Rotella T6 5-40 vs T 15-40

[Lurch]

Is Rotella T6 Synthetic 5-40 good for year round in my bike? I was going to run Delvac 15-40 until I came accross this deal on 3 gallons of Rotella T6 5-40. I know it would be good in colder weather, but is it also good in the Summer?

Thanks again BITOG.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Should be just as good in the summer, and better in winter.

 

[Scooter_man]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Should be just as good in the summer, and better in winter.


+1 - they're both a 40, so good all year.


Rob

 

[Lurch]

Quattro Pete :

I now have about 1000 miles on the Honda GN4 10-40 in my bike now. When I get another 500-1000 miles I'm going to change it with Rotella T6 and I plan to run that OCI for a full year, which should be about 4000 miles. Does that sound like a good idea?

I know it's sometimes good to change the oil right before Winter but I'm wanting to get the GN4 out of there and put the good stuff in.

 

[Robenstein]

I found the Rotella syn to shift better in my Yamaha.

 

[daman]

Both great great oil's and will work fine,BUT you may see some shearing with the T6.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: daman
Both great great oil's and will work fine,BUT you may see some shearing with the T6.


How would I see shearing? What symptoms, if any, would it cause?

Are you saying that Rotella 15-40 would be a better choice?

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
Originally Posted By: daman
Both great great oil's and will work fine,BUT you may see some shearing with the T6.


How would I see shearing? What symptoms, if any, would it cause?

Are you saying that Rotella 15-40 would be a better choice?

In short wide spanned multi grade oil's like 0w30,5w40,5w30,etc have more VII that can shear and fall outa grade over the OCI in high stress applications like MC or ATVs a 15w40,20w50,10w30 will have less and hold grade better.(try a search for more info)

anyway either will work don't worry about that,how long is the oil going to be in service and how do you operate it?

 

[Lurch]

I planned to run it for one year, which would be about 4000 miles of easy riding. I'm in my late 50s and ride easy these days. I redline it once in a great while to clean out the carbs but most of the time I'm doing the speed limit.

I could always keep the RT6 for my car and run Delvac 15-40 that I was going to use in the first place.

I had the impression Rotella T6 5-40 was one of the best bike oils there were.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
I planned to run it for one year, which would be about 4000 miles of easy riding. I'm in my late 50s and ride easy these days. I redline it once in a great while to clean out the carbs but most of the time I'm doing the speed limit.


Should do the trick,you ride when it's cool/cold out?

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: Lurch
I planned to run it for one year, which would be about 4000 miles of easy riding. I'm in my late 50s and ride easy these days. I redline it once in a great while to clean out the carbs but most of the time I'm doing the speed limit.


Should do the trick,you ride when it's cool/cold out?


Yes, I like to ride most all year here in TN as long as it's above 40*F or so. We can have many days in Winter when it's 40* to 60*F.

I could always keep the RT6 for my car and run Delvac 15-40 that I was going to use in the first place.

I had the impression Rotella T6 5-40 was one of the best bike oils there were.

 

[Lurch]

What I could do is run RT6 for a year and send in a UOA when I change the oil and see where I'm at at that time.

I have a feeling it will hold up pretty well the way I ride. If in doubt I can go back to 15-40 Delvac or Rotella T.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: Lurch
What I could do is run RT6 for a year and send in a UOA when I change the oil and see where I'm at at that time.

I have a feeling it will hold up pretty well the way I ride. If in doubt I can go back to 15-40 Delvac or Rotella T.

Don't get me wrong T6 is great and yes it'll work,check UOA's and see how it's going,sounds like it's your ticke, pour and ride!

 

[ddrumman2004]

I run the Shell synthetic in my Yamaha V Star 650 as well as our 4 atvs.....three Hondas and one Yamaha.

My V Star shifts better on the Rotella than any other oil I have used.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

I just tried T6 over the weekend in my KZ1100. The clutch action was EXTREMELY chunky. What a pain. I was using Rotella 15w-40.

I put in the T6 and the change was evident immediately. It only got better during the two hour ride.

So far, so good.

 

[Lurch]

Originally Posted By: Mr_Incredible
I just tried T6 over the weekend in my KZ1100. The clutch action was EXTREMELY chunky. What a pain. I was using Rotella 15w-40.

I put in the T6 and the change was evident immediately. It only got better during the two hour ride.

So far, so good.


What do you run in your GS 550L? If T6 works good in your KZ1100 it should also work good in my ZR-7S 750 Kawi, I'd say. They're both inline fours.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

The GS550 isn't suffering nearly as badly in the clutch release department as the KZ was, but I got some for it anyway. That bike is being ridden by She Who Must Be Obeyed, and anything I can do to ease her into riding well as she learns is a good thing.

I have some downtime for the KZ this week/weekend and while I'm in the garage I'll do the switchover. The difference was so immediate in the KZ...I'm hoping it will be as quick in the GS.

The only difference I'm not all that pleased with is a tiny bit of weeping around the cam plugs in the valve cover. I torqued down all the cover bolts a tiny bit over recommended so there isn't any more I can get out of that. I wrapped the plugs in about six layers of teflon tape as was recommended in the repair manual. It works great except the T6 is weeping a bit. Oh well. I'll use eight layers next time I open it up, but for now I guess I'll just have to keep wiping it off between rides.

It's always something. At least is isn't anything big (knock on wood).

 

[Mr_Incredible]

Forgot to mention, over another week of riding the clutch action from the T6 has remained smooth.