ZDDP--To Thinc or Not to Thinc--Zat is the Question

[BIGREDRASA]

If you happen to be from Spain, "Zinc" is pronounced "Thinc." 8)

From an article in Mustang Monthly: http://www.mustangmonthly.com/techarticles/mump_0907_zddp_zinc_additive_engine_oil/index.html This is the most concise explanation of how to at least rule out certain oils for our cars.

The first thing you want to know about engine oil is if it has an "SM" rating, which indicates greatly reduced or zero zinc levels, which makes it harmful to your classic Mustang's engine. Do not use engine oil with the "SM" rating. Or, if you're going to use engine oil with the "SM" rating, use a zinc additive that will maintain proper ZDDP levels. Front and center for this issue is California, which wants all zinc eliminated from engine oil. Regardless of what government and industry mandate for engine oil, it is up to you to ensure sufficient zinc levels are maintained when you change or add oil.

Mike's Tech articles have info on 3 oils with ZDDP: http://www.classicinlines.com/caminstall.asp

 

[Anlushac11]

Very good article!

Thanks for posting.

 

[80broncoman]

Good idea, but once your engine is broken in good like 10,000 miles its not nearly as important as useing a good quality oil.
No addidive +the chaepest oil will perform like a good quality oil on its own.

 

[fraso]

That article is a bit misleading. Firstly, it is the phosphorus component of ZDDP rather than the zinc that provides the anti-wear protection. The real concern with engine wear is with the use of Starburst Oils rather than SM oils. ILSAC GF-4 is the standard that requires Starburst oils to contain 600-800 ppm of phosphorus.

For maximum engine protection, Heavy Duty Engine Oils (HDEOs) are an excellent choice. The main difference between HDEO and a Starburst oil is that HDEOs have higher levels of phosphorus (typically 1000-1200 ppm) and generally do not have any friction modifiers. The lack of friction modifiers can potentially reduce your fuel economy by 1-2%. CI-4/SL HDEOs generally have more phosphorus than the CJ-4/SM oils (for 2007+ emission controlled diesel engines) and this would be recommended if you have an aggressive aftermarket valve train in your engine. API CJ-4 limits phosphorus to a maximum of 1200 ppm.

Racing oils also have higher levels of phosphorus but they generally have less detergents than HDEOs. This means that you can drive longer between oil changes with an HDEO. It also means that an HDEO will also do a better job of cleaning out the sludge from your engine.

Engine Oil Article

 

[Anonymous]

Use Brad-Penn racing oil. It contains all the good old additives that the SM oils do not.
The Brad-Penn oil is a synthetic blend & also contains the best crude available & that is from pennsylvania.
Cost normally runs about $44.00 for a case of 12.
I think is is even better than valvoline racing oil because it contains synthetic oil as a modifier.
All the modern additives eliminate the old sludging which haunted pennsylvania oils from years ago.
DO not use this oil with a cataylic converter equiped vehicle. Outlaw

 

[BIGREDRASA]

Funny you should mention Brad-Penn. I just came back from the machine shop, and that's what he recommends. He said it's the Kendall Racing Oil formula, resurrected after the company's name was bought by one of the major oil companies.

 

[BIGREDRASA]

Here's the ZDDP website, with commentary from Don Garlitz. http://www.zddplus.com/

Here's the Brad Penn website: http://www.bradpennracing.com/

Brad Penn - Penn Grade 1 Racing 10W-30 - 6 quarts
A truly versatile High Performance Oil suitable for engines used both on the street and/or the track. The multi-viscosity grade and synthetic components facilitate cold starting and quicker engine warm-up while insuring adequate engine protection during competition.
$35.99

 

[Broncitis]

I was on the phone with MIKE the other day and he told me to check out this BRAD PENN oil, so I did, and after reading an article on the difference between gas and diesel oil the other day, I will no longer be using rotella 15w40 even though it has decent zinc and phosphorus, mostly because it has to much detergent and soot carrying abilility and not the EP rating of gas engine oils, I liked what I read about the Brad Penn oil and ordered a case of 30wt breakin oil and a case of 15w40wt engine oil just about the time I was about to order the Joe Gibbs products and saved half the money, I went with the 15w40 because I took off an extra 1 thousands to the crank radius grind per my machinist and his crank grinder because of using a blower and having spun #6 rod bearing. Also we rarely get above 85 degrees here. I really think Mike is on to something here for our older engines with this Brad Penn oil.

 

[Anonymous]

Brad-Penn oil has been recommended by many of the camshaft grinders for several years, including Isky.
This oil has been used by our local racers for quite a while.
It just takes a while for the information to reach the west coast. Outlaw

 

[field_runner_18]

When I took my head into be worked on I asked the engine builders what they recommended for oil to use for the break in and for regular use, he said to use the Brad Penn oil. I did some searching on the internet for info about it. I went to there home page and looked around and found where they were answering to some posts in boards about the amount of ZDDP in the oil.
Here is the link for the full write up: http://www.bradpennracing.com/Zinc.aspx It shows some thing about a company when the look to see what the street has to say about there products.