Just Thinking

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Hi everyone. Wondering if I can get your thoughts on an oil related issue. I've been using Shell Rotella T6 (5W40 full synthetic) for years in my motorcycles. I've also read where some folks are running Shell Rotella 15W40 with great results in their motorcycles.

I live in the Omaha, NE area where the temps tend to fluctuate pretty good in the spring and the fall and in the summer it can get pretty darn hot. I like the thin 5 weight for start-up protection on colder days but want something a little thicker for the hot summer days. My usual oil change is in the fall, regardless of miles but usually less than 5000, right before winter storage.

My question is, has anyone mixed Shell Rotella T6 5W40 synthetic 50/50 with regular Shell Rotella in 15W40?

I'm thinking this 50/50 mixture would have the benefits of synthetic for cold and hot and the benefits of a heavier weight heavy duty motor oil for the hot weather riding and perhaps better engine protection.

Any experience or advice with this idea?

Thanks and I hope all of you have a great weekend.

Steve
 
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Since a 15W-40 and a 5W-40 have about the same viscosity when hot, how would a mix of the two offer increased protection?

If you want to thicken the 5W-40 or the 15W-40 at the 40 end, you have to mix either one with something like a 5W-50 or 15W-50.

hotwheels
 
That would yield a 40 wt that will stay in grade longer. T6 shears out in about 1k miles enough to start affecting shift quality. I'm thinking of soing the same unless I can score some amsoil from my friend for a good deal.
 
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Had a look at the interwebs for Omaha, and even in winter a 15W would get you through...I wouldn't run a 15W in winter at 12F, but it would be OK.

5W isn't scoring you any better for your summer/fall/spring bike than the 15W40 would (not my winter comment above).

Personally, I'd say pick one or the other.

I wouldn't mix, particularly as the "W" is the area most likely to be upset by blending.
 
15w40 is good down to -15°C. I'd say try that (you won't like riding in temps a 15w40 can't handle).
If you try it and you don't like the cold starts you get, there's still plenty of 10w-40 HDEO to choose from (at least here in Europe).
Look for the ACEA E7 rating if you'd like some shear stable 40 grade for the summer. The shear stability test for this rating is 3x longer than the passenger car versions.
 
Is it a shared sump bike? If not, you could look at Rotella T5 15W-50 synthetic blend. I wouldn't use it in a shared sump since it may not play well with wet clutches but if you have a pre-unit design big twin it might be worth looking into.
 
For simplicity I would go for the 15w-40 grade and allow a minute longer for warm up on the colder days.
I also don't see a problem with the cold crank properties of the 15w-40.
There's no practical lubrication problem with it either.
And more benefits in general especially for the transmission.
 
Look at Mystik 15w50 HDEO. Here a few hours east it is readily available at several farm stores. It is cheap at about 25 bucks for a 2 gallon jug here in Ames.
 
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