Rotella Triple Protection

Howdy guys,

So i found out that Valvoline VR1 racing oil lack detergents, so now i need a new oil. Ive heard this Rotella Triple Protection is pretty good, 15w-40. Every time i search for it it says diesel oil, is this fine or is there an internal combustion engine version?

Thanks
Ryan

no, I believe all rotella is diesel. They use it 4 extra protection...
just don't use a gasser oil in a diesel!

I've never found it in our car engine weight, tho...

Yes, you can purchase 10W-30 Rotella. I believe it is available in synthetic also.
You still need a little more additives. Add Lucas, or go with Brad-Penn Racing oil in 10W-30.

wsa111":s7ofiazb said:

Yes, you can purchase 10W-30 Rotella. I believe it is available in synthetic also.
You still need a little more additives. Add Lucas, or go with Brad-Penn Racing oil in 10W-30.

Click to expand...

Brad penn is expensive, dang. This is a daily and im a broke college kid. Looks like rotella and lucas it is. Is the 15w40 too much or should i get it in 10w30? I was thinking about moving up to 10w40

1 guy's opinion:
If U really need it (in summer). Otherwise I'd use 10-30 yr round.

StarDiero75":36p6zixn said:

Howdy guys,

So i found out that Valvoline VR1 racing oil lack detergents, so now i need a new oil. Ive heard this Rotella Triple Protection is pretty good, 15w-40. Every time i search for it it says diesel oil, is this fine or is there an internal combustion engine version?

Thanks
Ryan

Click to expand...

i have used the 15w40 rotella oil in gas engines, in fact i used it in my 64 falcon and my 66 falcon. it will do just fine in a gas engine. its diesel rated because it is designed to handle the pressures in a diesel engine, including the larger amount of ZDDP contained in the oil. regular gasoline rated oils are not designed to handle the higher pressures in a diesel engine.

If your engine is consuming oil go with the 15W-40. If not go with the 10W-30. Add the Lucas additive to bring the protection up to Brad-Penn specs.

It isnt consuming oil so i guess 10w30 it is. I live west of Seattle so its not too hot here in the summer and the car already runs dirt cold. Would yoy all recommend a 195 thermostat? Im using a 180 and it comes up a little from the L on the sweep. Should these run close to center or is this common?

"...Would yoy all recommend a..."
I'd recommend a gauge/sender unit with actual temps on it rather than (worse) 'idiot lght' "(too late, u overheated"), or a needle that's 'by-guess-&-by-golly (might B what U have now).

2nd best is a trip to the local big box store to barrow their infrared point'n read device to get some kinda calibration on ur dash gauge. At that point U may know actual conditions...

There R currently no over heat situations? The car is back in proper fete, running as should B? Ck it out after this...
Some (I wont say "many" here) change 'stats 2X p/yr to run cooler in summer / hotter in winter...

The Corvair Oil Article recommends Heavy Duty Engine Oils for older gasoline engines with flat-tappet valve trains.

The latest Rotella oils are no longer dual rated (ie, with diesel and gasoline ratings) and are only rated API CK-4. If you have enough oil pressure with a 30-grade oil (like 10W-30), I would not switch to a heavier grade (like 15W-40). The extra viscosity just causes more oil to bleed-off back to the sump so less gets to the bearings. See Engine Wear.

I use Petro-Canada Duron SHP 10W-30 in my car, which is a semi-sythetic that uses the same high ZDDP additive package as the 15W-40 grade.

I would also stay away from adding Lucas Oil Stabilizer to your oil. It adds viscousity but dilutes the oil's additive package. See BITOG Lucas Article about foaming (The Story About Additives).

As for your engine temperature, I would run a 195°F thermostat, which will improve your engine's efficiency. Check your actual temperature with a thermometer with known accuracy instead of your dashboard gauge.

So what oil should i run? It needs to be affordable since i go to college and this is my daily. What do you all recommend then?

"... What do you all..."
as U can C...different ppl, different suggestions.
price points,
personal preferences,
beliefs,
availability,
etc.
Some 1 on here put up a link @ 1 X that went deep into the science of engine lubricants. U could search that. I think it cited an article from an industry journal. Way too far into it 4 me, but I read the whole thing.
The 10-30 winter / 10-40 summer is enuff esoterica 4 me. I don't believe the machinest even hardened my seats (it wuz a kinda "U get what I do" operation). Once installation is complete & runnin (wrkin on new transmish now) I'll seek out the correct API or AIP (see the bottle label for oil specs) for this 1969/2020s combo motor.

If you have a stock engine with a factory valve train, your engine can easily run Starburst engine oils (ie, with 600-800 ppm of phosphorus). See Engine Oil Myths - GM TechLink: The Starburst Oil Myth. The protective film doesn't get thicker with higher levels of ZDDP but the protection instead lasts for a longer time.

The new diesel spec with dual ratings (ie, API CK-4/SN) limits energy conserving grades (ie, 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30) to have 600-800 ppm of phosphorus (the antiwear component of ZDDP). The maximum phosphorus level of a single-rated (ie, API CK-4) diesel oil is 1200 ppm. The Ford diesel oil spec (F1WSS‐M2C171‐F1) requires a minimum phosphorus level of 1000 ppm. If you're looking for an economical 30-grade oil with higher levels of ZDDP, look for one that has BOTH API CK-4 and Ford F1WSS‐M2C171‐F1 approvals. Single-rated diesel oils weren't recommended for gasoline engines in the old days because of their higher ash levels but modern diesel oils have low ash levels (1.0% max Sulfated Ash) to protect exhaust catalysts and diesel particulate filters in low-emission diesel engines.

I like PC Duron SHP 10W-30 because it has over 1000 ppm (more like 1150 ppm) of phosphorus and its additive package meets API SN for a 15W-40 grade. Shell Rotella T4 10W-30 should work fine for you too even without an API SN gasoline rating.

Again, if your oil pressure is good with 10W-30, I would not use a 40-grade (10W-40, 15W-40, etc) because excessive viscosity causes more oil to bleed off back to sump and less oil gets to the bearings. See Engine Wear.

as an off handed comment (no data to support) the rumor in several auto retailers Where I've wrked had been
'american oil' (quaker state, etc) as used appropreatly, has more waxy deposits in the motor than "mid-east' oils (shell, etc).
At one point I attempted the research but gave up @ Step I: ID where each co's oil was extracted. I attempted an answ to this 1st Q w/Shell (as I used Rotella 15W @ the time).

fraso":1tqu0obn said:

The Corvair Oil Article recommends Heavy Duty Engine Oils for older gasoline engines with flat-tappet valve trains.

The latest Rotella oils are no longer dual rated (ie, with diesel and gasoline ratings) and are only rated API CK-4. If you have enough oil pressure with a 30-grade oil (like 10W-30), I would not switch to a heavier grade (like 15W-40). The extra viscosity just causes more oil to bleed-off back to the sump so less gets to the bearings. See Engine Wear.

I use Petro-Canada Duron SHP 10W-30 in my car, which is a semi-sythetic that uses the same high ZDDP additive package as the 15W-40 grade.

I would also stay away from adding Lucas Oil Stabilizer to your oil. It adds viscousity but dilutes the oil's additive package. See BITOG Lucas Article about foaming (The Story About Additives).

As for your engine temperature, I would run a 195°F thermostat, which will improve your engine's efficiency. Check your actual temperature with a thermometer with known accuracy instead of your dashboard gauge.

Click to expand...

The Lucas i was talking about is just a small additive bottle 10 oz. It is not the big bottle of stabilizer.
You can use what you want, but i will still recommend the Brad-Penn semi-synthetic blend racing oil in 10W-30.

"...Brad-Penn semi-synthetic blend racing oil in 10W-30..."
I can't @ 10 or 12 $ a qt. How can I get it for lower prices? (the "Duron" is $17 a qt)

We have Walmart, Target, AutoZone, Advance, O"Riley's is just comin in...
Otherwise there's shippin costs to add...could be a 60- 70 dollar oil change (w/the B-P).
There doesn't seem to be that extra value in this choice.

Mobil 1 or similar has no 'detergent', no zinc - correct? Our i6 needs both, eh?

chad":3heqq20l said:

"...Brad-Penn semi-synthetic blend racing oil in 10W-30..."
I can't @ 10 or 12 $ a qt. How can I get it for lower prices? (the "Duron" is $17 a qt)

Click to expand...

Duron SHP 10W-30 is $16.82 in CANADIAN $. With the exchange rate (~30%), it is closer to US$12.90. Make sure you get free shipping.

chad":3heqq20l said:

Mobil 1 or similar has no 'detergent', no zinc - correct? Our i6 needs both, eh?

Click to expand...

Starburst oils (like Mobil 1) have 600-800 ppm of phosphorus (ZDDP - Zinc DialkylDithioPhosphate - is composed of zinc and phosphorus). Detergent/dispersant additives prevent sludge build-up and "zinc" is prevents wear.

You can get Rotella T 10W-30, 12x1Qt Case for US$65.95, which works out to US$5.50/Qt.

10W30 Brad Penn, Penn Grade 1 (semi-synthetic) Racing oil.
zinc = 1557 ppm
phos = 1651 ppm
ZDDP = 1600 ppm

wsa111":17tns42d said:

10W30 Brad Penn, Penn Grade 1 (semi-synthetic) Racing oil.
zinc = 1557 ppm
[highlight=yellow]phos = 1651 ppm[/highlight]
ZDDP = 1600 ppm

Click to expand...

According to Bob Olree (GM Powertrain Fuels and Lubricants Group) in his GM TechLink article, Engine Oil Myths:

Bob Olree":17tns42d said:

A higher level of ZDP was good for flat-tappet valve-train scuffing and wear, but it turned out that more was not better. Although break-in scuffing was reduced by using more phosphorus, longer-term wear increased when phosphorus rose above 0.14% [1400 ppm]. And, at about 0.20% [2000 ppm] phosphorus, the ZDP started attacking the grain boundaries in the iron, resulting in camshaft spalling.

Click to expand...

The additive manufacturer ZDDPlus suggests 1200 ppm as a reasonable target. See ZPlus™ Tech Brief #2, ZDDP and Cam Wear: Just Another Engine Oil Myth?

I would also be very careful about adding ZDDP supplements to engine oil unless you are sure that the resulting phosphorus level does not exceed 1400 ppm.

I've read that same thing fraso. Too much is a bad thing. Not enough is a bad thing. I'm sure if you know the oil spec and the additive spec you could titrate the correct amount of additive, but I'd rather just leave it to the mfgr b/c I've got other things to do than keep up with oil technology. That's what they do and I'm happy to let them do that and buy their product.

I'm paranoid so I run expensive oil. It's really not much more than any good oil. But honestly I think once it's run in good, like 5-10K+ you could probably put any quality oil in there, jmo. I think alot of it has to do with the conditions of work hardening and mating all the surfaces to one another. Imo, the time not to cheap out is right after spending $2K on an engine and firing it up and running it for the first while. I'm going to switch to synthetic after my next oil change, zddp enhanced joe gibbs synthetic. I've got almost 3500 miles now on mineral oil 10w30 joe gibbs 'hot rod' oil. Oil pressure runs 45-50 when it's hot, 60 when it's cold. I think I could go down in viscosity a bit. I'm thinking the synthetic at the 10w30 will drop the pressure a bit. I dunno, thoughts? Should I go 5w-xx?