oil.....what are you running and what are the 'effects'

[muley]

FWIW the Halfords oil selector recommends

Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W/50

for my J reg Elan.

I've used 0W40 Mobil 1 in all my Elans for a few years but plan to try 10W60 at the next oil change


Jim

[peteoddcar]

Some info from my 1990 SE 72K unmodified.
I have just put Mobil 1 10w60 racing into the engine.New K&N oil filter. It was running Elf 10w40 fully synthetic as run by the previous owner who was kind enough to donate a can with enough for a free oil change when I bought the car, so the oil had only done about 2000 miles.
With Mobil 1 instant increase in oil pressure indicated at about 7 bar above 1500rpm - I did about 15 miles as a quick shake down and it's still higher than with the Elf oil.
Halfrauds doing Mobil 1 at £39.99.
Gearbox now has Castrol 75w90 Syntrans - gear change is definitley smoother. I have no idea what was in before - but its was quite murky.

[Monty]

IMHO i wouldn`t use t 10w/60 as our elans oil temp doesn`t get high enough for that oil rating (well thats what opie oils told me). Highest i would go is 10w/50

I`ve used alot of different oils and i`ve seen/feel very little difference from one to the other, if i was doing alot of trackdays then i would go to the 10w/50.

[peteoddcar]

Hi
Acknowlegde the warning - I did not just guess though. It'll stay in for a while at least and see how it goes.

Mobil site recommends http://www.mobil.co.uk/UK-English-LCW/c ... h-oil.aspx

I am going to top up my own levels down the pub

[HJ2]

I heard just today from a reliable source that several Lotus Cup teams use TSL as an aditive!

[mmatthej1]

Just to pick up on discussion regarding suitability of using 10W/60, this grade is the one recommended by Castrol (try their website, with your vehicle reg., if you wish to confirm) and I recently raised the following query with them:

My Q :
"You recommend Edge Sport 10W-60 for my Lotus Elan SE
but conversation with dealer workshop informs me that they
recommend fully synthetic 10/40 or 5/50.

Can you comment, please? Initially, I need to top-up existing (grade
unknown) engine oil, later in time I'll be changing oil/filter."

Their A:
"Our recommendation is cbased on the fact that we don't have a full
synthetic 10W-40 or 5W-50 ... So the best offer we have from a "High
performance" point of view that we feel would be most suitable for an
older car such as yours is the EDGE 10W-60. The difference is that this
will be slightly thicker at high temperatures which would in turn offer
a thicker oil film that would afford better protection.

We do an EDGE 5W-40, which if your car has not done astronomical
mileage, and is in good condition with little wear and does not burn oil
would maybe also be suitable if you have a preference for the extra
performance and protection that a full synthetic offers. This would be
in line with the 10W-40 that the dealer has suggested ( part synthetic
Magnatec 10W-40 here )

Virtually all common engine oils are compatible, so you should have no
problems topping up the current oil with any of the ones listed above -
which you choose for a refill is dependant on the current state of your
car and the preference you have for the oil you wish to use. Any of the
above will provide excellent service - but the full synthetics will give
the best performance and protection - the EDGE 10W-60 is our normal
recommendation based on what we feel would be the best oil to use"

[G UK]

IMHO i wouldn`t use t 10w/60 as our elans oil temp doesn`t get high enough for that oil rating (well thats what opie oils told me). Highest i would go is 10w/50

I`ve used alot of different oils and i`ve seen/feel very little difference from one to the other, if i was doing alot of trackdays then i would go to the 10w/50.

Strange, when I look up the Elan on Opie Oils I get recommended 10W60!

I used to use Mobil 1 15W50 Motorsport but I cant seem to get it anymore so I've started using Mobil 1 10W60 Motorsport/Extended Life which is what Mobil also recommends.

[DeeAitch]

I've been using Mobil 1 15/50 for a few years now but can't find any for my next oil change so it looks lIke it will have to be 10/60 this time as 15/50 seems to be discontinued

[peteoddcar]

So my sump full of Mobil 1 10w 60 was spread liberaly over the A132 near Wickford when the cooler pipe blew apart! Saved the engine - it just made a mess - oil lamp lit and I saw it - it was an overcast morning - keyed off and coasted.
Pipes fixed (Pirtek rebuilt the old ones for just £18 Maybe the 7 bar oil pressure was a little too much for the old pipes.

Now running Halfords fully synthetic 5w-40 - steady 5 bar on run even when quite hot. All seems OK done about 400 miles including a few hours of motorway miles.

I like being an Elan owner again!

[Stef]

Looking to get more oil too.

Old Blipi ran on semi synthetic 15/40 and had no issues.

New Blipii runs on fully synthetic but not sure what.

I'm more concerned about the grade options than makes as personally I feel that is more important than a brand.

Considering 5/40 or 10/40 Currently on 73k miles.

Simple advice please! Thanks!

[Steve A]

New Castrol Edge FST 5W-40 fully synthetic,for Audi,VW,BMW,Mini,Mercedes benz,Porsche,Skoda,Seat & Vauxhall
and cos it was cheap in Cosco's

[rip]

New Blipii runs on fully synthetic but not sure what.

I'm more concerned about the grade options than makes as personally I feel that is more important than a brand.

Considering 5/40 or 10/40 Currently on 73k miles.

Simple advice please! Thanks!

I've seen it at GST's when Jimbo owned it. Assuming they looked after oil changes too, it would have been Castrol Edge 10W/60 Sport.

[Fredjohn]

Mine was last serviced by previous owner and used Castrol RS 10w/60, but no longer available so I also used Castrol Edge 10w/60 sport (labeled for BMW vehicles!).
Also intend to use it for oil/filter change shortly.

[m100sandra]

Millers 10W50 NT Nanodrive, More power think not but.......

Developed by Millers Oils highly acclaimed team who are responsible for the highly successful NT Gear Oils that won World Motorsport Award for best new product in 2009, the Nanodrive engine oils are specifically targeted to release power through friction reduction but also maximise wear protection. The Nanodrive formulation reduces friction by the use of spherical nanoparticle structures within the oil that actively fill rough metallic surfaces making a “tribofilm”, which means an ultra smooth surface. The groundbreaking formulation reduces load friction at extreme pressures even in stop start driving conditions, meaning less component wear and increased power.

[rip]

Developed by Millers Oils highly acclaimed team who are responsible for the highly successful NT Gear Oils that won World Motorsport Award for best new product in 2009, the Nanodrive engine oils are specifically targeted to release power through friction reduction but also maximise wear protection. The Nanodrive formulation reduces friction by the use of spherical nanoparticle structures within the oil that actively fill rough metallic surfaces making a “tribofilm”, which means an ultra smooth surface. The groundbreaking formulation reduces load friction at extreme pressures even in stop start driving conditions, meaning less component wear and increased power.

Sounds like a fancy description of fully synthetic oil to me.
I don't doubt that oil is a continually improving technology.

[nicowalker1]

I did the fire suppression system for Miller oils, they are 10 mins from me. I believe Chris Foulds (local lotus garage) uses their oils now so I guess thats what im running. Ive not got any noisy tappits or signs of problems...

[Oliver]

The latest tryout... TripleQX 5W-40 fully synthetic. API SN/CF VW505.00
eurocarparts.com

It's quite cheap!

[trig]

Millers 10W50 NT Nanodrive, More power think not but.......

Developed by Millers Oils highly acclaimed team who are responsible for the highly successful NT Gear Oils that won World Motorsport Award for best new product in 2009, the Nanodrive engine oils are specifically targeted to release power through friction reduction but also maximise wear protection. The Nanodrive formulation reduces friction by the use of spherical nanoparticle structures within the oil that actively fill rough metallic surfaces making a “tribofilm”, which means an ultra smooth surface. The groundbreaking formulation reduces load friction at extreme pressures even in stop start driving conditions, meaning less component wear and increased power.

There does seem to be some truth in the claims of more power, another forum I use has had good results from using Nanodrive http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=123507 I may give this a go next change

[DeanG]

I recently switched from Mobile1 10W-40 to 15W-50. 108,000 miles, hot Virgina weather (90+ degrees) and a bit too much tappet noise convinced me. Hot idle is 2.5 bar with 5 bar during normal running.

[Scott J]

I'm still using Halfords full synthetic 5-40. Been using this for 10 years and gone from 115,000 to 165,000 miles.