing the car, a racing oil should be used. Do keep in mind most racing oils are 100% detergent free and will need to be changed frequently.

Some oils to use would be RedLine, Amsoil, Joe Gibb, Brad Penn, Valvoline VR1 series.


Further Reading...
http://www.joegibbsdriven.com/trainingcenter/tech/streetoils.htm

http://www.redlineoil.com/techinfo.aspx

http://store.forcedperformance.net/m...otor%20Oil.pdf

 

What options would be viable for full synthetic oils that are available at a local parts store, such as O'Reilly?

 

Since this directly contradicts the common argument that there's no need at all for anything other than plain ol Mobil 1, this could be an interesting thread.
I have no opinion, I'm just here to watch.

 

I agree with Anthony, as any "new car" oil is not for a performance engine that has higher valve spring loads/faster cam lobes.

Seen many cam & lifter failures by using the wrong oil on a performance engine. Also valve guide wear on LS7's when driven hard.

I'm using Joe Gibbs 15w50 in my TSP 418. After 5000 miles, I'll switch to Joe Gibbs 15w50 synthetic.

Russ Kemp

 

Makes sense,

the oil spec in the manual is for the stock cam and springs. change the dynamics that the engine was built around and the oil spec may no longer be good enough. This is huge over in the C3 forum where they are using flat tappet cams. Bottom line, dont trust the internet. Send in a sample of oil to get tested and see what is actually going on inside your engine. I like the part about how the mobil 1 caused the engine failure.

 

Interesting read. I have been using Amsoil for years in my Corvette, but have a question about using Mobil 1 in my daily driver with a stock LS3 motor. Any concerns there?

 

Even talking to some of our friends at dealers they are seeing increased cam and lifter failures and most likely it is due to oiling issues.

For the older customers, this is going to be an even bigger issue as those cars were never designed to run on the modern oils.

 

Joe Gibbs had a booth at the recent Holley LS Fest. I guess I need to pull that literature back out and take another look.

 

From what I've been able to determine, it looks like the Valvoline VR1 is going to be the easiest and least expensive way to go. Autozone carries the 20W-50 Racing for $5.99 per quart.

 

Do big racing teams use their sponsor's oil? Those cars surely qualify for a more demanding oil and I would hope they would.

 

I don't mean to but...

Is Mobil 1 full syn not recommended by LG?

 

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crap, I'm running Mobil 1 10W30 in my modified Talon's 4G63 I guess I'm on the edge of racing since my 4G63 is putting out about 100 HP per cylinder. I just did the mods this year and only put on maybe 3000 miles since. Guess it's time to switch oils.
I've been running Mobil 1 in my stock Talon for over 20 years. Also use it in both of my C5 Corvettes. That'll have to change too as my 98 puts out more than a 100 HP per cylinder.
I'm confused though. Why would some of the best cars made (like Corvette and Porsche) come with Mobil 1 in them?

 

If you'll click on the last link provided in the OP you'll see a complete list of the recommended oils. Mobil 1 is not on the list. I went through the list and compared it to what O'Reilly and Autozone offer and found that Valvoline VR1 20W-50 Racing is the only oil on the list offered at a local parts store. The good news is that it's cheaper than Mobil 1. You can get Redline and Royal Purple, but from what I saw you have to special order and going by the price they are very proud of them. I'll be switching to Valvoline for my next oil change.

 

We use a mixture of 0 weight Joe Gibbs and Redline 40wt race oil in all of the race cars for the past 5 years, never a valvetrain related failure

 

If you have the funds, and lets face it, 12-14$ per quart is on the high side, but in the grand scheme of things- isnt much- I would recommend any Joe Gibbs or redline product. Redline street oils are available at Summit and jegs and can be at your door in only a few days.

We are still working on a nice spreadsheet, but for now, this is what I can say from my personal experience.

 

Mobile 1 is not suggested. In a tight spot their 0-40W would be the best choice, but even at that it isn't a good one.


The Valvoline stuff is a race oil, just like any of the other brands and there are almost do detergents in that oil so keep in mind it must be changed more frequently.

 

For street applications how often would "frequently" be? 3000 miles? 5000?

 

how often?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...078#fragment-3


Is this what I should be using in 98 Vette (blown 383 905HP) and my Talon TsiAWD (400HP)?
Currently using Mobil 1 10W30 in them but should I be using 20W50?
Currently using Mobil 1 5W30 in my 02 Vette (close to stock). Do I need to switch oils on that one too?

Also, I drive them like I stole them

 

I just had my oil analysis done by Blackstone Labs. 19,xxx miles, 2500 on Mobil 1 5w30. Everything was well within range. They showed a lot of copper, but said it is normal for the LS6 until about 50k to have high copper. While everything in these articles makes sense, if you are not racing the motor, drag racing, or tracking it, I don't see the need.

I too am curious about how frequently racing oils with no detergent need changed.

 

The Valvoline® Specialty Racing Oil is low detergent but no mention about the detergent level of the VR1 Racing oil. Texas Speed also recommends the VR1 oil.

Russ Kemp