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Well shoot! Castrol Edge 20w-50 discontinued.

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Morris

Morris

Yoda
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Looks like Castrol has discontinued their synthetic 20w-50 (with ZDP). Now I need to find a new brand. What are you guys using? Do you think I can get away with 10w-40 or 5w-40? As I understand it, once your cam components are impregnated with ZDP, you no longer need it in the oil. Is that crazy talk?
 
I just use the "normal" Castrol 20W-50.

The trend is towards lighter oil, so I'm not surprised to see the 20w-50 discontinued. I nearly fell out of my seat when I saw the recommended oil for my wife's car was 0W-20. I have chain lube for a bicycle that is more viscous that that. Pretty soon we'll be able to put 3-in-1 into the crankcase. 20w-50 looks like maple syrup in comparison.
 
Morris,
Valvoline VR1 conventional oil has the proper amount of ZDDP in it and it's available in 20w50. I've used it for awhile and it works great.
Rut
 
As above. VR1 or perhaps Brad Penn. Both available in 20W-50 with ZDDP.
 
I use VR1 in my car that was rebuilt with new cam and lifters. The other cars i just use a name brand 20w50 and it seems to work fine.
 
Another vote for VR1. I burn only the best oil in MY Spridget.
 
We use the Valvoline in our son's Franken BMW, based on the previous owner/builder's suggestion (it's a round tail light 2002 with 15 inch wheels, converted to rear discs and a Massive Brakes kit on the front that meant grinding the corners of the calipers to fit inside the wheels, and a really well executed install of a BMW 2.5 litre six in place of the 2 litre 100hp 4 cylinder/4 speed. Plus megasquirt and a turbo the size of a barrel: 271 hp at the rear wheels. On low boost.)
But a question: I looked at various oils today, and Castrol has a 5-50 with zinc that they label for classic cars. I figure straight 50 wt oil at 200 degrees F will give me a higher viscosity than a multi-grade, and that the greater the multi-grade range is, the more additives and the less lubricating function (and I assume that this is more theoretical than critical for us mere mortals). But - how does viscosity compare between a 5-50 and a 20-50 at the engine's operating range? Are they effectively the same at 185F (or whatever)? We tend to use 20-50 in British plus our VW Beetle engine in the dune buggy. Is there any problem with moving to the Castrol 5-50?
Wisdom (that I can understand), anyone? Thanks, Doug
 
I have no first-hand knowledge of what would happen if you ran the 5W-50 vs the 20W-50. However, this spring you could conduct an experiment where over a month you run a fresh change of 20W-50 during which you record the oil pressure, ambient temperature, coolant temperature, and idle RPM. Then change to 5W-50 and repeat the measurements for a month. If the oil pressure values are somewhat comparable and you don't find yourself loosing or burning a bunch of oil you would have some confidence that the viscosity change is acceptable.
 
I like your idea Doug. But I already bought some VR1. Maybe next spring I will try that experiment. I will have to pipe in an oil pressure gauge first.
 
The VR-1 calls itself "Racing Oil" and it comes in straight weights also.
You can buy it in 30, 40, 50 and 60 weight.
When my Midget was running and going through a lot of oil I gave the straight 60 a try, it did reduce oil consumption.
That's some thick oil.
 
There used to be a "red" bottle STP that was thinner and it was loaded with ZDDP. It was the cheapest way to add the zinc. It's been out of production for several years which only leaves the thicker "blue" bottle product. STP got such a bad reputation over the years that few people gave it serious consideration. That's probably why it's harder to find today.
 
I've got a friend that has been running a B on Lucas equivalent to STP for a couple of years. Ranted and raved over how great it is till he knocked out his differential because he had filled it up with Lucas "motor goo" as he called it. Got cold and the stuff wouldn't lubricate. Think hes going to opt for a genuine overhaul now!

Kurt
 
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