Oil buff wants to hear from you!

[Francis]

Hi all, I'm a bit of an oil buff. I have spent years speaking with Oil companies, Chemists, race teams, engine builders and auto part manufactures from all over the world. The one area I tend to steer clear of is the Marketing dept for obvious reasons.

While there are some great boutique oils that no doubt are great, they come with ultra high price tags, and with most newish engines needing close to 8L of oil per change, you need to shop wise. I’d like to think that in most cases with most engines, a good quality oil changed often can be a wonderful thing.

I've always like the Penrite Range especially HPR 5 and 10, for their weight they offer a great additive pack and seem to of always had a good following. . Another oil I like the look of is Valvoline VR-1 racing oil it has a high Zinc count and quite a following in the USA, but no much said about it here.

Anyway, I want to hear any good or bad experiences people have had here especialy if any with Penrite or that VR 1.

(Please don’t post to just say this has be done before, I'm after fresh comments from recent experiences)

[BOSHOG]

i went away from penrite a few years ago. now i use FUCHS 5w-40 TITAN SUPERSYN

[Green X]

The HPR range and Penrite as a hole isn't bad for the Price but there SIN oil is over priced.

Not sure about the Valvoline VR1, but when it comes to performance oils there are better products out there a quick glace at the tech sheet shows this.

2 that come to mind is Amsoil AME 15W40 and Mobil Super Syn 5W50.

[Blem]

Dunno mate
I got a FG F6 still runnin the stock running in oil & the dealer thinks its good tll 7500. ( 2600k's aso far )
I reckon I might top up their urn well before then ( after draining the sump ) but I'm keen to give the bore / slugs a good bed to WORK IN !

[needaXYGT]

I always use a decent branded oil, but i beleive that the life the of the engine depends on the frequency of changes, because the way i see it, oil is oil.....apart from homebrand!

[Copie]

i used HPR 5 in the old car, was a good oil, when i do the change on the T this weekend ill be looking at Nulon 10w40 full synthetic.

[pottery beige]

Well what do you want to know.. PENRITE HPR 30 in the old school clevo and it get's bounced off the limiter and never looked like blowing up.. And i don't go by klm's for changes i go by discolouration.. Starts getting a bit off colour out it comes.. CASTROL EDGE 0-40 in the BA GT what it's had since new.. And it get's bounced off the limiter and has never looked like blowing up either.. So after bouncing both car's off the limiter's for so many year's and not blowing anything up.. I'll stick to what i'm using.. How's that for a testimonial, Johnny Law's would be proud of me.. :

[bowershed]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

Well what do you want to know.. PENRITE HPR 30 in the old school clevo and it get's bounced off the limiter and never looked like blowing up.. And i don't go by klm's for changes i go by discolouration.. Starts getting a bit off colour out it comes.. CASTROL EDGE 0-40 in the BA GT what it's had since new.. And it get's bounced off the limiter and has never looked like blowing up either.. So after bouncing both car's off the limiter's for so many year's and not blowing anything up.. I'll stick to what i'm using.. How's that for a testimonial, Johnny Law's would be proud of me.. :

do you run a solid flat tappet in your car or is penrite ok for this does it have enough zinc

[Mr Hardware]

Personally i don't like penrite - they have an odd spread of oil weightings that don't really fit with any manufacturers specifications and they try to market it as some kind of extra special thing

From their website:
"Penrite make a Better Class of Oil. Their premium engine oils always go the Extra 10 above the industry benchmark. So if the industry recommends a 10W-30 for example, Penrite make a 10W-40. "
What utter marketing BS
people will be at the shops 'OMG THIS HAS AN EXTRA 10 ITS WAY BETTERER!!"
sigh.

[ED Classic]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

Personally i don't like penrite - they have an odd spread of oil weightings that don't really fit with any manufacturers specifications and they try to market it as some kind of extra special thing

From their website:
"Penrite make a Better Class of Oil. Their premium engine oils always go the Extra 10 above the industry benchmark. So if the industry recommends a 10W-30 for example, Penrite make a 10W-40. "
What utter marketing BS
people will be at the shops 'OMG THIS HAS AN EXTRA 10 ITS WAY BETTERER!!"
sigh.

A relative of mine is into oil engineering and is over in the mid east every few months with no link to any brand and Penrite he tells me are in a very large group of better known brands that dont use very good base oil at all and the best are Caltex and Castrol of the main brands. Ive never been rapt in Penrite despite smart marketing

[MNM96]

Fuchs Supersyn for me.

Valvoline 4 me, its always been a budget oil. $8 a drum at woolies when I was young, and some old Gerri flogging it on the radio! Good for bowlers cars, You know what I mean?

[saber]

Originally Posted by ED Classic

A relative of mine is into oil engineering and is over in the mid east every few months with no link to any brand and Penrite he tells me are in a very large group of better known brands that dont use very good base oil at all and the best are Caltex and Castrol of the main brands. Ive never been rapt in Penrite despite smart marketing

That’s good to know! Currently for the BFII Egas, I’m using either Caltex Delo 400 or Castrol GTX-3. Both being 15w-40 viscosity. The Delo is a mixed fleet diesel spec oil.

Originally Posted by Veefore

I rely on sampling to get an accurate reflection on the oils that I use. That oil sampling has shown that the Penrite HPR Gas10 has reduced wear in my BAXR6 (lpg) by 50% compared with the Castrol Magnatec that the dealer was using. It also maintains its viscosity much longer and would still be usable beyond the 15,000 recommended change point.

Opinions like "feels smoother" or "seems to have more pickup" don't really mean anything to me. I put them down to the placebo effect more than anything else.

I'm coming up to 10k on the Delo 400 oil, I may have to do a oil analysis to see how the oil is holding up.

[rjr]

Interesting discussion and a good topic.

Try and find out who makes what oil and where it's made.

[You will be surprised that a lot of oils are made at the same place here.]

Start from there as this will give you clues to quality.

Then research up on the various grades. See if you can find out whats in the oil.

Don't listen to any marketing spiel what so ever.

And sometimes price doesn't always mean the best either. :

[BAxtER]

Just did a service today and put in shell helix ultra 5w-40. First time using it so ill see how it holds up. BA 6cyl petrol by the way.

[ea90gl]

My mate who has an E36 M3 is also a oil nut, he's told me a few things here and there. Can't remember exactly but from research he seems to believe Royal Purple is good stuff, Mobil (higher range gear). Apparently using Castrol leaves a red grime build up through engine internals? Not quite sure. One thing I do know is changing your oil frequently is one of the best things you can do for your engine. I usually change oils no more than 5000km even for my work bangers. Other than that I havnt really delved into the specifics/experience enough to know the finer details and differences

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by ED Classic

A relative of mine is into oil engineering and is over in the mid east every few months with no link to any brand and Penrite he tells me are in a very large group of better known brands that dont use very good base oil at all and the best are Caltex and Castrol of the main brands. Ive never been rapt in Penrite despite smart marketing

That's pretty much what i've been lead to believe too. Penrite is the holden of oil, the product isn't terribly great but the marketing is excellent leading to sales.

Oh and i'm a died-in-the-wool Castrol user, my brother works in the lubrication industry and just things he's seen and told me lead me to use Castrol forever. Their FMX oil is perhaps the best oil not on the market, it's a semi-synth 15w40 and i don't believe you can buy it off the shelves, it is liquid gold. I've done 70,000klms with it in my very tired old falcon and it loves it, stays golden, doesn't use a drop and keeps the motor as quiet as a tired old I6 can be.

[mickyyyy]

Im a Valvoline Dura Blend Semi Synthetic 15w-50 fan and also HPR15

Used Nulon 15w-40 and lost 30kms per tank so going back Valvoline Dura Blend Semi Synthetic 15w-50

[IH8HSV]

Originally Posted by mickyyyy

Used Nulon 15w-40 and lost 30kms per tank so going back Valvoline Dura Blend Semi Synthetic 15w-50

Funny you said this mickyyyy. I had been using GTX - 3 since day one. But with my last oil change I changed to Nulon 15w-40. I too have noticed a slight increase in fuel consumption.

Could be a coincidence, but i find it strange how a different oil can effect fuel economy. :

[Fireblade]

Have used SIN 5 in my XR8 and now SIN 15 in my F6, the only thing I can complain about is the pressure drop off when it gets hot. From what Im told I should only be using a mineral oil in my F6 so will be going back to a castrol product for that.

[Silver Ghia]

I've used HPR5 in my BA I6 Ghia for quite a while now. The fact that the specified viscosity at 100 deg C is a little heavier than the usual 10W30 oils seems to make the engine run noticeably much mechanically quieter and smoother when cruising and accelerating briskly. That its less noisy indicates to me that there is less wear going on inside the engine than when using the 10W30 oils like magnatec that the dealers used to put in.

The fuel consumption has not changed in the slightest using this oil (consistently average 9.7 lt/100km) . Also the few times I've let it run the full 15,000km and that when it drains it has the same consistency right to the last drop, shows the oil has not broken down, unlike what cheaper oils do with their thickening additives.

I'm happy with HPR5 and will continue using it in the Ghia.

[Tucool]

I'm a fan of Amsoil ... I've had a good run with it and with the money I've spent on the ute ,the extra couple of bucks makes me sleep well at night.

[Veefore]

I rely on sampling to get an accurate reflection on the oils that I use. That oil sampling has shown that the Penrite HPR Gas10 has reduced wear in my BAXR6 (lpg) by 50% compared with the Castrol Magnatec that the dealer was using. It also maintains its viscosity much longer and would still be usable beyond the 15,000 recommended change point.

Opinions like "feels smoother" or "seems to have more pickup" don't really mean anything to me. I put them down to the placebo effect more than anything else.

[Spanrz]

Originally Posted by Veefore

I rely on sampling to get an accurate reflection on the oils that I use. That oil sampling has shown that the Penrite HPR Gas10 has reduced wear in my BAXR6 (lpg) by 50% compared with the Castrol Magnatec that the dealer was using. It also maintains its viscosity much longer and would still be usable beyond the 15,000 recommended change point.

I do the same, oil sample for it's wear properties and oil degradation (quality after use). Castrol Magnatec is crap, would never ever use it again.

Penrite for me.

[burnz]

where i used to work 10W-60 kluber, german based company oil.

so now looking for a really good brand, hopefully similar to this type.
as of late no luck yet.

[FPV70]

I use penrite Diesel HPR in the Patrol. don't really have a loyalty to any other Oils for the Petrol Powered cars. they get changed every 10-15 thousand kays so to me it doesn't matter.

Only reason I use the Penrite in the Patrol is that it is one of very few that I can get in 20 Ltr drums for the frequent 5000K changes.

[Paxton]

I used to swear by Penrite, but the problem I found with it was, it made the Tappets and Timing Chain in my EF noisy. I'm just waiting until the weekend before it comes out for the last time, and I replace it with either a Mobil One 15-50, or a Nulon 20w-50. New Filter as well.

[Francis]

Originally Posted by Paxton

I used to swear by Penrite, but the problem I found with it was, it made the Tappets and Timing Chain in my EF noisy. I'm just waiting until the weekend before it comes out for the last time, and I replace it with either a Mobil One 15-50, or a Nulon 20w-50. New Filter as well.

Thats going to be really interesting to see if it fix's your noise. Normaly it's heavy weight would help with noisy lifters.

Please let us know if the oil change is the fix.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Francis

Thats going to be really interesting to see if it fix's your noise. Normaly it's heavy weight would help with noisy lifters.

Please let us know if the oil change is the fix.

I got the Nulon 20-50, and I can't stop smiling. I don't want to rave about it yet, but it's got ~500 Kms on it, and the engine has quietened up, I can't hear the Timing Chain, Lifters or anything, except the injectors, and a squeaky idler pulley.

I will never buy Penrite oil again.

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by Paxton

I got the Nulon 20-50, and I can't stop smiling. I don't want to rave about it yet, but it's got ~500 Kms on it, and the engine has quietened up, I can't hear the Timing Chain, Lifters or anything, except the injectors, and a squeaky idler pulley.

I will never buy Penrite oil again.

Hmm time to do my EF XR oil as well Andrew. Maybe i will try this nulon then. My EF is quite noisy on start up when the oil is cold....previous owner said it always has done it particualry when the oil is not brand new. This was even after he did a rebuild. It seems a habbit of the EF-EL I6s....more so than the AUonwards design. My old man uses penrite in his AU....not a problem though that is a highway car and has pretty rugular oil changes....

I saw Supercrap flogging 5.5 litres of 15w/40 the other day for a cheap price...it was castrol GTX i think. I used to know some guys that worked in this oil business and while the general consensus was that castrol had some of the best base oils he told me their 'additive package' was quite outdated, especially on the non-you beuat, maganatec/edge etc. lines. In other words, base GTX is very much base..... That and it is true about the red/maroon sludge...i've seen it at the wreckers on dismantled engines complete with the Castrol oil sticker/service note proudly displayed on the windscreen....

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

Hmm time to do my EF XR oil as well Andrew. Maybe i will try this nulon then. My EF is quite noisy on start up when the oil is cold....previous owner said it always has done it particualry when the oil is not brand new. This was even after he did a rebuild. It seems a habbit of the EF-EL I6s....more so than the AUonwards design. My old man uses penrite in his AU....not a problem though that is a highway car and has pretty rugular oil changes....

I saw Supercrap flogging 5.5 litres of 15w/40 the other day for a cheap price...it was castrol GTX i think. I used to know some guys that worked in this oil business and while the general consensus was that castrol had some of the best base oils he told me their 'additive package' was quite outdated, especially on the non-you beuat, maganatec/edge etc. lines. In other words, base GTX is very much base..... That and it is true about the red/maroon sludge...i've seen it at the wreckers on dismantled engines complete with the Castrol oil sticker/service note proudly displayed on the windscreen....

I'll cross the 200,000 mark this month, so I went for the Nulon High Kilometer 20w-50. Just with a plain jane Ryco Filter, but so far so good.

We will know at 207,500 how good this oil actually is.