Another engine oil thread

[BSLSK]

I would like to get a poll of what engine oil you run in your gen 5. It's no secret that Dick Winkles and Prefix recommends 10W-40 high mileage for street driven/light duty vipers and 15W-50 for track duty/race vipers, despite Dodge's recommendation for 0W-40. So what do you run and why?

[BSLSK]

I'm still running 0W-40 factory fill because I have my warranty but it is expiring soon, so am currently considering 10W-40 high mileage per the recommendation of Dick and Prefix.

[Martin]

I'm curious about the "high mileage" oil recommendation. What does it have in it that the regular oil doesn't have?

[ViperJon]

I'm still running 0W-40 factory fill because I have my warranty but it is expiring soon, so am currently considering 10W-40 high mileage per the recommendation of Dick and Prefix.

Same here. Never varied from factory fill when still under powertrain warranty but that's ended for me now.

[BSLSK]

I'm curious about the "high mileage" oil recommendation. What does it have in it that the regular oil doesn't have?

Higher zinc for better wear and seal/gasket additives to keep them nice and soft. The latter is more important for the gen 5s that don't get driven frequently.

[Martin]

Thanks for that - I will probably give it a go. The car definitely doesn't get driven a whole lot, and while nothing has ever leaked in any of my cars, a bit of protection can't hurt as long as it doesn't hurt the oil's overall performance.

[Steve-Indy]

If you check the Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage specs, you will find that the phosphorus level is 800 ppm and the zinc is 900 ppm..like most of their other Mobil 1 oils.

The higher phosphorus and zinc levels are found in the Mobil 1 0W-40 European Car Formula FS, the Mobil 1 15W-50, and their Mobil 1 racing oil lineup.

Mr. Winkles did tout the Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage product for its increased detergents to keep sludge under control as well as the for the preservation of seals/gaskets as noted above. His comments were in two posts that he made about a month ago on Facebook. Sadly, I could not copy/paste them...SO, I preserved his excellent post in screen shots for my own reference.

[Lawineer]

I always wondered if high mileage just meant better overall.

I figure there's a reason the engineers suggest 0-40, so I'll just use that unless I'm on track. They don't just pick viscosity out of a hat.

- - - Updated - - -

If you check the Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage specs, you will find that the phosphorus level is 800 ppm and the zinc is 900 ppm..like most of their other Mobil 1 oils.

The higher phosphorus and zinc levels are found in the Mobil 1 0W-40 European Car Formula FS, the Mobil 1 15W-50, and their Mobil 1 racing oil lineup.

Mr. Winkles did tout the Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage product for its increased detergents to keep sludge under control as well as the for the preservation of seals/gaskets as noted above. His comments were in two posts that he made about a month ago on Facebook. Sadly, I could not copy/paste them...SO, I preserved his excellent post in screen shots for my own reference.

Does 10W-40 have more than 0W-40?

[VENOM-TA]

I always wondered if high mileage just meant better overall.

I figure there's a reason the engineers suggest 0-40, so I'll just use that unless I'm on track. They don't just pick viscosity out of a hat.

- - - Updated - - -



Does 10W-40 have more than 0W-40?

Sent message on Facebook messenger

[Steve-Indy]

From Mobil:

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/...mileage-10w-40

[SA Heat]

Just curious, how many of y'all are running 15w-50 exclusively on the street? Are you using it to help subdue the valve train noise?

[Steve M]

Mr. Winkles did tout the Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage product for its increased detergents to keep sludge under control as well as the for the preservation of seals/gaskets as noted above. His comments were in two posts that he made about a month ago on Facebook. Sadly, I could not copy/paste them...SO, I preserved his excellent post in screen shots for my own reference.

If you send me the screen caps, I can host them and post them here for those of us that don't have Facebook accounts.

Just curious, how many of y'all are running 15w-50 exclusively on the street? Are you using it to help subdue the valve train noise?

I can't say exclusively since my car spends at least some time at the drag strip, but I've been running it for the past 2 years, and most of my mileage just so happens to be on the street.

I didn't buy it to subdue valve train noise though...I've never really thought mine was excessive. I kinda got used to valve train noise with my old LS-1.

[Steve-Indy]

Excellent, Steve...Thank you !!

Sent a couple of ways...I hope this works as it allows folks to see exactly what Dick posted !!

UPDATE: I also sent the Mobil 1 spreadsheet on their oils.

[Steve M]

[Steve-Indy]

That is perfect, Steve. Thanks from all of us !!

[Steve M]

Transcribed from the screen caps above in case the links are broken or the image hosting site goes away:

From Dick Winkles:

Ok, here’s my “opinion” based on my 22+ years of engine testing and development with Chrysler and the Viper V-10. I’m no chemical PhD but I was fortunate enough to work with several through the years who were with Chrysler, ExxonMobil, Shell and Lubrizol. At Chrysler we tested quite a variety of oils from different suppliers over the years running just basic performance tests and various wear and durability test. This subject could easily take up an entire chapter in the History Book of Viper (if any such thing were to actually exist!) so I’ll cut to the chase and tell you what I run in my own Viper and why. Remember, my opinion based on my experiences over the years of engine testing and development. First a few general comments/observations.

1) Stick with the major manufacturers/suppliers. I know company XYZ claims their oil makes gobs more power and reduces friction and wear better than anything else ever. Show me the data – and I’m not talking about a few runs comparing oils on a chassis Dyno! You simply cannot find real results running on a Superflow or Dynojet. You must test in a precisely controlled and very repeatable environment – like the $1M test cells the major manufacturers have, a big investment for “boutique” oil producers.

Sorry, apparently ran out of space after I had finished my speech!

So, to be brief, when we changed to the Pennzoil (which is made by Shell) from Mobil 1 it was a purchasing directive, not from engineering. We were part of DaimlerChrysler at that time and there were financial and political reasons for the switch. In addition, we could claim a fuel economy improvement with the new 0W-40 oil. We had our marching orders so we tested the new 0W-40 and compared the results to the 5W-40 we had been using and found negligible improvement in output, a very slight improvement in fuel consumption and increased wear on pistons, rings, cylinder bores and bearing surfaces. The Shell team was great to work with and some changes to the oils formulation and additive package were made based on our tests. However, the 0W-40 never provided as good of wear protection as the higher viscosity base oil blends be it Mobil 1 or Shell. Our testing was generally done in Warner conditions due to the nature of the car – who drives a Viper at -10F or even 30F for that matter and that’s probably where the zero based oils would shine. Vipers also tend to sit for extended periods more than “normal” everyday cars.

Therefore, I usually recommend the Mobil 1 “High Mileage” oils since their additive package includes higher amount of detergent to keep sludging under control and added seal conditioners to help prevent leaks due to dried out or shrunken seals and gaskets. The higher base weight of 10 will shear down less over time and provide a higher film strength and oil pressure. I really like the 10W-40 H.M. oil for those reasons. If you are a racer, the Mobil 1 15W-50 or the Pennzoil 5W-60 race oils are my picks. I think Shell also has a High Mileage product as well that I’m sure would also be an excellent choice.

[Steve M]

[Steve M]

That is perfect, Steve. Thanks from all of us !!

You're welcome...thanks for sending. Relaying the information is the least I can do.

[Hawk]

I run the 15/50 for track use as it was recommended to me by Dick Winkles, it makes sense to run a thicker oil because it is being run hard at a high temperature

[BSLSK]

Pretty sure I'm switching to 10W-40 high mileage on the next oil change.

[99RT10]

Where is Tom the Oil&Fuel guy when you need him.

[ViperJon]

Pretty sure I'm switching to 10W-40 high mileage on the next oil change.

That makes two of us. Nobody knows more than Dick Winkles on this subject. I'm sold.

[commandomatt]

What about Gen 3&4 ? Any reason not to do the high mileage oil in those as well ?

[ViperNC]

15W50 because.... you know.... 9.0L. Strongly recommended by Prefix who built the engine so I trust them. Run this street and track with no issues.

[ViperJon]

So are we saying that a 'High Mileage" blend of Mobil 10w-40 is the way to go now? Or just 10W-40 Mobil in general.