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Reply to "What engine oil? Synthetic?"

Mike Naz 356 posted:
DannyP posted:

Valvoline 4-stroke motorcycle oil. Available EVERYWHERE: Autozone, Advanced Auto, Walmart, etc. It's usually on a separate shelf from all the regular oils.  It's designed for Harleys, which are flat tappet engines, just like ours. Been running it for 5 years now.

On another note, I use 10w40 instead of 20w50. Lowered the cylinder head temperature by 20 degrees with that single change. Exact same oil, just lighter weight. Oil temp is unchanged, as it is thermostatically controlled. 

Thanks Danny,  there is a lot about high Zinc content and that Penngrade 1 10/40 is the right oil for the engine and protects well.  Have you inquired about the difference?

Brad Penn has 0.150 Zinc and 0.140 Phosphorus by % weight.

http://www.amref.com/Media/Fil...grade_HP_Oils_PB.pdf

The Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil has 0.112% Zinc and 0.103 % Phosphor.

https://sharena21.springcm.com...11-9c10-ac162d889bd3

The old oil standard, GF-4, allowed 0.06% zinc and phosphor by weight. The new GF-5 standard allows even less. This was enacted in 2010, and all new cars require this.

My engine is very healthy running the Valvoline, and while not quite as much Zinc and Phosphorus as Brad Penn, it is certainly a far cry from the "standard oil" you would put into a new car.

I REALLY like the easy down-the-street availability and cost of the Valvoline I use. $6 regularly but goes on sale for $4, which is when I buy a case. I'm not trying to be cheap here, but it is a bonus. Easy availability trumps it all.

This took me about 5 minutes to research. Good luck with your oil choices.

Last edited by DannyP
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