Valvoline VR-1 Racing 20W-50 ???

[kballowe]

Anyone use that Valvoline VR-1 Racing 20W-50 oil?

Was thinking about using either that stuff or the Mobil 1 silver cap 15W-50 for my air cooled bikes.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I use the Synth 20w-50 VR1 for my car, but for a bike I'd use a bike oil or Rotella.

 

[EricF]

I used it in my 83 accord. it got black real fast, I changed it every month. I figured with 200k+ miles, it should be better than regular.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I use the Synth 20w-50 VR1 for my car, but for a bike I'd use a bike oil or Rotella.


+1

 

[1WildPig]

Either one should work just fine. Depending on your specific bike and it's use, just about any 15w40 or 20w50 should work well with a 2500 mile OCI. Synthetics are arguably better and can be run longer, but may or may not be cost efficient depending on your particular needs.

 

[kballowe]

I already use Rotella in my water-cooled bikes. I want this oil for air-cooled Harleys. Sure, in the cooler weather... Rotella would be fine - but for hot summer days and HD air-cooled motors - I prefer the 20W-50.

So... has anyone run this Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 in their motorcycles?

 

[MoparDak05]

The closest I have used is the 60wt VR1 in my 1980 Harley. No ill effects so far. (knock on wood)

 

[sunruh]

i have tested it.

was pretty good.

i lost the uoa data.

i've also tested VR1 sae50. twice.
it holds the top 2 spots on my uoa susvis table -> 90.8 and 90.2

 

[kballowe]

Originally Posted By: sunruh
i have tested it.

was pretty good.

i lost the uoa data.

i've also tested VR1 sae50. twice.
it holds the top 2 spots on my uoa susvis table -> 90.8 and 90.2


Thanks. I was hoping that you had done a UOA on this oil.

Appreciate the response.

Thanks again.

Kevin

 

[sunruh]

kevin,
there is some "heated" exchanges in the racing forum about VR1 losing its greatness in the form of much lower zinc these last few years.

however, when i tested it, VR1 was one super fine product.
right there with Maxima and Motul in terms of quality.

 

[OnTheFence]

After walking by the shelf and seeing VR-1 for less than 4k a qt. I decided to give it a whirl. Had been using Mobil 1 V-Twin.

Am rolling up on 2500mi and will have it tested before draining. I guess a UOA will tell the full story, and will give an indication as to whether 5k OCI's will work.

Absent a UOA comparison between the two. The small amount of data available, leads me to believe that Mobil, HD Syn3, and possibly other brands of Synthetics don't really do everything that is claimed.

I have found absolutely no evidence that Syns "Run Cooler"

Using HD Syn3, Mobil, and now VR1 the oil guage reads the same.

To further test this, I recorded TTS runs with Mobil 1, and VR1. Identical Engine temps.

I was fortunate enough to get caught in Stop and Go traffic for close to an hour and a half over the July 4th Holiday on I-65 in Nashville. The other bike with me that day, had Mobil 1 and reached the 300 degree mark well ahead of mine with VR1 in it.

Add that to the myth that the Syns don't shear and there really isn't much left as a benefit to running the syns.

Of course a UOA of my cooked oil in another 200 miles may say something all together different.

 

[sunruh]

get a uoa of the other bike with m1 that also hit 300. that would be some good data!!!

 

[Mackelroy]

AS far as cooling most oils run about the same, How they hold up to temp can vary.

JUst dont run GTX , just say no, run anything but GTX

 

[BigCahuna]

On the fence, Running a synthetic oil to 300 degrees is NO proof of it shearing.You didn't state what type bikes you have, what if any mods were done to the motors.Synthetic oils oils will generally handle the higher temps better then standard oil, without having any permanent lubrication ability lost.Syn 3 isn't rated in the top oil category anywhere, but at Harley dealers.,,

 

[fuel tanker man]

What we've seen in recent years is a trend of petroleum (dino) oils getting better and better, and synthetics beginning to contain more and more petroleum.

The distinction is blurred for many of these oils.

The best UOA's on this board for Harley Davidson engines are the dino UOA's. Wear metals are notably lower than the UOA's with synthetics (Amsoil, Redline, Mobil 1).

If you change your oil pretty often, as you should (around 2500 miles or so), a good petroleum oil is the best and most economical way to go.

Dan

 

[OnTheFence]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
On the fence, Running a synthetic oil to 300 degrees is NO proof of it shearing.You didn't state what type bikes you have, what if any mods were done to the motors.Synthetic oils oils will generally handle the higher temps better then standard oil, without having any permanent lubrication ability lost.Syn 3 isn't rated in the top oil category anywhere, but at Harley dealers.,,


I didn't intend that the oil temp was proof of shearing. I think there are plenty of UOAs that show some shearing on the syns. They may not be shearing to a point of concern. But some white papers claim no shearing period.

I agree that mods may come into play here. The other bike is a completely stock 09 96" My 08 has Big Sucker,Rush exhaust and TTS auto tune.

Syn3 may well be [censored] for all I know. It just happened to be the only oil on hand when I installed the oil cooler.

Of course all of this is anectdotal as only a UOA will provide more accurate data.

 

[kballowe]

Originally Posted By: fuel tanker man
What we've seen in recent years is a trend of petroleum (dino) oils getting better and better, and synthetics beginning to contain more and more petroleum.

The distinction is blurred for many of these oils.

The best UOA's on this board for Harley Davidson engines are the dino UOA's. Wear metals are notably lower than the UOA's with synthetics (Amsoil, Redline, Mobil 1).

If you change your oil pretty often, as you should (around 2500 miles or so), a good petroleum oil is the best and most economical way to go.

Dan


Well said.