Bad shifting with Rotella T4 15w-40.. hotter temps

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Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
I jumped on the Rotella bandwagon and put some of it in my 2006 GSXR 600, but ever since then I have had a lot of trouble getting from 1st to 2nd (stuck in neutral... rev up, look like a noob), and a lot of issues with upshifting and finding that the gear did not change (shift, get on throttle only to realize that it's still in the same gear). I also notice that my engine runs a lot hotter (10-20 degrees consistently). I have found that I need to go much faster to get the temp gauge to go below 200, when before I could get to 190 by just getting a little airflow in there. I am disappointed in this oil and will be switching back to something more motorcycle specific. That being said, I did buy the oil on Scamazon, so maybe I got something counterfeit.

Either way, I was looking at probably going back to Valvoline dino motorcycle oil, or maybe trying Castrol Actevo semi-synthetic next. I was certainly surprised by the lackluster performance of the Rotella. I also used an OEM oil filter, same as the previous oil, which was Valvoline motorcycle oil.


Im quite sure that motor oil can not cause all of the issues you describe above.
With that said, Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil @ less then $5.00 a quart is a nice deal and its just as good as another other motorcycle oil and more.
If you ride in hot weather the 20/50 would be my choice as it was on my past vstar, shifting stayed a bit nicer in hot weather and for more miles then any other oil, again, the 20/50.
I havent used but find Actevo interesting because of price and its a Castrol product and fancy marketing. :eek:)
But Valvoline is the sleeper here, good stuff..

When people have issues with oil and shifting, more so after a fresh change, that sort of points me in the direction of a mechanical issue, clutch adjustment/whatever. As any bike should be good with any basic oil after an oil change, with that said, some oils may help overcome those mechanical issues in a way that makes the previous oil look bad.
 
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Rotella was definitely rougher shifting than the Valvoline 20w50 that's in there now. I can relate to the 1-2 miss into neutral. Happened often with the T6.

There's no doubt a gas mileage hit with the 50 weight but the buttery smooth shifts are worth it.
 
Originally Posted By: webfors
Rotella was definitely rougher shifting than the Valvoline 20w50 that's in there now. I can relate to the 1-2 miss into neutral. Happened often with the T6.

There's no doubt a gas mileage hit with the 50 weight but the buttery smooth shifts are worth it.


We need to point out to others who may not know, the Rotella T6 you used is a different viscosity then the one the OP posted about.

The OP used standard 15/40, you used a 5/40 which is not a recommended oil for your bike and honestly rarely recommended for any bike sold.
For anyone using a 10/40 oil I think they would be very happy with any HDEO 15/40 oil.

With that said, Valvoline 20/50 will provide a superior shift in properly working bikes over any 40 weight oil in hot whether.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: sunruh
when i put in valvoline 10w40 motorcycle specific the clutch and shifting action was so horrible i didnt ride 50 feet and wanted to dump it


I've used the 10W40 motorcycle 4-stroke oil and found the shifting to be very good.
same here. That's what I'll be going back to.
 
Originally Posted By: alarmguy


Im quite sure that motor oil can not cause all of the issues you describe above.
With that said, Valvoline 4 stroke motorcycle oil @ less then $5.00 a quart is a nice deal and its just as good as another other motorcycle oil and more.
If you ride in hot weather the 20/50 would be my choice as it was on my past vstar, shifting stayed a bit nicer in hot weather and for more miles then any other oil, again, the 20/50.
I havent used but find Actevo interesting because of price and its a Castrol product and fancy marketing. :eek:)
But Valvoline is the sleeper here, good stuff..

When people have issues with oil and shifting, more so after a fresh change, that sort of points me in the direction of a mechanical issue, clutch adjustment/whatever. As any bike should be good with any basic oil after an oil change, with that said, some oils may help overcome those mechanical issues in a way that makes the previous oil look bad.


Interesting note, but I never had these problems before switching oils. Maybe occasional, but not this bad (a few times every ride). Before I was maybe doing it once per ride because I was being hasty.
 
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Originally Posted By: GermanAutohaus
I'd give the T6 5W40 a shot. I don't have any UOA's for motorcycles, but the ones I do have for regular gas and diesel engines the shear stability has been satisfactory. Apples to apples, i've seen better stability and less wear with the T6, but then again I don't exactly have a load of data on the T5 (or T4) stuff since the T6 is my go-to.


I looked through a bunch of motorcycle UOAs with T6 on here and many times it deteriorated faster than T4, so that's what I tried it instead.
 
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Just swapped back to valvoline Dino 4 stroke moto oil.. seems to shift smoother. Coolant temps are about the same, maybe 5 degrees less than before. But when I was running the other stuff it was 80ish degrees outside, now it's in the mid 90s... so not really a good comparison
 
Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
Just swapped back to valvoline Dino 4 stroke moto oil.. seems to shift smoother. Coolant temps are about the same, maybe 5 degrees less than before. But when I was running the other stuff it was 80ish degrees outside, now it's in the mid 90s... so not really a good comparison


To confirm, the 10w40 Valvoline 4 Stroke Conventional Motorcyle oil?
 
Originally Posted By: webfors
Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
Just swapped back to valvoline Dino 4 stroke moto oil.. seems to shift smoother. Coolant temps are about the same, maybe 5 degrees less than before. But when I was running the other stuff it was 80ish degrees outside, now it's in the mid 90s... so not really a good comparison


To confirm, the 10w40 Valvoline 4 Stroke Conventional Motorcyle oil?
Yeah, the cheap stuff from typical auto parts stores.
 
Never tried Rotella T4, but the T5 synth blend has given me the best shifting of any oil, and it didn't degrade over the 8k mileage interval change in my Honda. It comes in 15w-40 and 10w-30.
 
Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
I jumped on the Rotella bandwagon and put some of it in my 2006 GSXR 600, but ever since then I have had a lot of trouble getting from 1st to 2nd (stuck in neutral... rev up, look like a noob), and a lot of issues with upshifting and finding that the gear did not change (shift, get on throttle only to realize that it's still in the same gear). I also notice that my engine runs a lot hotter (10-20 degrees consistently). I have found that I need to go much faster to get the temp gauge to go below 200, when before I could get to 190 by just getting a little airflow in there. I am disappointed in this oil and will be switching back to something more motorcycle specific. That being said, I did buy the oil on Scamazon, so maybe I got something counterfeit.

Either way, I was looking at probably going back to Valvoline dino motorcycle oil, or maybe trying Castrol Actevo semi-synthetic next. I was certainly surprised by the lackluster performance of the Rotella. I also used an OEM oil filter, same as the previous oil, which was Valvoline motorcycle oil.


I can't use Rotella. It just sounds too much like some type of pasta.
 
Originally Posted By: blupupher
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
These fancy motorcycles and y'all use $3/qt oil?

Fancy or not, if I can use something that cost $3 that works just as well as something that cost $7, why spend extra?


Frank Lowe would say because it is "reassuringly expensive."
That's a real thing, by the way. Obviously not for you, but for many, and there is no wrong answer. Humans are complicated, and we don't all have to be alike, and most of us exhibit some sort of contradictory behavior.
 
Originally Posted By: 853okg
Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
I jumped on the Rotella bandwagon and put some of it in my 2006 GSXR 600, but ever since then I have had a lot of trouble getting from 1st to 2nd (stuck in neutral... rev up, look like a noob), and a lot of issues with upshifting and finding that the gear did not change (shift, get on throttle only to realize that it's still in the same gear). I also notice that my engine runs a lot hotter (10-20 degrees consistently). I have found that I need to go much faster to get the temp gauge to go below 200, when before I could get to 190 by just getting a little airflow in there. I am disappointed in this oil and will be switching back to something more motorcycle specific. That being said, I did buy the oil on Scamazon, so maybe I got something counterfeit.

Either way, I was looking at probably going back to Valvoline dino motorcycle oil, or maybe trying Castrol Actevo semi-synthetic next. I was certainly surprised by the lackluster performance of the Rotella. I also used an OEM oil filter, same as the previous oil, which was Valvoline motorcycle oil.


I can't use Rotella. It just sounds too much like some type of pasta.


It tastes as good as it sounds!
Nutella/Rotella
 
Originally Posted By: 853okg
Originally Posted By: ThunderOne
I jumped on the Rotella bandwagon and put some of it in my 2006 GSXR 600, but ever since then I have had a lot of trouble getting from 1st to 2nd (stuck in neutral... rev up, look like a noob), and a lot of issues with upshifting and finding that the gear did not change (shift, get on throttle only to realize that it's still in the same gear). I also notice that my engine runs a lot hotter (10-20 degrees consistently). I have found that I need to go much faster to get the temp gauge to go below 200, when before I could get to 190 by just getting a little airflow in there. I am disappointed in this oil and will be switching back to something more motorcycle specific. That being said, I did buy the oil on Scamazon, so maybe I got something counterfeit.

Either way, I was looking at probably going back to Valvoline dino motorcycle oil, or maybe trying Castrol Actevo semi-synthetic next. I was certainly surprised by the lackluster performance of the Rotella. I also used an OEM oil filter, same as the previous oil, which was Valvoline motorcycle oil.


I can't use Rotella. It just sounds too much like some type of pasta.
I did not like Rotella in any bike I owned.
 
Originally Posted By: b_rubenstein
Never tried Rotella T4, but the T5 synth blend has given me the best shifting of any oil, and it didn't degrade over the 8k mileage interval change in my Honda. It comes in 15w-40 and 10w-30.


I use T5 15w40 in my Suzuki DL1000 and shifting is great.
 
I'd try Mobil 1 Racing 4t 10W-40 motorcycle oil. Works wonders in my Honda 400EX ATV which is air cooled and runs much hotter than any liquid cooled bike. Plus gets thrashed in the sand dunes on some hot summer days as well. Oil seems to resist heat breakdown and shearing very well. I used to use Rotella before and had the same problem with notchy shifting when things got hot. Now my shifts are buttery smooth through all gears regardless of temperature.
 
I've had good luck w/ Rotella 15w40 in my FJR and old GL1100. Of course, I've had good luck w/ just about all the oils I've ever tried in those two bikes (Rotella 5w40, a blend of Valvoline synthetic moto 20w50 and Valvoline 15w40 HD Diesel, a blend of Havoline 20w50 conv and 5w30 synthetic, blend of Mobil 1 15w50 & Delvac 15w40, etc).

The only oil I won't run again is Chevron Delo 15w40. Not because it worked poorly, but because I got my worst ever speeding ticket on the FJR while running Delo. So it's now officially on the "bad luck" list and blackballed from my fleet.

Yeah, I'm weird and a little superstitious.
 
Originally Posted By: xr650boy
The only oil I won't run again is Chevron Delo 15w40. Not because it worked poorly, but because I got my worst ever speeding ticket on the FJR while running Delo. So it's now officially on the "bad luck" list and blackballed from my fleet.

Yeah, I'm weird and a little superstitious.


Maybe it was the brand of gasoline, and not the oil.
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Originally Posted By: xr650boy
I've had good luck w/ Rotella 15w40 in my FJR and old GL1100. Of course, I've had good luck w/ just about all the oils I've ever tried in those two bikes (Rotella 5w40, a blend of Valvoline synthetic moto 20w50 and Valvoline 15w40 HD Diesel, a blend of Havoline 20w50 conv and 5w30 synthetic, blend of Mobil 1 15w50 & Delvac 15w40, etc).

The only oil I won't run again is Chevron Delo 15w40. Not because it worked poorly, but because I got my worst ever speeding ticket on the FJR while running Delo. So it's now officially on the "bad luck" list and blackballed from my fleet.

Yeah, I'm weird and a little superstitious.


15W-40 Rotella worked great in my FJR, so did everything else, same experience as you. My FZ1 is a different story. It may not suit everybody and every bike.
 
I've only ever run Rotella in my R1, at first i started with T6 and then eventually decided on just running regular 15w40 as I don't ride it enough yearly to justify the price and of course the faster shear. between the both of them I noticed no change in shifting, it shifts fine.

I remember my brother asking me after i changed the oil in his GSXR 1000 from the factory suzuki 10w40 oil to Rotella 15w40, what i did to make it shift smoother.....i dunno maybe it was just fresh oil that made it seem to shift smoother.


and in my dad's honda which has over 80,000 miles on it used exclusively Rotella in it since about 35,000 miles mark because the Honda GN4 oil became expensive and hard to come by.


Recently I decided to order some Amalie 20w50 to try out and I'm gonna put it in my dad's Yamaha before a big road trip he's taking and I'll ask him if he notices any differences between the amalie and the rotella. and the amalie is pretty decently priced on amazon.
 
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