Valvoline VR1 Racing Synthetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
247
Location
Colorado
A friend of mine gave me 6 quarts of this stuff in 10W-30 (said he didn't need it. Didn't ask him why). Anyway, I'm about due for an oil change on my 97 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L V8 and I considered using this stuff rather than just letting it go to waste. I know its SL rated with a high zinc content and some people fear it will "ruin" their catalytic converters. I'm not worried about that. I was just curious what the add pack is like. Obviously this isn't made to clean up sludge as some oils are marketed, but is the add pack more akin to something like VWB? What kind of OCI would be appropriate for this oil? I asked on another forum and someone mentioned not going past 1000 miles which seems a little silly.
 
Last edited:
Quote:
What weight? I don't think I would run it straight, but you could use 1qt per oil change and not hurt anything.


Oops! I'm sorry. I dont know how I forgot to mention that. It's 10W-30.
 
It's SynPower with more zinc and a blue dye. Other than that, it's identical. There have been several UOAs with it.
 
Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
It's SynPower with more zinc and a blue dye. Other than that, it's identical. There have been several UOAs with it.

I know, replying to my own post, faux pas.

Seems Valvoline's site lists the specs as different. Regular 10w-30 synpower is a bit thinner and has a higher VI than VR1. But it is quite similar.
 
I wouldn't run it in the winter but in the summer it would be okay for a for a normal OCI.
Or you could use it blended with some SynPower 5W-30. This way you're just boosting the ZDDP level somewhat.
 
Dump it all in, a lot of people run 10w30 in their trucks all winter and never complain about them dying early from cold start wear, it's warming up outside anyway.

Maybe try to find a friend with a high performance vehicle and have him buy you 6qts of something you feel comfortable using as a trade.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Some racing oils don't have the detergents and additives needed for long life, right? They are meant to be run in race engines for a few races and then dumped?

That being said, I don't think VR1 is one of those oils...
 
This oil really is just Synpower dyed a very pretty shade of blue with a little extra ZDDP, making it an API SL oil.
Cats were in use long before API SL, so I wouldn't fear any harm.
The six quarts may have come from the FAR offer Valvoline had on this oil a couple of springs ago.
I took advantage of it and ran one 5K change of this oil in the Forester and used the remaining quart as top up in the BMW.
This is a perfectly serviceable oil for free.
Use it.
 
I wold run it without thinking twice. Its funny anyone would worry about running a 10-30 in the winter unless it being in the frozen tundra.
 
Just run it as it is. VR1 Synthetic is not a low detergent racing oil, so 1000 miles would be silly. As you pointed out, it's SL, which was the standard in place at the time for your vehicle. If it were me, I'd use it as is without hesitation.

As Caterham points out, a 5w-30 is preferable in the winter, but it is spring (I think it is, anyhow), so go for it.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I decided to just use it all on my next oil change in about 400 miles. I normally run 10W-30 in the winter so that isn't a problem. It gets cold here, but seldom drops to single digits and rarely drops below freezing.

Btw, that "sapphire blue" color sure is neat looking!
grin.gif
 
The older generation (1998) of Valvoline Ricing Oil was not "blue." Use it for 5,000, my car did and I couldn't tell the difference than the white bottles.
 
Reviving this thread because I have a case of it sitting around from the rebate deal a while back.
After all my researching, it's all mixed answers...
I called Valvoline and asked them if I can use it in my Cayenne and they said no. It will destroy the catalytic converters. Is this true?

Should I run it straight, blended with other stuff or not at all?
 
Originally Posted By: gtmaster303
I called Valvoline and asked them if I can use it in my Cayenne and they said no. It will destroy the catalytic converters. Is this true?

One fill of VR1 isn't going to destroy anyone's cats, no matter how much oil the thing burns. I'd avoid it for the Cayenne because it's not an approved lube or even a reasonable facsimile thereof.
 
VR1 synthetic has no more zddp than other oils on the Porsche approved list, so it won't destroy your cats. But you should only run an oil that Porsche approves for that engine. Does a Cayenne require the A40 approval for oil?
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: gtmaster303
I called Valvoline and asked them if I can use it in my Cayenne and they said no. It will destroy the catalytic converters. Is this true?

One fill of VR1 isn't going to destroy anyone's cats, no matter how much oil the thing burns. I'd avoid it for the Cayenne because it's not an approved lube or even a reasonable facsimile thereof.


What do you mean by not a reasonable facsimile? I know it's not an approved oil but you're telling me it's not suitable to run for 10k like the Mobil 1 I've been running? It's a full synthetic race oil, so if anything I thought it would be better...
 
Well, there are a few issues. I wouldn't worry about the phosphorous levels, really. What's the HTHS of this oil? I bet it's not 3.5 or above, as specified. That's the real issue that I was getting at - certain HDEOs would be a more "reasonable facsimile" of an approved lube than VR1. VR1's TBN is sufficient for moderate OCIs, but it's not an extended drain lube like the approved lubes are. Personally, from the list of your vehicle, if I were to use the VR1, I'd try it in the Jaguar.

Be careful of dedicated racing oils. VR1 is a bit different, but there are some with very low TBNs that aren't suitable for long OCIs, and some of them have ZDDP levels that are way too high.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
VR1 is a bit different, but there are some with very low TBNs that aren't suitable for long OCIs.


Yes.

Case in point; the Motul 300V Nismo 0W-30 states right in the PDS that it is only good for ~1700 mile OCIs. For an almost $40.00/liter oil! YIKES!!!
crazy2.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top