mobil 1 synthetic 15w 50 silver cap auto oil

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brian12

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After reading many positive comments on mobil 1 15w 50 online, one honda gold wing owner claimed to get 600,000 miles using it, I decided to give it a try. What I didnt realize when I went looking for it was that the red cap version doesnt seem to be made anymore. So now im wondering if the silver cap version is suitable for my bike. Has the formula changed? Has anyone tried it?
Thanks in advance
 
It's popular among air-cooled Harley riders as it offers a stout additive package. I started using it a few months ago in my '07 Electra Glide and plan to do a UOA on it after 5k miles.

Here's a VOA provided by CTC Analytical Services of Phoenix, AZ and reported in a recent issue of Full Throttle magazine:

Silicon: M1 15W-50: 9ppm
Boron: M1 15W-50: 228ppm
Sodium: M1 15W-50: 13ppm
Magnesium: M1 15W-50: 43ppm
Calcium: M1 15W-50: 2464ppm
Phosphorus: M1 15W-50: 1193ppm
Zinc: M1 15W-50: 1315ppm
Molybdenum: M1 15W-50: 90ppm

Exxon recommends silver cap 15W-50 for the engine, but not for wet clutches due to the molybdenum.
 
From what I read in another forum the mobil mx4t has 40 ppm moly. Surely the 90 ppm wont hurt the clutch in my kawi. I didnt notice any slipping today while riding.
 
Originally Posted By: Lost1
Exxon recommends silver cap 15W-50 for the engine, but not for wet clutches due to the molybdenum.

I'm fairly certain that M1 Racing 4T, and V-Twin have more moly than the 15w-50 does. Are you sure you simply didn't make the assumption as to why they recommended not using the PCMO?
I'd bet good money that you came up with the "but not for wet clutches due to the molybdenum" on your own.

The past few years, M1 Racing 4T has typically shown about .009% MoDTC and the PCMO 15w-50 shows about .008% MoDTC.
Mobil would not tell you this, and use moly content as a reasoning. There reason is that they provide an overpriced fluid with a bike on the label. And do not think otherwise.
 
Originally Posted By: Lost1
It's popular among air-cooled Harley riders as it offers a stout additive package. I started using it a few months ago in my '07 Electra Glide and plan to do a UOA on it after 5k miles.

Here's a VOA provided by CTC Analytical Services of Phoenix, AZ and reported in a recent issue of Full Throttle magazine:

Silicon: M1 15W-50: 9ppm
Boron: M1 15W-50: 228ppm
Sodium: M1 15W-50: 13ppm
Magnesium: M1 15W-50: 43ppm
Calcium: M1 15W-50: 2464ppm
Phosphorus: M1 15W-50: 1193ppm
Zinc: M1 15W-50: 1315ppm
Molybdenum: M1 15W-50: 90ppm

Exxon recommends silver cap 15W-50 for the engine, but not for wet clutches due to the molybdenum.


Good dose of aw additives.
 
Originally Posted By: Jaybird
There reason is that they provide an overpriced fluid with a bike on the label. And do not think otherwise.


aw come on jay i wanna think.

i "think" that i've pretty much proven that most oil companies use this practice (ie a picture of a bike and charge an extra $2qt).
 
Wow riding on the 5th of December, Lucky you. Is in the 20's here but if it is in the upper 30's or above I will ride.

90ppm aint squat. The chevron delo 400 has somewhere around 200 ppm and no one has problems with that. I believe redline is around 600-900 moly and people run that.
 
Originally Posted By: Warlord
Amen. I cringe to think how much money oil companies make using blackguard marketing strategies like this.


There are some difference in silver cap 15-50 and the V-Twin 20-50. Both are PAO based oils. However the V-twin oil has (or had) a bit more ZDDP, about 1800ppm if I remember correctly. Also, the V-twin oil is certainly a thicker viscosity. It provides quite a bit more oil pressure in my old turbo miata when the engine is very hot.

Chris
 
I use the Vtwin 20w50 in my Harley. Runs perfect and is good for my annual OCI. But, I have heard that the 15w50 is just as good in a MC application.
 
Mobil 1 MC oils contain no VII's and have a much higher Flash point. They are also more shear stable and contain even more AW additives. (ZDDP)
 
My reference for the information I passed was a recent article published in Full Throttle magazine (and posted in another forum) in which they tested 5 engine oils, and interviewed a rep from Exxon-Mobil:
http://www.hdforums.com/m_1379162/mpage_2/tm.htm#1408675

Originally Posted By: Jaybird
I'm fairly certain that M1 Racing 4T, and V-Twin have more moly than the 15w-50 does.

Not sure about the Racing 4T, but here's the numbers for V-Twin & 15W-50:
Molybdenum: M1 15W-50: 90ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 0ppm

Originally Posted By: Jaybird
Are you sure you simply didn't make the assumption as to why they recommended not using the PCMO?
I'd bet good money that you came up with the "but not for wet clutches due to the molybdenum" on your own.

You'd lose good money.
In the article, M1 V-Twin was recommended over M1 15W-50 by Exxon-Mobil rep Tom Olszewski for use in Harley primary chaincases (wet clutch) due to the moly and other friction modifiers present in the 15W-50 that were not present in the V-Twin oil.
My personal opinion is that 90ppm moly is of no consequence in a wet clutch, but the man from Mobil feels differently.

Originally Posted By: Jaybird
The past few years, M1 Racing 4T has typically shown about .009% MoDTC and the PCMO 15w-50 shows about .008% MoDTC.
Mobil would not tell you this, and use moly content as a reasoning. There reason is that they provide an overpriced fluid with a bike on the label. And do not think otherwise.

PCMO 15W-50 has recently been reformulated, so what was true in the past may or may not be true today.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: Warlord
Amen. I cringe to think how much money oil companies make using blackguard marketing strategies like this.


There are some difference in silver cap 15-50 and the V-Twin 20-50. Both are PAO based oils. However the V-twin oil has (or had) a bit more ZDDP, about 1800ppm if I remember correctly. Also, the V-twin oil is certainly a thicker viscosity. It provides quite a bit more oil pressure in my old turbo miata when the engine is very hot.

Chris


Here are the numbers as posted in the article referenced above:

Silicon: M1 15W-50: 9ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50:10ppm
Boron: M1 15W-50: 228ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 188ppm
Sodium: M1 15W-50: 13ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 3ppm
Magnesium: M1 15W-50: 43ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 538ppm
Calcium: M1 15W-50: 2464ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 1899ppm
Phosphorus: M1 15W-50: 1193ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 1142ppm
Zinc: M1 15W-50: 1315ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 1352ppm
Molybdenum: M1 15W-50: 90ppm M1 V-Twin 20W-50: 0ppm
 
There are a few bikes that may have a problem with moly or zinc adds, but they are few and far between. Most motor heads that have them know about that.
Honda RC-51 and some ST1100/1300, usually those that are driven hard, are the only two I've heard about.
 
V twin is basically the same oil as the Racing 4t only more viscous. And they stated 0ppm Mo in the V-twin?

That right there leads me to doubt this study.

And the Mobil rep is full of it. (can I say that?) LOL...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: swjohnsey
From information posted in Virgin Oil analysis on this site:

Mobil 1 V-Twin 91 ppm Moly.

That info is dated 3/26/05. The VOA in the reference I quoted was done this year.
Looks like Mobil dropped the moly from V-Twin, which is why the Exxon-Mobil rep recommended it over silver cap 15W-50 for use in wet clutches...
 
Originally Posted By: 02zx9r
Wow riding on the 5th of December, Lucky you. Is in the 20's here but if it is in the upper 30's or above I will ride.

90ppm aint squat. The chevron delo 400 has somewhere around 200 ppm and no one has problems with that. I believe redline is around 600-900 moly and people run that.


supposed to be 82F here in austin today. 81 tomorrow.

well, i tested delo 400 LE 15w40 back in june and my uoa shows just 65ppm moly. so unless my bike consumed 135ppm of moly and did that in only 2.9 hours, i think there is less in it now. this was the CJ-4 LE version
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Jaybird
There reason is that they provide an overpriced fluid with a bike on the label. And do not think otherwise.


Soooo true!
thumbsup2.gif
 
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