I'm with him. I dont understand it but every time a guy that doenst race kills a modded motor its always 10w30 M1 or RP. So weird. Is it the oil or the people who buy those oils that are the problem?

M1 has the largest market share of all synthetic oils.......

It shouldn't be surprising that people are commonly running M1 when they destroy a modified engine.

True. And even more true when you analyze the oil's qualities.

Mobil 1 10w30 Advanced Synthetic
Viscosity at 100*C = 10.1
Flash point = 232*C (449*F)
Calcium = 1,161
Magnesium = 772
Phosphorus = 689
Zinc = 821
Moly = 85
Boron = 108

Shell Rotella T6 5W40 (CJ4)
Vis at 100*C = 13.9
Flash = 224*C (435*F)
Cal = 832
Mag = 1,334
Pho = 1,142
Zn = 1,390
Moly = 71
Boron = 71

Shell Rotella T6 5W40 (CK4)
Vis at 100*C = 14.5
Flash = 223*C (433*F)
Cal = 2,020
Mag = 90
Pho = 1,024
Zn = 1,199
Moly = 1
Boron = 184

Schaeffer Supreme 9000 5w50
Vis at 100*C = 18.7
Flash = 225*C (437*F)
Cal = 2,569
Mag = 23
Pho = 1,398
Zn = 1,590
Moly = 295
Boron = 23


Yes, Ben. We're taking the thread there.

Cashes in PTO, closes computer, runs out of office to go buy Schaeffer oil.

FWIW all Schaeffer products seems to have wild price swings on amazon. Throw your desired item into a price history website to make sure you aren't overpaying if you go the amazon route. I use their Moly EP additive and it ranges from $6 a bottle to ~$15. Their oils seem to do the same, $30-50 a gallon for the same oil.

There are other good choices out there, too.



The Mobil 1 10W30 would be fine in a lightly stressed engine for as long as most original owners have them. The forces we are putting on the engine's narrow bearing surfaces are two, three, or four times as much from the increased power depending upon if you are at 200, 300, or 400whp. The engines weren't factory designed to do it. The viscosity of the T6 being 40%+ more or the Schaeffer being 80% more becomes important quickly. If that film strength does break down under the force you then need extreme pressure (EP) lubricant additives like zinc and phosphorus to continue to protect from metal to metal contact.

I also noticed Rotella T4 (EK4) in my searching and though it had a really great additive package and decent visosity it had a 204*C (399*F) flash point, which would preclude me from considering it.

Like I said, there are several good oils out there for what we are doing to these little engines. Do your own research and understand why, then find something that you like.

TL;DR - Mobil 1 10W30 is too thin and lacks enough additives you want for trubomiatas, imo.

FWIW those Rotella flashpoints are in *F. Every VOA I've seen has it around 420-430*F

So they are. Why do they mix the measurements on these damn VOA charts? Editing to follow...

Keep in mind this is quoting oil viscosity values at 100 C. If you're on track, your oil is hotter, and oils can change a lot in how viscous they get above that. Also, flash point doesn't tell you much, unless you care about oil consumption or ring/bore wear.

<div style="text-align:left;">After reading up some on oil, it looks like Amsoil would be a good choice. Any recommendations on the weight that I should use? Northeast Florida, fifty degrees is cold here and summer is like Florida....in the 90's. 10W40? Help me save my engine until I can get the new one built.<br /><br />FMII @ 12 psi VVT motor with stock internals. Good cooling and conservative tune.<br /><br />Paul</div>

Isn't 40 weight was the go to for our engines when they have a turbo?

On a side note, I found this video extremely informative and it is the first time I've ever heard anyone explain oil viscosity in a way that makes sense.

I now use 50 weight as the top number.

More recently on track it has reached 250*F oil temp since I turned the power up. I need a little bit more cooling or the discipline to lay off the "high boost" button until then. I lack discipline. And it is a very shiny button.

For street at your power levels 40 or 50 for the top number would be much better than 30.

Check out that video I posted above. The first number means nothing for most of florida and only matters when you go below 32 degrees. At operating temp they are exactly the same (assuming they are both mobile 1 synthetic).

Try cutting open your oil filter to get a better idea of how bad it is. If you see any larger chunks, that's no bueno. Blackstone isn't a bad idea either.

A 0w-40 will still be a lot thinner than a 10w-40 even at florida (ambient) temps. Thinner when cold is always a good thing in my opinion, the quicker you can get the oil flowing after a "cold" start the better.