Oil Preferences

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jmp

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I have been a loyal Mobil 1 user for years. I guess I pay more but somehow have peace of mind, even though I recognize that most other synthetics probably provide equivalent lubrication.

The other day on a a cable show I believe was called "Horsepower TV", they showed a late model Z28 and ran a before and after dyno to compare Royal Purple products to some unidentified baseline products. They ran a dyno with some, again unidentified, engine oil, tranny fluid and differential lubricant and then ran a second dyno with all newly changed Royal Purple products.

Before was 303 whp and after was 311 whp - net gain of 8 whp!

I recognize that -- the baseline was not identified, could have been filthy sludge, blah, blah blah -- Nonetheless, 8 whp is a boat-load.

Anyone have any comments about this or more specifically about Royal Purple products?

I have a 1991 CTSC'd NSX which I am about to add the high boost pulley and methane injection (the latter to serve as a rough replacement for an intercooler as opposed to adjusting for more power), and want the best possible lubricant.

All opinions and experiences are appreciated.
 
Another oil thread! :D

It's like asking if you read Playboy or Penthouse IMO. :tongue::wink:
 
I read a magazine article someone posted on here last year that had royal purple and the other leading oils tested on a machine that simulated bearing wear and royal purple is the only one that finished the test with no significant damage to the bearing.

That was enough for me to try it out. I don't drive my car very much so i don't care about the extra cost of the royal purple. My NSX deserves the best :smile: . I did notice a slight decrease in valve train noise.
 
I appreciate the comments about using only 10/30 and that the NSX will probably last as long using any oil so long as it is changed regularly. There is clearly a point to that.

On the other hand, peace of mind is one of this things that I will pay a premium for. I may end up $30 poorer per oil change but in the scheme of things it seems worth it for the odd-chance that I am actually providing some minor benefit to the car.

Thanks for all the replies.

PS -- My car is CTSC'd and I live in SoFl. Any comments on using a heavier weight than the factory recommended 10/30??
 
We had a huge discussion a few months ago (150+ Posts in a signle Thread) in regards to this issue with BMWs. 10-30 use to be the generic standard for almost all engines. If you have a HD truck or a FI car, maybe 10-40. But many companies started noticing that they have the most wear and tear at specific point in time that is generally hard to fight... Engine Start up.

Most Engine Start Ups occur when the oil is at the same temperature as its environment. Porsche was the first one to set out on a goal to have an oil protect well enough that they could push for a 15,000 mile service interval. They wanted the oil to flow very well at cold start ups, as well as lubricate even with harsher heat is present. They were the ones that pioneered the European Formula Mobil1 0w-40.

The 0w-40 really has properties of a 5w-35 if there ever was such a thing. But in terms of cold start up, it protects better then a 10w-30 or 10w-40 or 10w anything can. It also protects just as well as a 10w-30 at normal operating temperature due to its lighter weight, and almost as well as a 10w-40 in the higher temperatures.

For this reason along with the 0w-40 have the proper European Mix of Oil Additivies that meets and exceeds almost every manufacturers suggestions... I've switched to 0w-40 in my NSX, SuperCharged M3, Our Twin Turbo V12 S600, and our Acura 3.2TL. The RX330 get Dealer specified stuff just because its under warranty, and our Plow/Tow/Haul Truck (Dakota 4.7) gets Mobil1 Truck 5w-30 instead of the 10w-30 Dodge recommends for some of the same reasons.

At the end of the day, most of my valvetrain noise is gone and my start ups are very smooth instead of the jerky feel I use to get with whatever the dealer use to put in the NSX. I also got better MPG, and I'm assuming its because of the lighter weight oil and less fricition. Again, I only noticed 1-2mpg MAX, so its no real big noticeable difference.

I also do about 100k+ on all of our cars, so all of our cars get used alot. I always dealer maintain, I just by the Mobil1 Synthetic and give it to my dealer.
 
goldNSX said:
Another oil thread! :D

It's like asking if you read Playboy or Penthouse IMO. :tongue::wink:
Click to expand...

Penthouse :biggrin:

Just don't use Jiffy Lube on tear down of my motor it had significant "coking" brown looking crap all over the internals.
 
I just switched from mobile 1 to royal purple. I could be happier. You can feel the difference with it on your hands. Its much more slippery. excellent lubrication.
 
I used RP for a while in mine when I first got it but the last time I just put Mobil 1 Syn in it and my oil pressure def went up into the more "normal" range. With the RP it was 1 or 2 bars below where it is with M-1syn.

Has anyone else noticed this who's tried RP and how would the difference in oil brand affect the pressure sending unit? I have a brand new oil pressure unit too.

Only change I noticed really...might be a little more engine noise now at idle.
 
Aero said:
I used RP for a while in mine when I first got it but the last time I just put Mobil 1 Syn in it and my oil pressure def went up into the more "normal" range. With the RP it was 1 or 2 bars below where it is with M-1syn.

Has anyone else noticed this who's tried RP and how would the difference in oil brand affect the pressure sending unit? I have a brand new oil pressure unit too.

Only change I noticed really...might be a little more engine noise now at idle.
Click to expand...
I would think that the viscosity of the oil would be the only thing to change your pressure between the two brands. The RP has special ingredients that reduce friction in the engine and that is why you hear less engine noise at idle (which i also noticed). It is possible that these ingredients also allow the oil to flow more freely through the oiling system which could lower pressure or it could just be fooling the pressure sensor.
 
My NSX has been on Kendell GT 10W-40...

I was thinking of going to a synthetic but I've heard if an engine has been on a convential oil diet for a while...you shouldn't change it....opinions?
 
SWIFTVISION said:
My NSX has been on Kendell GT 10W-40...

I was thinking of going to a synthetic but I've heard if an engine has been on a convential oil diet for a while...you shouldn't change it....opinions?
Click to expand...
I think most oil manufactures will tell you that is a Myth and that synthetic and convential oils can be mixed in a engine. Although there would be no benefit to mixing. You won't need to "flush" the system before changing even though some people will tell you too.
 
It's interesting that Porsche went to a 0-40 for it's variable cam timing. (Only 8 years behind the NSX's VTEC:wink: )
 

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