Oil Re Dux - Simple Answer

[Jim Beam]

Listers,
Having read all the great information ref. oil needs and options for our 356s, I am simply overwhelmed. Simple answer please: What would be the best oil and weight for me to use in my 1963B normal which is driven about 2000 miles per year here in New Mexico and has the oil/filter changed every six months? Does it even matter given the limited usage? For years I used Pennzoil 20w for winter and 30w for Summer. What are the current recommendations?
Thanks.
Jim
'63B Coupe
'87 911 Coupe

[Barry Brisco]

Jim, there is no "best" oil. Any modern oil is much better than what
our cars came with when new. Use what you've been using. You're only
driving it 2,000 miles/year.

Barry

At 16:34 -0700 8/12/08, Jim Beam wrote:

Listers,
Having read all the great information ref. oil needs and options
for our 356s, I am simply overwhelmed. Simple answer please: What
would be the best oil and weight for me to use in my 1963B normal
which is driven about 2000 miles per year here in New Mexico and has
the oil/filter changed every six months? Does it even matter given
the limited usage? For years I used Pennzoil 20w for winter and 30w
for Summer. What are the current recommendations?
Thanks.
Jim

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[JOEL JENSEN]

I'll have to take exception to Barry's comment about 'any modern oil being acceptable'.
Most of the new formulations have little if any Zinc to protect your mechanical cam followers from wear. At least add a bottle of STP for 4 cylinder cars (red bottle) to your oil as it will provide a minimal amount of zinc. For the extra few bucks use the best, Brad Penn Racing and for the heat of New Mexico the 20 - 50 weight would be best. Zims sells it and discounts it when buying 2 or more cases, Lucky you, they are in Texas so the shipping shouldn't be too bad. Good clean oil is the best and least expensive protection you can give your car in combination with regular maintenance, valve adjustments, lubes etc.

[Barry Brisco]

I'll have to take exception to Barry's comment about 'any modern oil being acceptable'.
Most of the new formulations have little if any Zinc to protect your mechanical cam followers from wear.

Jim said that his car "is driven about 2000 miles per year". I seriously doubt his engine wear will become significant in the next 20 years at that rate of use (and is he likely to still be putting even that much mileage on it a few decades from now?). So he can use any modern oil he wants to in his engine as long as the weight is appropriate for his temperature conditions.

I'll wager that the average 356 is driven even less than Jim's car is, making the question of oil additives even less important.

[Dave Wildrick]

Listers,
Having read all the great information ref. oil needs and options for our 356s, I am simply overwhelmed. Simple answer please: What would be the best oil and weight for me to use in my 1963B normal which is driven about 2000 miles per year here in New Mexico and has the oil/filter changed every six months? Does it even matter given the limited usage? For years I used Pennzoil 20w for winter and 30w for Summer. What are the current recommendations?
Thanks.
Jim
'63B Coupe
'87 911 Coupe

If you don’t want to pay the freight to have Brad Penn racing oil (semi-synthetic) shipped from some distant location, Charles Navarro, our resident 356Registry oil analyst, recommends Valvoline 4-stroke motorcycle oil 10w40 or 20w50 as a good conventional (non-synthetic) oil. It comes with an API SF/SG/SJ rating and has the correct amounts of phosphorus and zinc for the 356 engine. I paid about $3.30/qt at my local Autozone and am running it in both my C coupes.

[Steven Wolf]

Go to the 356 web site and locate Charles Navarro's article on
oil.............

Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Beam" <lglbeam@earthlink.net>
To: <356talk@356registry.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 3:34 PM
Subject: [356Talk] Oil Re Dux - Simple Answer

Listers,
Having read all the great information ref. oil needs and options for our

356s, I am simply overwhelmed. Simple answer please: What would be the
best oil and weight for me to use in my 1963B normal which is driven about
2000 miles per year here in New Mexico and has the oil/filter changed every
six months? Does it even matter given the limited usage? For years I used
Pennzoil 20w for winter and 30w for Summer. What are the current
recommendations?

Thanks.
Jim
'63B Coupe
'87 911 Coupe

Post generated using Mail2Forum via email.

[Tom Farnam]

Nice to know that our own Mr. Brisco has now completed his studies/degrees in chemical and mechanical engineering. At least that seems to be the case based on his answers.

Saves the rest of us the trouble trying to figure out any of these issues, just wait for Barry's response.

Tom

[Emil Wojcik]

It's amazing to me how all the expert I find online are split on this one (some true experts, some not). But Charles is the only one that shows as much in-depth info about testing and results. I would go with his suggestions simply based on the facts that he's the only one with so much data, and oil's cheep when compared to an engine rebuild, so why take a chance?

[John Lewenauer]

It's amazing to me how all the expert I find online are split on this one (some true experts, some not). But Charles is the only one that shows as much in-depth info about testing and results. I would go with his suggestions simply based on the facts that he's the only one with so much data, and oil's cheep when compared to an engine rebuild, so why take a chance?

I met him in person, heard him speak, respect his opinion based on his factual research. Brad Penn for me! (use it in all my vintage cars, per his advice).

[Glenn Ring]

Brad Penn for me! (use it in all my vintage cars, per his advice).

What he said.

I use their 10W-30.

[JOEL JENSEN]

I'll have to take exception to Barry's comment about 'any modern oil being acceptable'.
Most of the new formulations have little if any Zinc to protect your mechanical cam followers from wear.

Jim said that his car "is driven about 2000 miles per year". I seriously doubt his engine wear will become significant in the next 20 years at that rate of use (and is he likely to still be putting even that much mileage on it a few decades from now?). So he can use any modern oil he wants to in his engine as long as the weight is appropriate for his temperature conditions.

I'll wager that the average 356 is driven even less than Jim's car is, making the question of oil additives even less important.

Barry,
10,000 miles or 1,000 miles, if they are miles without protection for your lifters and cam
it is still wear on those components, the mileage driven is only relevant to the amount of wear.
Regards,
Joel

[Guest]

Joel,
All this discussion of zinc in the oil has lead me to this
question: I know the zinc acts as a lubricant but what are
the signs in a 356 motor of low zinc content? I know the
high zinc levels are for "flat tappet" motors but of all the
motors I have taken apart none show any unusual tappet wear
with stock tappets. The only tappets I have seen that wore
poorly were some type of after market ones that were all
black and had the same sizes as the ATE ones, but these are
rare.
Many of the motors I dissemble are 100,000+ and show
normal wear on the parts. Perhaps modern oils have other
compounds that take up the lower zinc levels.

Alan

JOEL JENSEN wrote:

I'll have to take exception to Barry's comment about 'any modern oil
being acceptable'.
Most of the new formulations have little if any Zinc to protect your
mechanical cam followers from wear. At least add a bottle of STP for 4
cylinder cars (red bottle) to your oil as it will provide a minimal
amount of zinc. For the extra few bucks use the best, Brad Penn Racing
and for the heat of New Mexico the 20 - 50 weight would be best. Zims
sells it and discounts it when buying 2 or more cases, Lucky you, they
are in Texas so the shipping shouldn't be too bad. Good clean oil is the
best and least expensive protection you can give your car in combination
with regular maintenance, valve adjustments, lubes etc. Wink




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[JOEL JENSEN]

[quote="Alan Klingen"]Joel,
All this discussion of zinc in the oil has lead me to this
question: I know the zinc acts as a lubricant but what are
the signs in a 356 motor of low zinc content? I know the
high zinc levels are for "flat tappet" motors but of all the
motors I have taken apart none show any unusual tappet wear
with stock tappets. The only tappets I have seen that wore
poorly were some type of after market ones that were all
black and had the same sizes as the ATE ones, but these are
rare.
Many of the motors I dissemble are 100,000+ and show
normal wear on the parts. Perhaps modern oils have other
compounds that take up the lower zinc levels.

Alan


Alan,
Your observations could be true, or perhaps the majority of the miles were
run while older varieties of oil with zinc were in use. It could also be a
situation similar to the valve seat wear question where the problem of soft
metals needing the lead provided in older fuels proved to be moot in 356
engines because of the Rockwell hardness of our seat inserts. Whatever
the reality may be, I'll go with Charles' reccommendations and err on the side
of caution. Oil is cheap and oil with zinc or at least adding some STP with zinc
to your 'modern' oils is for me, at the least, psychological protection.
Regards,
Joel

[James Learmonth]

I just wonder if all of the owners that are concerned about lifter wear as a result of low Zinc content of their motor oil have a full flow filter system in place to protect the rest of the engine from real potential damage?

Jim Learmonth
65C Coupe sn221316
Houston, TX

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[David Jones]

For what it is worth here is an Ad for ZDDP with some "facts" to back up their claims.