engine oil

[rusty]

Hi,
what engine and grade has been found to be the best for a standard engine under race conditions?
Is there any problem with using 10W60?

Ta,

Rusty

[Shifu]

Why?

[big kev]

Why?

who cares why hes asked a question , as he wants to know from the collective of members on here

[DAVE01]

[Shifu]

Why?

you are a pain in the ass I hope you have an awesome race history to say the the things you do
Could you show us a link to you're past just so we can see how fantastic you are
and please share you're race history with us because we love to share

Mate, I am really sorry that you are having a bad day but what my racing history has to do with anything? What are the things I am saying that ruffle your feathers so much? I am not claiming any racing greatness - I have raced in 125 class for few years in late 70s. There was no internet then and even pictures in black and white were a rarity. I am a professional enginner by education and work, and have some ideas on how things work in general. Considering that I only offer my opinioins on some of the topics I feel competent about please enlighten me what is your problem exactly. Maybe collectively we can help you..

[ohzone]

Shifu, reading the above posts my guess is it was your "flippant" why?, that probably ruffled some feathers!.

The why? would have been seen as an effort to inflame, as it would have taken a lot less effort to just not post at all,
if you felt no need to help out a fellow board member with some information that they had requested.

[steventh]

Rusty,

This is only my opinion based on far too much reading about oils on the net but no technical knowledge.

I doubt that a 10w60 will cause harm but I would not use it as i dont think the extra thickness will be of any benefit and at high revs may not be optimal.

Flow rates are important in lubrication, not just "thickness". The thicker the oil the slower the flow, the slower the flow the less heat dissapation. The higher the temperature the thinner the oil gets.

The higher the revs the less value of a thick oil because flow rates become more important.

You can see from above that some of the benefit of having a thicker oil is eliminated because it will make the engine run hotter. Hotter engines increase wear.

The Busa calls for a 10w40 oil. Track / race bikes are usually pushed harder and therfore get hotter so a thicker oil is used so that it is at the "correct" viscosity at its operating temperature.

Typical comments is that you run one grade higher for consistent heavy duty use. Based on this I would not be inclined to go above xW50.

FYI, for my tracky I use 15w40.

Long answer but its not a simple question.

PS Just to reiterate -Im not qualified to give any advice on this. This is just my understanding from what I have read.

Cheers

[rusty]

Rusty,

This is only my opinion based on far too much reading about oils on the net but no technical knowledge.

I doubt that a 10w60 will cause harm but I would not use it as i dont think the extra thickness will be of any benefit and at high revs may not be optimal.

Flow rates are important in lubrication, not just "thickness". The thicker the oil the slower the flow, the slower the flow the less heat dissapation. The higher the temperature the thinner the oil gets.

The higher the revs the less value of a thick oil because flow rates become more important.

You can see from above that some of the benefit of having a thicker oil is eliminated because it will make the engine run hotter. Hotter engines increase wear.

The Busa calls for a 10w40 oil. Track / race bikes are usually pushed harder and therfore get hotter so a thicker oil is used so that it is at the "correct" viscosity at its operating temperature.

Typical comments is that you run one grade higher for consistent heavy duty use. Based on this I would not be inclined to go above xW50.

FYI, for my tracky I use 15w40.

Long answer but its not a simple question.

PS Just to reiterate -Im not qualified to give any advice on this. This is just my understanding from what I have read.

Cheers

Ta,
Have you found any particular version of the oil better than others?

[Belzybob]

Ta,
Have you found any particular version of the oil better than others?

From my experience (over too many decades) is that it's the marketing efforts that are the main difference. All reputable branded oil is good oil. It's just a question of matching it to your bike requirements and the Busa user manual is fairly specific on what is needed. Fact over fashion comes to mind.

[steventh]

Ta,
Have you found any particular version of the oil better than others?

From my experience (over too many decades) is that it's the marketing efforts that are the main difference. All reputable branded oil is good oil. It's just a question of matching it to your bike requirements and the Busa user manual is fairly specific on what is needed. Fact over fashion comes to mind.

Agree. Simply put, if its a reputable brand and same API grade, there will be little, if any, performance difference betwen the oils (the oil is an API SL or it isn't).

I used to use Delo 400 which is a multi fleet diesel oil (hence 15w40). These oils are generally regarded as being more robust than car oils, with a better additive package. I was very happy with this oil.

I ride with a guy that works at Gulf oil and he recommends a semi synthetic oil. His view is that dino oil is a better "wetter" than synthetic but synthetic stays in grade longer - semi synth you get the best of both. As he works at a major oil co he can have his choice of any oil and still chooses semi synth over full synth so he practices what he says.

Cheers

[Shifu]

Shifu, reading the above posts my guess is it was your "flippant" why?, that probably ruffled some feathers!.

The why? would have been seen as an effort to inflame, as it would have taken a lot less effort to just not post at all,
if you felt no need to help out a fellow board member with some information that they had requested.

Man, it wasn't a "flippant" why. I simply wanted some more information as to the application because as you know there is no such thing as "the best oil". It all depends on what do you want to achieve and in what conditions. Maybe my question was not precise in that respect but still it was not offensive or inflamatory. (I think ) I am always happy to share my opinions but if it has to have any value it should be as accurate as possible which is impossible on a very general question.

Regarding the post, Steventh gave an excellent summary here and Belzybob has hit a nail in the head.J ust skip the marketing bull and given that you are using reccomended grade all else comes to personal preference.

[Belzybob]

I ride with a guy that works at Gulf oil and he recommends a semi synthetic oil. His view is that dino oil is a better "wetter" than synthetic but synthetic stays in grade longer - semi synth you get the best of both. As he works at a major oil co he can have his choice of any oil and still chooses semi synth over full synth so he practices what he says.

Cheers

Spot on, every reliable source I've read says the same. The main advantage of full synthetic oil is its extended life through resistance to contamination. Great for high mileage long distance trucks!