shortsguy1
Jedi Hopeful
Offline
I am one of those people who spends way too much reading and researching things before I ever make a purchase. (It once took me two years of researching mountain bikes before I was ready to make a particular purchase. But 10 years later, I still ride that bike several times a week)
After reading all of the countless oil threads here and elsewhere, I originally decided to use Castrol GTX 20W-50 with ZDDPlus added at the recommended dosage. Sadly, I only got to do one oil change before it became clear that the engine had major problems (unrelated to the oil brand or viscosity, by the way).
The car is still a month or two from being done, but I have already decided to change to a new oil plan. Recently, I have read more and more recommendations to not add ZDDP to oil, as the detergents in the oil work against the zinc attaching to surfaces to protect them. So I decided to avoid using an additive, and instead find an oil formulated with an appropriate level of zinc in the oil itself.
As you know, there are many options out there for classic cars. I didn't want to use a racing oil as it may not be intended to last 3000 miles between changes. Racing oils may also not be well suited for a car that sits for weeks between use. I also wanted to use an oil for its intended purpose, so that meant that diesel oils were out. In the end, I contacted Joe Gibbs Driven oils for their recommendation.
They recommended their HR1 15W-50 conventional oil for a Healey 3000. This oil contains 1200-1300 ppm zinc and is designed for older cars and for cars that may not be frequently used. It costs $10 a quart, but there is a web vendor who sells it for $7. So it is not cheap, but not too expensive in the context that my engine rebuild will cost $8K.
They also said to monitor the oil pressure at idle when the car was warmed up. If the pressure at these conditions is 45 psi or higher, they recommend that I switch to their 10W40 oil at the next change. I will post my findings along these lines when they are available.
Anyway, I don't claim that my decision is better or worse than anyone else's. But I just wanted to share the thought process that I went through recently. Thanks for reading and I would enjoy hearing how others have come to use whatever oil they prefer.
After reading all of the countless oil threads here and elsewhere, I originally decided to use Castrol GTX 20W-50 with ZDDPlus added at the recommended dosage. Sadly, I only got to do one oil change before it became clear that the engine had major problems (unrelated to the oil brand or viscosity, by the way).
The car is still a month or two from being done, but I have already decided to change to a new oil plan. Recently, I have read more and more recommendations to not add ZDDP to oil, as the detergents in the oil work against the zinc attaching to surfaces to protect them. So I decided to avoid using an additive, and instead find an oil formulated with an appropriate level of zinc in the oil itself.
As you know, there are many options out there for classic cars. I didn't want to use a racing oil as it may not be intended to last 3000 miles between changes. Racing oils may also not be well suited for a car that sits for weeks between use. I also wanted to use an oil for its intended purpose, so that meant that diesel oils were out. In the end, I contacted Joe Gibbs Driven oils for their recommendation.
They recommended their HR1 15W-50 conventional oil for a Healey 3000. This oil contains 1200-1300 ppm zinc and is designed for older cars and for cars that may not be frequently used. It costs $10 a quart, but there is a web vendor who sells it for $7. So it is not cheap, but not too expensive in the context that my engine rebuild will cost $8K.
They also said to monitor the oil pressure at idle when the car was warmed up. If the pressure at these conditions is 45 psi or higher, they recommend that I switch to their 10W40 oil at the next change. I will post my findings along these lines when they are available.
Anyway, I don't claim that my decision is better or worse than anyone else's. But I just wanted to share the thought process that I went through recently. Thanks for reading and I would enjoy hearing how others have come to use whatever oil they prefer.