Z06 analysis results - Royal Purple 10W-30

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Thanks for the contribution, especially the Royal Purple since it had all but been written off here in the forums (not that I object!) Obviously a good looking report, copper numbers in GM engines always give me a heart attack until I remember it's normal! One of the biggest gripes in regards to Royal Purple has been it's tendency to lose viscocity, but this one did reasonably well. TBN also seems to have held also, since I think it's low-ish to begin with.
 
Thnx for the reply. After reading the board, it seems like RP is definitely not the way to go. But, considering the numbers I received this time, I'm a little confused. I'm still not sure what all the numbers (ex: how to tell what viscosity it was when tested vs. what it started out as) are supposed to mean. Where do the initial flashpoint numbers come from? I see more reading in my future.
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BTW-the filter was an AC Delco Ultraguard. Driving was pretty hard overall. 5 1/4 mile passes, 25 laps at Texas World Speedway (took all day, car had plenty of time to cool) and a 800 mile roadtrip are on this oil.
 
You can compare the values to this:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000110

The range for a 30 wt oil is about 57 to 68.4 SUS. So the viscosity did drop which we have seen before. Also since there is makeup that makes the wear metals somewhat higher and the oil properties somewhat lower. The flashpoint normally drop as the oil gets "used up" . Still a respectable report. I don't have confidence in this oil to go an extended drain interval-at least not as well as Mobil 1 or Amsoil. Thanks for posting
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Not a bad showing, it's thinned out (surprise surprise) and the iron and tin are a tick high, but considering the hard driving, honestly it's a respectible performance.

I do believe Redline would show much lower wear numbers in this engine though. I know Terry recommends Redline to those LS1/LS6 owners who drive hard.
 
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I do believe Redline would show much lower wear numbers in this engine though. I know Terry recommends Redline to those LS1/LS6 owners who drive hard.

Not bad, I agree with the others. I would run Redline too if I had a vette. I'd also try a M1 10w-30 + D1 mix. Thicken it up a bit.
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How did Royal Purple get to be a motor oil used in racing when all we see in these UOAs involving RP are bad to so-so reports? But how much does it cost-something like 6 bucks a quart or so? A person might as well use Redline, it seems to me, or Mobil 1.
 
Here's the results from my 01 Z06.

Note: the 1 quart added make-up oil was for a road race.

Patman, I posted this on LS1tech as well.

I think this compares pretty well to other LSx engine results I have seen on the web.

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Well, for those of you touting Redline, please explain these numbers. This is from an 02 WS6 (disregard the 4-cylinder designation in the report)

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minivette, I hope you like consistency because I’m going to agree with pretty much everyone else above. The oil did a decent job (forget about that copper … most likely from assembly lube and/or the oil cooler) but the TBN of 6.4 is nothing to crow about nor is a 10W30 oil which has thinned in less than 5,000 miles. If I were writing for Blackstone, I probably would not have added the comment telling you that an increased interval is OK. Yours is a specialty car/engine and extending drain intervals until the oil utterly fails is pointless.

If you decide to stay with Royal Purple (price, local availability, some other reason … ), I’d try and stick with 4,000 miles as a maximum interval. If you want to go longer between drains (5,000+ miles), the only oil I’d recommend is Red Line (in the same weight). If it were my machine and I wanted to treat it to frequent changes (say 2,500 – 3,000 miles - which is probably what I’d do), I’d use Schaeffer Supreme 7000 10W30 synthetic blend. Stable base oil and a killer additive package make for extremely low wear. At $3 per quart, the extra changes should still allow you to make the payments on your pricey toy.
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Mobil 1 or Amsoil? I’d use that for 4,000 miles and then test before going any longer with it.

“How did Royal Purple get to be a motor oil used in racing … ?”

Mystic, in SCCA, most racers use Red Line Oil. A few (supposedly) use other brands including Valvoline, Mobil 1 and Royal Purple … but I think RP’s racing reputation is mostly played up in their advertising … and their racing formula is very different from their street formula.

--- Bror Jace
 
As I mentioned on LS1Tech, that is indeed not a great report for Redline, however keep in mind the engine is new, so there are a lot of wear metals floating around in there.

If you check out other Redline reports on this site, you'll see it is a consistent performer. I'm very anxious to try it out in my wife's Honda, but it won't be going in until the fall and I won't see the first results until next April. Her car is currently running Royal Purple 5w30.
 
minivette, I wrote that post of mine off-line and didn’t see your posting of that Red Line UOA report until after I had submitted mine.

That report looks good once you throw out the copper reading as you have to do with those GM engines. The oil was still within weight range, TBN was decent at 8.0 (and it may be higher, actually), wear was at or lower than the universal averages despite the interval being a tad longer and the car has only 6,000 miles on it meaning that breaking-in is still probably occurring. That last fact alone suggests that wear metals should have been even higher than they were.

Also, the moly amount of 351PPM shows that this was a first use of Red Line. That value should be closer to 600PPM. The first time with a moly oil, “uptake” (moly bonding/plating to the metal parts under heat and pressure) uses up a lot of the additive package. after the 2nd and especially 3rd use of the same oil, the PPM of moly stabilizes as the uptake amount equals the amount scuffed off due to friction and the PPM level looks essentially the same as a virgin sample. In Red Line's case, this is about 600PPM.

It is also common to see higher wear metals as the polyol ester-rich base oil naturally picks previous wear metal bits out of old deposits and holds them in suspension … although this effect will be minimal in such a low mileage engine.

I bet the owner of this car will see reduced wear metals in a second test as long as the conditions, oil and use interval are similar.

--- Bror Jace
 
Here's what my conclusion was (posted this on LS1tech as well)

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Ok, I see what you are saying now. I was looking for a result of the oil thinning, such as higher wear. But there really wasn't any. that's what was confusing to me.

One can assume that the thinning oil will cause more wear. I would think that would be correct as well. I may have changed this oil at the very time the wear would start to show, I'll never know tho. I would definitely not prolong the change interval (as suggested) but would run it at a max of 4k or so. But by doing so, I am not getting my moneys worth out of the oil.

Thanks.

I really appreciate all the help guys, I really do. It's alot of info to take in all at one time for someone who has never seen any analysis reports before. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
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No problem! Royal Purple oil does create a lot of controversy, both here and on the LS1 message boards. A lot of the reason is because there are so many loyal users of it who don't like me badmouthing it. I just don't see any logical reason to use this oil when it has yet to show consistent results. And I don't see how a 10w30, especially one that's supposed to be full synthetic, can thin out at all. A good 10w30 synthetic should contain no VII, so therefore it's viscosity should not change at all unless you run it very long (and it oxidizes and thickens) or unless you get a lot of fuel in it (and then it will thin out) Even 10w30 dino oils costing $1 a quart don't thin out like this oil does. You'd think a company with a big name like Royal Purple would've solved this problem a long time ago. I guess they figured since 99.9% of their customers will never do used oil analysis, nobody will notice if their oil thins out on them. They'll just notice the higher MPG and higher horsepower from the thinner oil and will assume that means the oil is great.
 
Minivette,
As you can see from the above posts, this site, while very informative has a massive bias against Royal Purple. The consensus is that the RP vis. drops rapidly and therefore the oil sucks. From your own analysis and the remarks of the Analysis company, your Royal Purple did very well. In the area you need the most, wear metals,it did very well. Yet Red Line, a very good oil, had high wear, and there are excuses for it. But it must be great. Our experts love it. Yet the true analysis prefessionals at Blackstone, are castigated for their report. Ask yourself this. After racing you car during the 4391 miles, did the oil NOT perform well. The only way to have problems with this report is to have a VOA, and compare. Most of the people that have an axe to grind against RP, have had it long before they ever tested the oil. Imagine if you used Patmans super duper "German Oil". It would have 11 ppm of fe before you tested. Yet I did not see him get "Enraged”. I guess the fact it is German makes it better. Don't get me wrong. Redline makes a great product. SO DOES ROYAL PURPLE. If you do not trust Blackstones, analysis who can you trust?
 
“ … Red Line, a very good oil, had high wear and there are excuses for it.”

Looking at that report, I don’t see high wear. For an engine still breaking in I see low wear along with the GM copper syndrome which is by all accounts not an indicator of wear but common with all brands of oils.

PRRPILL, I tried to be fair. I really did. If you read my first post above you’ll see that I did not suggest minivette needed to switch brands. The RP oil performed “OK” for the 4,000 mile (or so) intervals he’s using and he should be fine doing just as he is. The alternatives I offered were a low interval synthetic blend oil which produces amazingly low wear numbers (Schaeffer) or a premium 100% synthetic oil for (slightly) extended drains (Red Line) in case he was considering heading in either of those directions.

--- Bror Jace
 
Minivette,

I think your RP analysis looks excellent, based on what I've seen of that engine. If the oil thins or thickens a bit, but the wear rates are still very low, I'd say it's not really relevant. TBN retention looks fine as well and you could step out to a 6000 mile change interval if you so desired.

To be fair to Redline, the second engine you posted results for has only 6000 total miles on it. You are still seeing break in wear in that case. It probably takes about 10,000 miles for the wear pattern to stabilize in any engine, so i don't get bent out of shape about wear rates I see with new engines, unless it's related to coolant, fuel or dirt.

A final comment is that no two engines will have identical wear patterns, and driving conditions vary widely. To compare oils, you have to be using the same engine run under the same conditions and using the same brand of fuel.

TooSlick
 
Bob,
As I said, this is a great site, and should have said "some of the people on this site" have a massive bias......
I have always found you very objective as are many others. Molekule, Terry,etc.
Bror Jace.
You are consistant. Read your own post and tell me you were not recommending him to change to another oil. I have no problem with that. It is your opinion. BUT you must admit that if the RP had shown similar metal # under any conditions, you would said "told you so".
I will research your concerns about Viscosity decrease, but in the mean time I am sure you will agree that the "loss" is NOT causing any higher wear particles. And this is the true test of the oils protection.
 
PRRPILL, here is what I said above:

"I’m going to agree with pretty much everyone else above. The oil did a decent job (forget about that copper … most likely from assembly lube and/or the oil cooler) ... If you decide to stay with Royal Purple (price, local availability, some other reason … ), I’d try and stick with 4,000 miles as a maximum interval."

My preferences are clear, but I did not recommend minivette switch brands. I provided him with alternatives depending on what he might be looking for: lowest possible wear or ease of maintenance (extended drains). I suppose I could have asked him first but instead I threw some ideas out there.
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Months ago a guy with a Viper (same price class of car) was using Mobil 1 and he too had an "OK" UOA report. He said he was changing oil at the 2,500 mile mark and I made the same recommendation that a switch to the same weight (I believe it was 10W30 as well) of Schaeffer Supreme 7000 would produce better results (as well as greater economy). If the oil being tested happened to be Castrol Syntec, Quaker State, Valvoline Synpower or even Amsoil, my recommendations (in either case) would remain the same.

--- Bror Jace
 
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