I had few visits to some local motorbike and auto part stores in the weekend and I would like to hear few quick suggestions on which oil to get for my 2006 Vespa LX150. If you were in my shoes what would you get of the products listed below?
So, first thing first: the owner manual recommends AGIP CITY HI TEC 4T. This Agip product is not easily available in the US market and comes with the following specs/certifications:
- SAE 5W-40,
- API SL,
- ACEA A3,
- JASO MA
- Synthetic (here I would read it as "real European synthetic" or class IV)
Just a reminder, API SN and API SM are superior to (or if you prefer "include the performances of") API SL.
It seems to me that i cannot find locally any oil that has all the listed characteristics at the same time. The oils that are on the table are:
Liqui Moly Synthoil:
PRO: 5W-40, ACEA A3, API SM, should be class IV (as it is made in Germany)
CONS: no mention to JASO MA,
price at 7.50 usd/liter
I do not know the brand, anybody in the forum with experience with it?
Royal Purple:
PRO: 5W-40, API SM, ACEA A3
CONS: no mention to JASO MA, probably class III
price at 10 usd/quart
I do not know this brand, anybody with experience with it?
Castrol Power1 4T Motorcycle Oil:
PRO: JASO MA, API SL
CONS: no mention to ACEA, only 10W-40, probably class III
price at 10.50 usd/quart
Castrol EDGE:
PRO: 5W-40, API SN, ACEA A3
CONS: no mention to JASO MA, probably class III
price at 9.50 usd/liter
Shell Rotella T6:
PRO: 5W-40, API SL, JASO MA
CONS: ACEA E9 (instead of A3. Not sure whether this is superior or not), marketed as heavy duty diesel oil (not sure it is appropriate for high-RPM small engines), probably class III, also it seems that the JASO approval is a self-assessment of compliance (the oil is not listed in the JASO website)
price at 22 usd/gallon (much cheaper than the other)
Also, if I look online there are not really options that match the AGIP product that is anyway not easily available (e.g not on Amazon) at a reasonable price.
As the JASO certification seems to be the most problematic i did a bit of research on it and found that there are at least 2 levels, MA and MB:
JASO MA: Delivers the desired friction performance motorcycles need to prevent slippage in the wet clutch.
JASO MB: Delivers to scooters friction performance via friction modifiers in order to provide fuel economy benefits.
Being the LX a scooter with CVT (does not have a wet clutch), I do not understand the rationale for recommending the JASO MA on the LX scooter. So I also wonder whether all the Piaggio requirements in terms of engine oil have real merit or not...
Anyway, what would you buy if the options are the ones that I list?
Any other suggestion/ recommendation?
Thank you very much!
So, first thing first: the owner manual recommends AGIP CITY HI TEC 4T. This Agip product is not easily available in the US market and comes with the following specs/certifications:
- SAE 5W-40,
- API SL,
- ACEA A3,
- JASO MA
- Synthetic (here I would read it as "real European synthetic" or class IV)
Just a reminder, API SN and API SM are superior to (or if you prefer "include the performances of") API SL.
It seems to me that i cannot find locally any oil that has all the listed characteristics at the same time. The oils that are on the table are:
Liqui Moly Synthoil:
PRO: 5W-40, ACEA A3, API SM, should be class IV (as it is made in Germany)
CONS: no mention to JASO MA,
price at 7.50 usd/liter
I do not know the brand, anybody in the forum with experience with it?
Royal Purple:
PRO: 5W-40, API SM, ACEA A3
CONS: no mention to JASO MA, probably class III
price at 10 usd/quart
I do not know this brand, anybody with experience with it?
Castrol Power1 4T Motorcycle Oil:
PRO: JASO MA, API SL
CONS: no mention to ACEA, only 10W-40, probably class III
price at 10.50 usd/quart
Castrol EDGE:
PRO: 5W-40, API SN, ACEA A3
CONS: no mention to JASO MA, probably class III
price at 9.50 usd/liter
Shell Rotella T6:
PRO: 5W-40, API SL, JASO MA
CONS: ACEA E9 (instead of A3. Not sure whether this is superior or not), marketed as heavy duty diesel oil (not sure it is appropriate for high-RPM small engines), probably class III, also it seems that the JASO approval is a self-assessment of compliance (the oil is not listed in the JASO website)
price at 22 usd/gallon (much cheaper than the other)
Also, if I look online there are not really options that match the AGIP product that is anyway not easily available (e.g not on Amazon) at a reasonable price.
As the JASO certification seems to be the most problematic i did a bit of research on it and found that there are at least 2 levels, MA and MB:
JASO MA: Delivers the desired friction performance motorcycles need to prevent slippage in the wet clutch.
JASO MB: Delivers to scooters friction performance via friction modifiers in order to provide fuel economy benefits.
Being the LX a scooter with CVT (does not have a wet clutch), I do not understand the rationale for recommending the JASO MA on the LX scooter. So I also wonder whether all the Piaggio requirements in terms of engine oil have real merit or not...
Anyway, what would you buy if the options are the ones that I list?
Any other suggestion/ recommendation?
Thank you very much!