synthetic Oil

[thundermax]

What is the verdict or bottom line on using sys oil in a max? Is Amsoil synthetic oil ok! Or bad on tranny and clutch?

 

[thundermax]

Forget my question. Seems there is a lot on this subject already.

 

[MtnMax/Magniac]

To answer your specific question, I use Amsoil in my '94 Magna (96,000 mi), my '85 VMax (35,000 mi) and my wife's '92 Goldwing trike (88,000 mi). Never an oil-related problem with any of them. I also use it in my '97 Dodge/Cummins, wife's Subaru, our lawn tractor, chainsaws, weedeaters, and rototiller.

 

[PDWeyand]

I just changed my oil with Castrol Act>evo 4T 20w50
Castrol Act>evo 4T 20w50 is a modern, high quality 4-stroke engine oil designed with a special Wear Protection Formula
to give both reliable engine starting and continuous trouble free running throughout the oil drain period.

Castrol Act>evo 4T 20w-50 is suitable for all modern motorcycle engines where API and or JASO specifications are recommended.

Castrol Act>Evo 4T was formerly known as Castrol Act>evo GP 4T

 

[RaWarrior]

The clutch in mine went bad at around 20k miles after running mobil 1 4T it's entire life.

I know how to drive a stick, and it's never seen a strip. That seems like awfully short clutch life to me. The frictions were barely worn down also when I took it apart, but it slipped like crazy.

Plus the mobil 1 made my starter clutch slip in cool weather(I'd already done the bolt fix). Switched to 15-40 rotella and it's never missed again.

 

[TurcoLoco]

The clutch in mine went bad at around 20k miles after running mobil 1 4T it's entire life.

I know how to drive a stick, and it's never seen a strip. That seems like awfully short clutch life to me. The frictions were barely worn down also when I took it apart, but it slipped like crazy.

Plus the mobil 1 made my starter clutch slip in cool weather(I'd already done the bolt fix). Switched to 15-40 rotella and it's never missed again.

Is that the regular Rotella 15-40 car oil they sell at Wal-Mart? I think I used it in my NightHawk and it wasn't bad. It worked better than the non-synth Castrol 4-stroke MC oil. If so, I might have to try it in my VMax. I typically prefer not using car oil in motorcycle but I kept hearing Rotella mentioned as a good MC oil at different places.

I have been using Mobil 1 Full Synth 20-50 4 stroke MC oil for couple of years now on 2 different bikes. Vulcan 900 Custom seems to be OK with it but the VMax even though runs good, the clutch/shifting became seemingly iffier. I was using standard Valvoline 20-50 4 stroke MC oil before and engine churned the oil quicker needing more frequent oil changes but the clutch seemed to work a bit better.

 

[TxVMax]

opcom00:opcom00:

 

[RaWarrior]

RotellaT is a heavy duty/ diesel oil. More zinc, good for transmissions.

You can get a gallon of it at wally world for $13. See my FAQ thread for more on this.

 

[cantrucker]

15/40 or 20\50 royal purple

 

[2fear]

Been using Mobil 1 full syn oil in both my Vmaxes for years with no problems, you just have to be willing to spend $50 for an oil change with filter..... I do an oil change every spring so I guess that price tag once a season isn't that bad. :twocents:

 

[YYFREAK]

Been using Mobil 1 full syn oil in both my Vmaxes for years with no problems, you just have to be willing to spend $50 for an oil change with filter..... I do an oil change every spring so I guess that price tag once a season isn't that bad. :twocents:

Have you had issues with clutch? Are you running the 4t full synthetic?

 

[RadiumPHX]

My thinking is that no matter the cost or advancement in oil, it still becomes saturated with particulate and hydrocarbons. I use cheap conventional oil and change it often. my opinion is that clean cheap oil is better than expensive dirty oil and when you pay a premium for oil you tend to want to get your moneys worth running as long as you can, which I think is flawed thinking.

 

[Ross L]

I wouldn’t consider Rotella T6 synthetic expensive. AND change it often. IMO

 

[Ross L]

I remember in the late 80’s Mobil 1 was $4.95 at autozone. You can get it at Walmart now , $25 for five quarts. Anyone know of any other product that’s the same price as it was 30 years ago? Curious.

 

[Parminio]

My thinking is that no matter the cost or advancement in oil, it still becomes saturated with particulate and hydrocarbons. I use cheap conventional oil and change it often. my opinion is that clean cheap oil is better than expensive dirty oil and when you pay a premium for oil you tend to want to get your moneys worth running as long as you can, which I think is flawed thinking.

That is and isn't true.

The big deal about running a synthetic oil is time. Conventional oil can go bad just sitting in the engine for around two years. A synthetic can go 7 to 10 years. What that does is make it more economical for people that don't ride a lot, like me.

I've had times where I was laid up and unable to ride at all for two years. (Cancer, back, neck, etc.) So it wasn't a concern to me leaving the oil in the engine at all. Were I using regular oil, I would have needed to change it on several occasions even though the bike had literally never moved.

I can also say with certainty that the shifting on my Vmax improved dramatically (became a LOT smoother) when I switched to Mobil 1 not long after I bought it. (I run the Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10w40. I switched to it when the bike had about 1200 miles on it.)

 

[02GF74]

Conventional oil can go bad just sitting in the engine for around two years.

That has always puzzled me. Oil is liquidised dinosaurs that has been underground for millions of years, so how can it go bad after 2 years?

 

[Parminio]

That has always puzzled me. Oil is liquidised dinosaurs that has been underground for millions of years, so how can it go bad after 2 years?

The oil per se doesn't. It loses some of it's ability due to loss of detergents and additives through evaporation as well as contamination from the air itself.

You have to remember that oil out of the ground is not what's in your engine. It goes through A LOT before it gets to that point.

But it's not like it's going to ruin your engine just sitting there in two years or so for regular oil, but if you fire it up and run it you're basically running oil that should have been changed a year ago, so it's not going to be doing the job of keeping the motor clean and lubricating it as it should.

I have seen very old motors where the oil basically solidified. It got so sludgy we had to fill the crankcase with kerosene and let it soak for a few days to break it all loose.

With synthetic oil, it has a better ability to last longer simply down to the additional additives it has in it, but it's the same principle.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

As someone who worked at a dealer who shut down the import of engines from Germany at the time because of oil, no one can convince me that conventional engine oil is just as good or better than synthetic.

In the early 2000s, I worked for a VW dealer in NY. We were the highest volume dealer on the east coast. 2cd highest in the country being beaten out by a dealer in California. The 1.8L turbocharged engines in the Audi A4s and VW Passats had a 6 month, 5000 mile oil change interval. But the engine oil was conventional. The engine oil was turning into sludge in the turbocharger feed line cause it ran under the exhaust manifold. Coupled with the fact that the engine also held only 4 quarts, it was a recipe for disaster.

Germany then sent out a team of 10 engineers, the guys that actually designed and built this engine, to come out to our dealer and inspect the near 100 vehicles waiting for engines. They brought in every car and disassembled the engine, looking at components, taking oil samples and measurements. Fools worked round the clock and took 10 days to bang out all the cars we had on the lot. In the end, they determined that the engine oil couldnt handle the heat of the engine and turbo. So they started recommending synthetic engine oil for all their engines since. The only engine oil that was not permitted in a VW for warranty purposes was Pennzoil. The burnt oil and excess paraffin they added to the engine oil cooked the engines beyond salvaging.

I have seen VW and Audis lose engine oil drain bolts, lose engine oil, light comes on and the engine makes noise only to put a new drain bolt in, new oil and off goes the vehicle as if nothing happened. Synthetics are a far superior engine oil. And those complaining of cost never think that the one time I change my engine oil, you spend the same doing it multiple times.

With the costs of engines, you can opt to do things like dialysis constantly changing out fluids. Or opt to go top shelf with a quality lubricant.

Every vehicle I own runs synthetic. My 2004 Impala I bought with 55K miles. Has 240K on it now and I never opened the engine. Zero engine oil leaks. Remove the oil cap, you can see the inside of the head.....looks like I rebuilt it yesterday. It doesnt have the typical lifter tick that plagues those vehicles due to poor lubricants and lack of maintenance.

 

[MadMaxMan]

Amsoil in everything here.

 

[Dansmaxresto]

I’ve run mobile 1 in all my bikes for 40 years now. NEVER had an issue with clutch slippage or anything else.