Got this from one of the BBS's I'm on. Make quite interesting reading (if a little long..)
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Hi.Here is some oil info for anyone intersted.Mobil 1 is fully compatible with the elastomeric seals and gasket materials used in most modern engines.In engines that are in good condition,seal compatibility will not be a problem.Some older engines produced before the mid-1970s were manufactured with looser tolerances than today's engines.Low-viscosity grades of oil can leak from these engines.The solution is to use a higher-viscosity grade like Mobil 1 15W-50 to reduce this leakage which is what we use in most Ferrari's anyways.Contrary to what many may believe,synthetic lubricants are not a recent development.As early as the 1930s,Standard Oil of Indiana conductedresearch into synthetic oil.More serious development and production was commenced by the Germans during WWII, as their conventional lubricants congealed and froze on the Eastern front and stalled their advances into the Soviet Union.As jet engines were developed after the war,it soon became evident that conventional lubricating oils couldn't
withstand the high temperatures and pressures, and synthetics came to be used in all military commercial jet aircraft engines.Then in the 1960s history repeated itself, and it was again cold weather that spurred further development work as the U.S.Army needed better lubricants for Arctic and Antarctic use.Still later, NASA specified synthetic-based lubes for all space vehicles, including the Space Shuttle.Today's automotive synthetic lubricants have evolved as an almost direct result of these demanding military and extraterrestrial lubrication requirements.
The U.S. Department of Energy lists no fewer than *sixteen* performance
parameters for any modern automotive motor oil. These are:
-Low temperature fluidity (low pour point)
-Low volatility...i.e. resistance to evaporation and resultant oil
thickening...good oil economy, additional engine protection
-High temperature oxidation resistance (of the oil itself)
-Lubricity...the oil's slipperiness
-Thermal stability...resistance to performance loss due to temperature
change
-Compatibility with engine metals, elastomers (i.e. "rubber" seals), oil
filter elements, paints, and finishes
-Wear protection and film strength
-Freedom from deposit formation...good dispersant and detergent
characteristics
-Compatibility with other engine oils and additive packages
-Extended drain capability
-Water stability...propensity to remain separate of water molecules
-Corollary effects on an engine's octane requirements
-Ambient-startup protection...ability to protect against oil starvation
during initial startup
-Anti-rust properties
-Compatibility with catalytic emission control systems
-Compatibility with alcohol-containing fuels Low-temperature fluidity ("flowability") becomes an important consideration where winters are severe.Because synthetics are constructed "building block by building block",contaminates present in
petroleum oil which contribute to low-temp thickening are entirely
absent in synthetics, and fluidity is stable to as low as -65F.
Petroleum oils have an inherent percentage of paraffin crystals from
their crude oil origins.As temperatures drop, these crystals enlarge
and cause the oil to congeal.In extremely cold weather, petroleum oils
become a solid mass, thus impeding cold starts, and when the engine does
fire up, causing a period of engine operation without adequate
lubrication until the lubricant is warmed enough to allow proper oil
flow. Furthermore, because of synthetics' better ring-sealing
characteristics, fewer contaminants generated by fuel combustion are
allowed to escape into the oil pan. Thus the low-temp fluidity and
film-strength properties of synthetics both contribute significantly to
enginelife in colder climeates.In one
cold cranking test conducted by Mobil,at -30F, with Mobil 1 in the
crankcase, the engine turned at an average speed of 152 RPM, and
started; using 10W-30 and 10W-40 premium petroleum oils, the same engine
cranked at 45 and 32 RPM respectively... and failed to start. Mobil
states that its Mobil 1 (5W-30) all-season synthetic may be used *in any
engine* where 5W-30, 10W-30, 10W-40, or single-viscosity oil is normally
recommended by the manufacturer; its new "Formula 15W-50" synthetic is
designed to replace and outperform those SAE 15W-40 and 20W-50
conventional oils preferred by some drivers for use in high-performance
powerplants.
Ambient-start oil starvation is,at ANY TEMPERATURE,a major cause of
engine wear.Expert estimates vary as to how much abrasive wear is
attributable to lubrication-starvation during initial startups, but it
is generally conceded that a disproportionate share of an engine's
abrasion and wear is caused during those few moments after initial
cranking during which the oil has not yet reached full circulation. NEO
Oil Company, a well established and highly-respected producer of
synthetic lubricants, has recently developed an extended-life lubricity
additive for its synthetic motor oils specifically designed to remain on
the bearing surfaces after the engine shutdown and thus deliver
additional lubrication and wear-protection for initial startups.
On the other end of the thermal spectrum, synthetic oils are also
renowned for their high-temperature thermal stability. Superior
high-temp stability ensures and engine lubricant's capacity to protect
vital engine components during very-high-temperature operation, such as
hot summer driving, sustained high-speed driving, repetitious stop and
go metropolitan driving, driving in mountainous terrain,etc.Underhood temperatures also take a quantum leap with the use of Turbos,Superchargers or
power options,such as air conditioning b& because of emissions
devices and emissions-related engine redesign. It is important to note
that, even though the dash gauge may register only a 200F or so
water/coolant temperature, the temperature of the sump and of all the
assorted bearing surfaces significantly exceed the water temperature,
and OFTEN SURPASS 500F on the piston ring and cylinder wall areas.
These high-temperature surfaces serve to rapidly decompose petroleum oil
and additives, as well as contribute to their shorter service life,
while the synthetic is largely unaffected. Beyond the protection
afforded an engine during these particular instances of high-operating
temperatures, high-temp thermal stability moreover permits an engine
oil to deliver overall extended service life (significantly longer drain
intervals) in all driving conditions, because it prevents the phenomenon
of sludge and carbon deposit formations on critical engine parts
(valves, valve guides, oil channels,cam followers, piston rings,etc.
al.) due to oil thickening, a problem commonly attributable to petroleum
oil breakdown at high temperature. As these deposits accumulate in the
oil circulatory system, oil flow drops, thus accelerating engine wear.
To the user of synthetics, the benefits are (1) reduced wear of critical
engine components; (2) significantly reduced sludge and varnish... a
cleaner engine; (3) reduced engine drag due to uniform viscosity; and
(4) increased fuel economy due to reduced component wear.
Mobil Oil reported the results of simulated hot weather
performance with its Mobil 1 synthetic as evaluated by a standardized,
grueling engine test known as the Olds III-D. In this test, an
Oldsmobile 350" V8 engine is run for 64 hours at a 100-hp load and 300F
crankcase oil temperature. This test is designed to measure an oils
ability to resist oxidation and evaporation (and consequent thickening)
at high temperature. (If it seems odd that oil would *thicken* at high
temperature, consider the analogy of heating a pan of cold syrup on a
stove.At first it would become quite thinner, but if left for, say,
several hours, the resultant evaporation would cause the syrup to become
progressively thicker.) In order to qualify for the American Petroleum
Institutes top "SF" rating, a motor oil must pass the III-D test. This
means that it can thicken to no more than 375% of original viscosity at
the end of 64 hours of continuous running. Mobil states: "To test the
extra stability provided by the Mobil synthetic oil, we decided to run
the III-D *for 128 hours*...double its normal length...and without oil
drain. The Mobil 1 synthetic easily passed the test under these brutal
conditions, thickening only an insignificant 20%. For comparison, a
high-performance premium conventional oil was tested under identical
conditions. That test had to stop at 96 hours; the oil had turned
solid. Another premium conventional oil forced the the test to stop at
112 hours, well before the end of the scheduled double length." Amoco
Conducted an identical double-sequence III-D test on its Ultimate 5W-30
synthetic; it also passed the test with flying colors, thickening only
18%.
"Film strength" refers to the amount of pressure required to force out a
film of oil from between two pieces of flat metal.The higher the film
strength,the more protection is provided to such parts as piston rings,
timing chain, cams, lifters, and rocker arms...wherever the lubricant is
not under oil-system pressure.Synthetics routinely exhibit a nominal
film strength of well over 3,000 psi, while petroleum oils average
somewhat less than 500 psi.The result is more lubricant protection
between moving parts with synthetics.The remarkable ability of synthetic oils to reduce internal operating
temperatures is far too important to ignore, since high operating
temperatures contribute directly to premature failure of mechanical
components and gaskets and seals.Coolant (i.e. water/antifreeze) cools
only the upper regions of an engine.The task of COOLING the crankshaft,
main and connecting rod bearings,the timing gears and,the
camshafts and its journals,and numerous other components must borne
entirely by the oil.There are three identifiable reasons why synthetics do a better job of cooling an engine: (1) Because of both the
oil's lubricity (slipperiness) and it's stable viscosity, less
friction-- and thus less heat-- is generated in the first place; (2) The
molecular structure of the oil itself is designed to more efficiently
transfer heat, even compared against the thermal conductivity properties
(ability to absorb and dissipate heat) of an identical-viscosity
petroleum oil; and (3) As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the more
rapid oil flow of these lower-viscosity synthetics contributes
significantly to the efficient transfer and dissipation of heat.
*Because of all these factors, oil-temperature decreases of from 20F to
50F are quite common with the use of synthetic oil*. One might even say
that the heat-reduction properties of synthetics are synergistic...by
helping to reduce its own temperature, the synthetic oil is
simultaneously enhancing the lubricant's overall performance
characteristics.
In a Popular Science article on synthetic oils, veteran race car
driver Smokey Yunick was quoted: "When you disassemble an engine that's
been run on petroleum oil, if you examine the rings and cylinder bores
with a glass you'll see ridges and scratches--that's the wear going on.
With polyol (a variety of synthetic), when you take the engine apart
everything has the appearance of being chrome-plated. In the engine we
ran at Indianapolis this year we used a polyol synthetic.When we tore
the engine down, you could still see the original honing marks on the
bearings...no wear at all.We put the same bearings back in because the
crankshaft never touched the bearings.
OIL performance RESULTS IN TESTS. compliled from various sources.Listed alphabetically --- indicates the data was not available
Brand VI Flash Pour %ash %zinc
20W-50
AMSOIL 136 482 -38
Castrol GTX 122 440 -15 .85 .12
Exxon High Performance 119 419 -13 .70 .11
Havoline Formula 3 125 465 -30 1.0 ---
Kendall GT-1 129 390 -25 1.0 .16
Pennzoil GT Perf. 120 460 -10 .9 ---
Quaker State Dlx. 155 430 -25 .9 ---
Red Line 150 503 -49 --- ---
Shell Truck Guard 130 450 -15 1.0 .15
Spectro Golden 4 174 440 -35 --- .15
Spectro Golden M.G. 174 440 -35 --- .13
Unocal 121 432 -11 .74 .12
Valvoline All Climate 125 430 -10 1.0 .11
Valvoline Turbo 140 440 -10 .99 .13
Valvoline Race 140 425 -10 1.2 .20
Valvoline Synthetic 146 465 -40
15W-50
Chevron 204 415 -18 .96 .11
Mobil 1 170 470 -55 --- ---
Mystic JT8 144 420 -20 1.7 .15
Red Line 152 503 -49 --- ---
15W-40
AMSOIL 135 460 -38
Castrol 134 415 -15 1.3 .14
Chevron Delo 400 136 421 -27 1.0 ---
Exxon XD3 --- 417 -11 .9 .14
Exxon XD3 Extra 135 399 -11 .95 .13
Kendall GT-1 135 410 -25 1.0 .16
Mystic JT8 142 440 -20 1.7 .15
Red Line 149 495 -40 --- ---
Shell Rotella w/XLA 146 410 -25 1.0 .13
Valvoline All Fleet 140 --- -10 1.0 .15
Valvoline Turbo 140 420 -10 .99 .13
The numbers above are not, by any means, all there is to
determining what makes a top quality oil. The exact base
stock used, the type, quality, and quantity of additives
used are very important.The given data combined with the
manufacturer's claims,your personal experience, and the
reputation of the oil among others who use it should help
you make an informed choice.Hope this helps some of you.Regards.Nick Scianna. www.nicksforzaferrari.com
