[DarkWolf40]

Yep, my 91 service manual states 10w40, but I too have always used Mobil 1 15w50. Not sure thats the best thing to be using or not but I do know that the current thinking is 10w40 is crap. Some new car warrenties will be voided if you use 10w40.

 

[88quad]

I'm glad we've been able to establish the most suitable oil for our cars.

 

[lowmileage]

I guess Alfa may have been at the race track or something that day and missed the class on maximum viscosity spread. The Alfa recommended oil from 1990 and up is 10w-40. 1974-1989 was 10w-50.

Guess someone ought to tell Alfa they've got it all wrong, eh?

Just reporting what has been said currently about 10w-40. Everyone can of course make their own decision bout what they want to use.

 

[flaatr]

I vote for Castrol GTX 20w-50

-Raffi

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Regards 10-40 and 10-50 as recomended by Alfa, aren't they specifying Agip Sint (sint=synthetic)? I'm too lazy to go out in the garage and check, but that's what I seem to recall.

 

[DarkWolf40]

I don't think brand names have that much to do about it. Thier all about the same when you read the label, they all conform to the same standards. My dad used to say you should stick to one brand, in other words if you start using Valvoline, you shouldn't add Pnsoil later because sometimes different sources of crud don't mix well. My hot-rod mechanic says if the owners manual says 10W40, to use 10W30. May using the 15W50 on the my S4 is not what I should be using. I'm using 10W30 on my 400hp Ford hot rod and a can or BG-MOA

 

[aldo]

My dad used to say you should stick to one brand, in other words if you start using Valvoline, you shouldn't add Pnsoil later because sometimes different sources of crud don't mix well. My hot-rod mechanic says if the owners manual says 10W40, to use 10W30.

Now I'm really confused.

 

[Tifosi]

'Tis a hot rod thing:

Thinner viscosity oil is easier to shove through the engine by the pump, therefore less parasitic drag rsulting in a wee bit more power at the crank.

 

[lowmileage]

FWIW

Oil

 

[Tifosi]

Picking for no other reason than my own amusement at a couple spots in the above linked article:

A thinner oil can more easily and quickly be 'pumped-up' to the critical parts of the engine, takes less energy to move it around, helps the engine to produce more power

Did I not just say that? hehe

Unless your car is an actual bonafide 'RACE CAR'- no city driving, no idling, no stop and go traffic, no foul weather driving, etc...- Do NOT use 'racing' oil in your engine. Racing oil has a very narrow and specific additive package designs for engines that are used in racing situations, like constant high rpm operation, steady speeds, no stop and go, no foul weather, etc...

Spoken like a man who has truly never been in or seen an endurance road course race. (strange what some people define as racing that others do not even acknowledge exists. It ain't all about running around in circles)

As an example: start with 10W-30, and at 500 miles top it off. If 1,000 miles later you are a quart or half a quart low, record it and continue with the test. At 3,000 miles, if you have had to add more than a quart counting from the first 500 mile top-off, then you should use 10W-40 on the succeeding oil change.

Record your results again. If the 10W-40 does not volatize as readily then you should stick with that. However, if it still burns away, then try 20W-50.

Must not be talking about an Alfa engine



As I said, for my own amusement, becuase I am indeed easily amused. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[slyalfa]

I think the oil that is best for the bottom might not be the best for the top?
my 3l V6 liked the 0-40 moble1 the best. but after I redid it the top would knock with the S cams (the oil jets might have somthing to do with it too) so I went to the 15W50 moble 1 and it seems to like that a lot.

I am runing the 15-40 sync shell truck oil but it seem to not like that so much as it started to burn oil so I will be going back to the moble 15w50.

but the way I see it is, if you have a working gage(rare in a alfa) you should run as thin as you can and keep the oil PSI. if you go to thick the flow will be down and all the oil will be going in to the bypass valve. runing 20W50 dino I runed the bottom of my old v6 it was still runing but knocking at idle. On tear down the the shells where wiped out. this is what happens with too thick and cold runing. it is the same as runing with no oil.

you want flow in the bearings not the bypass. but you also need it keep up the PSI when HOT.
the syn seems to work welll with this. but the dyno would peg at cold and run low hot.

I drive my car every day to work and I put on the miles. so I need it to work and run when cold or when hot.


that is my $0.02

 

[Duke58]

Holy Cow Batman! 15-40 sync shell truck oil

run as thin as you can and keep the oil PSI

On tear down the shells were wiped out

this is what happens with too thick and cold runing

I have a headache.

 

[slyalfa]

well what one motor likes might need to be a bit different on a different motor.
a worn motor can have extra space in bearings and need thicker oil then the same motor with tight bearings. when I changed my v6 the newer one has hotter cams that seem to like a bit thicker oil. and the block also added a oil jet for each piston. the gearing was also changed to run the oil pump a bit faster. all this was after x S/N or x year. but all in all the new motor seems to need a bit thicker oil then the old one did even with worn out bearings.
I think the jets use up a lot of the oil.

I think it is best to look at the oil gauge (a working one) and change the oil untill the reading are good. you just what the right PSI when hot. if it is peged that is not good. anytime max PSI is hit the valve will open and the oil will bypass. This is not good as the oil is not flowing where it is needed. what I noticed with the dino stuff was too low hot and way way to high cold.
now if I let it sit and idle until the PSI drops that would help but I like to get going sometime in my lifetime. and the long warmup is not to good for the cat.

but you can also tell by the sound the smell etc when the oil seems right or seems wrong.
the gauge can also tell when the oil needs to be changed. when the PSI starts to get too low when goin down the freeway time to change it.

and mycar seem to like the moble 1 but is cost a lot. but I get a stable PSI reading almost right away and it stays there even when very very hot. untill it needs a change then it starts to drop off when hot.

by stable is say when runing say down the freeway I get very close to the same reading each time and temp(from just warm to normal)

but this does need a working gauge say a aftermarket one as the alfa gauge will be all over the place with temp, moon phase etc.

 

[chasgtv6]

I also use Castrol 20/50 but in addition I add 1 bottle of GM cam and lifter pre-lube
part # 12345501 at each oil change. Refer to Hot Rod Magazine article on oils,
June 2006.

 

[GV27]

This probably doesn't help much but I personally think all the M1 "High Mileage", "Extended", etc. is just a big load of marketing BS. My guess is that it's all basically the same good stuff.

Anybody think I should immediately change out the M1 10w-40 I just put in my Spider? I had a major brain fart and for some reason bought a whole bunch of it for both the Alfa and my truck and had 6.5 quarts in before it suddenly dawned on me that I've always used 15w-50. I think maybe I bought it thin in the middle of the winter then my brain latched on to it. I dunno. I did add some BG MOA to it though......

Chris

 

[lowmileage]

This probably doesn't help much but I personally think all the M1 "High Mileage", "Extended", etc. is just a big load of marketing BS. My guess is that it's all basically the same good stuff.

Anybody think I should immediately change out the M1 10w-40 I just put in my Spider? I had a major brain fart and for some reason bought a whole bunch of it for both the Alfa and my truck and had 6.5 quarts in before it suddenly dawned on me that I've always used 15w-50. I think maybe I bought it thin in the middle of the winter then my brain latched on to it. I dunno. I did add some BG MOA to it though......

Chris

M1 is basically a VG oil IMO. If you're getting a good "hot" psi reading, I wouldn't worry about it. The HM oil is supposed to have stuff in it to "swell" up oil seals and stuff. Possibly but now we're doing a band-aid fix. I think once seals are gone, the're gone - same with gaskets. But, I really don't like to be in the middle of these oil questions

 

[ddouglas77]

I've used a mix of 50/50 15W50 and 10W40 Mobil 1. But then again, my engine locked up (not from the type of oil but from the lack of it).

 

[sgtpeper]

Im a major fan of 20w50 Amsoil racing oil. My mechanic in Chicago used it on his race car and when they would break the engine down after a race there was very little damage internally vs other oils. This was on a built duetto for the record!

I use amsoil in every car Ive own and cant say enough good things about it - other than its **** pricey!

My STi has amsoil in it and doenst burn a drop, with mobil 1 it did burn a bit of oil. Amsoil for the win

Jeff

 

[ddouglas77]

My STi has amsoil in it and doenst burn a drop, with mobil 1 it did burn a bit of oil. Amsoil for the win

Jeff

Reeve Callaway Engineering did extensive testing on synthetics and found M1 to be the best, the twin turbo vette that Callaway made did well over 200mph on GM's testing ground-not on the salt flats-how fast did your buddies Duetto go??? Mobile One for the win....I'm just kidding with you don't take that personal, anything is better than conventional oil.

 

[lowmileage]

M1 is factory fill (and has been for a while) in the Corvette. It can't be too shabby IMO. I've never been able to buy into that Amsoil stuff.