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Reply to "Back - With a familiar Face oooorr Car"

@Todd - Don't sweat over the conventional/synthetic debate. People here (and in the rest of the performance VW world) use partial and full synthetic oils with great success. The important thing is to be sure the oil will protect your engine's lifters from the valve springs- engines with mild single springs seem to live with any SM or SN name brand (the only criteria for purchase that it must be on sale- great ongoing research El Guapo!), while more performance oriented engines (with higher valve lifts, dual valve springs and higher powerbands and rpm limits) tend to do best on older style zinc fortified oils, which are available in both conventional and various synthetic blends. The conventional wisdom these days in the automotive world (and not just with VW's) is to run the same weight oil through all seasons, as (if you really think about it) the engine's operating parameters don't change as it gets hotter or colder out.

I think aircooled VW engines were designed around 30w oil- it's the right weight for the pump and bearing clearances used, doesn't create so much pressure at highway speeds (3-4,000 rpm) that it over rides the oil cooler pressure spring (and cause the engine to overheat- remember the system is pressure and not temperature based) and fit's the automotive world's present mantra of '10 psi for every 1,000 rpm'. I'm taking a serious stab at 20w-50 (and any heavier tar) here- I have seen and heard enough that I'm convinced that it has no place in any type 1 street engine.

I hope this helps. Al

Last edited by ALB
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