15w50 Alternatives?

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I would look into this oil from M1
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1/mobil-1-v-twin-motorcycle-oil
Like is says
"Mobil 1™ V-Twin 20W-50 synthetic motorcycle oil is formulated to help offer outstanding protection in four-cycle, V-Twin type engines – particularly those that are air-cooled and tend to run hotter than other types of engines"

You have close to 500 hp with a turbo, I would want a oil that takes that extra heat the turbo puts into the oil and the M1 V-Twin does that. I doubt your engine will know the difference between the two grades of oils.

ROD
 
Originally Posted By: Camprunner
I was in Napa the other day and they have a synthetic 15w50 I don't know who makes it but it was $2.99 on sale.


Originally Posted By: beanoil
NAPA 15w50 gets another vote.


Boom! This...

It's made by Valvoline...
 
I have been running 20-50w VR1 in my Evo. Recently had my turbo fail of oil starvation. Going to try a 10-40w Brad penn oil. Not saying that was the problem, just something I wanted to try. I too live in Cali and I run e85 100% of the time. Could be that Im just making more than the 700hp my turbo is rated at.
 
Turbo oil starvation is usually a plumbing issue. Either not enough coming in the top, or the path is offset somehow so they do not drain quickly enough so that hot oil is constantly retained/slowed. The center bearing is oil cooled. It must be bathed in a steady supply of oil flowing freely.

I'd look at the plumbing real careful as I was installing the new turbo ... I'd also test it for supply volume ...

Make sure there is nothing restricting the drain line and that it's dead on the bottom of the center housing and coming out the bottom straight down and not off at some angle? Sometimes those drain lines will build up restrictions on the inside where they reenter the pan or block and stop the oil from draining away quickly enough ...
 
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Originally Posted By: RationalRussian
I have been running 20-50w VR1 in my Evo. Recently had my turbo fail of oil starvation. Going to try a 10-40w Brad penn oil. Not saying that was the problem, just something I wanted to try. I too live in Cali and I run e85 100% of the time. Could be that Im just making more than the 700hp my turbo is rated at.

Lots of people run VR1 in turbo engines so likely it was that youbare running more power than it can take
 
I would personally have more confidence in M1 15W-50 than I would in any Red Line oil since XOM has the R&D to back up their formulation while Red Line has nothing close to that level of research although Red Line does use a very good basestock blend and a healthy add pack.
For the price of two quarts of the Red Line you've been using you can buy a five quart jug of M1 15W-50. You could drain the oil twice as often and still come out ahead.
A UOA interpreted by someone who knows what he's looking at would probably be a wise investment for you.
Have one done and post it here. Somebody with some knowledge is bound to comment in a reply.
 
M1 15w-50 does not hold a candle to VR1 or Redline. Couldn't urinate on the same sidewalk.

Back in the days of the old Red Cap 15w-50, that was definitely a super stout oil. Today's M1 15/50 gets chomped up like a sandwich in a serious performance engine.

Stick with a real serious oil. HDEO and M1 will not take what a top line 20/50 will. Shear city.

I've got engines running 50 grade oils in and out of my yard everyday. Torn down many of them too.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I would personally have more confidence in M1 15W-50 than I would in any Red Line oil since XOM has the R&D to back up their formulation while Red Line has nothing close to that level of research although Red Line does use a very good basestock blend and a healthy add pack.

For the price of two quarts of the Red Line you've been using you can buy a five quart jug of M1 15W-50. You could drain the oil twice as often and still come out ahead.
A UOA interpreted by someone who knows what he's looking at would probably be a wise investment for you.

Have one done and post it here. Somebody with some knowledge is bound to comment in a reply.


Well yes and no ... Redline has a huge "laboratory" of racers out there building extreme engines and beating the living snot out of the oil. Literally, thousands of weekend drag racers and track guys are out every weekend all over the country killing engines and Redline hears a lot about what works and what does not.

It's not XOM's labs, but it may actually be better ... It's pitting their oil against real world conditions that may never come up in a lab situation. Rain delays and 95% humidity with alcohol fueled motors. Scorching hot track days. Off road dust and dirt. Salt air and marine environments. All kinds of misfires and fuel dilution with all kinds of fuels.

I suspect Redline knows more about fuel dilution handling than almost anyone on the planet.

And they are also literally a stones throw from the most modern refinery in Calif that was built by XOM a while back, before it was sold (Kalifornia Liability exposure ...). Chevron is maybe 45 minutes away. SOPUS Martinez is 10 minutes away. And the Redline engineers play golf with the big boy engineers, so they know what's up over there too
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Saying all that, do I think it's the best oil - maybe, but prolly not. I run Motul 300V Ester if I want the best. It has worked for me in tough motor situations. But it's even more expensive here in the USA than Redline.

But I know race teams that buy Redline oil by the 55 gallon drum and won't run anything else. They'll just kick you out of their pit if you try to talk them into something else. And these guys are no slouches. They occasionally hold MPH or Lo ET records during the season and have done that on and off for many seasons ...
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You takes your pick, and you spends your money, and you run it till it blows
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Many 50wt oils tend to shear fairly quickly in my experience...I've had the best luck with rotella and Delvac both in 20w50

I'd add that this has not been in performance applications however
 
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Over here Valvoline make a SynPower 10W-50

There is also Castrol Edge 10W-60 (TWS)

A mate here has a WRX Rally car that he punts at high speed through the forest, it runs about 22 psi boost, so not as much as you, and he uses Delvac 15W-40. But his engine builder said to use this oil, so he does.
 
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Turbo oil starvation is usually a plumbing issue. Either not enough coming in the top, or the path is offset somehow so they do not drain quickly enough so that hot oil is constantly retained/slowed. The center bearing is oil cooled. It must be bathed in a steady supply of oil flowing freely.

I'd look at the plumbing real careful as I was installing the new turbo ... I'd also test it for supply volume ...

Make sure there is nothing restricting the drain line and that it's dead on the bottom of the center housing and coming out the bottom straight down and not off at some angle? Sometimes those drain lines will build up restrictions on the inside where they reenter the pan or block and stop the oil from draining away quickly enough ...


Thanks for the post, yes I am aware of all of these things. The drop from a 50w to a 40w was just something I wanted to try in conjunction with other remedies. My prime suspect in the failure was a In-Line turbo oil feed filter. Probably managed to clog or restrict flow in short order. This turbo failed within 1500miles of the engine build. The head turbo oil feed has been blocked off and am routing the turbo feed from the oil filter housing for consistent and higher oil pressure to supply the journal bearing turbo. Ive also changed out the oil feed lines and changed the routing a bit. The turbo drain is a -10an so it better be draining sufficiently.
 
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