Oil Weight Poll For Track Usage

[brillo]

Not trying to start a heated discussion on brands etc.. but curious to see what weight folks are running who frequent the track for HPDE, Drift, Racing etc...

[kster1]

I voted for 0w20 but I actually use Redline 0w20 with 1-2 quarts of 5w30. I have the Robispec oil cooler so oil temps getting too high are not a concern for me.

[clintavo]

Is there a reason one would choose 5w30 over 0w30?

[brillo]

I have read that 5w-30 is more stable than 0w-30 so some prefer it in extreme environments.

[kiichiro]

I mix 50/50 0w20 and 0w30 for track day
My 0w30 is a liqui moly lubricant from Germany, my 0w20 is Mazda factory moly enriched idemitsu

[Vracer111]

Only been on track once since getting the car, but I've run Redline 5W-30 in my FR-S the last 2 oil changes. Might look for something cheaper next oil change, but it will be 5W-30 weight....because summer time in Houston, Texas is considered an extreme environment.

[brillo]

interesting results thus far, I hope all the resident track rats and auto-x junkies have responded.

[canu_50]

I use 0w40 redline on track!!

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by clintavo

Is there a reason one would choose 5w30 over 0w30?

In our case, it's because 5W30 is what we have, not 0W30, in Motul 300V.

If you're using a non-synthetic, then yes, there is a reason. The base stock for the 5W30 tends to be more robust than the 0W30 base stock. With a full synthetic, it's not an issue; if we had 0W30 300V, we'd be using that instead.

[smbstyle]

I ran GC 0w30 in June at Sebring and saw oil temps in the 290s and touched 300*, then in August at Sebring ran Toyota 0w20 and saw oil temps in the 270s and 280s, so I'll probably continue to run the 0w20 to keep oil temps lower.

[brillo]

bump

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted by brillo

I have read that 5w-30 is more stable than 0w-30 so some prefer it in extreme environments.

True, but it depends which 5W-30 and which 0W-30 you're talking about.

A Resource Conserving oil like most off the shelf oils have a low HTHS and may shear to a 20 grade anyway so a 5W-20 may be more stable than either one. OTOH, an oil that meets ACEA A3 specs like German Castrol 0W-30 (or the Liqui Moly mentioned above) has an HTHS of 3.5 or higher will usually stay in grade in harsh conditions. GC is nearly a 40 grade oil if you look at the kinematic viscosity and the HTHS viscosity (too thick on stock internals, IMO).

I would go with a robust 20 grade like Motul 300V 0W-20 or Red Line 0W-20 at the track. Here's a used oil analysis on Red Line after some track time in a supercharged FRS:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45452
TBN shows this oil could easily go for 5k miles in these conditions.

Red Line 5W-20 would probably be even more stable since, as I recall, it does not use any viscosity modifiers. I'd take Red Line xW-20 or Motul 300V 0W-20 at the track over any Resource Conserving xW-30 regardless of brand. Amsoil Dominator 5W-20 is also good race oil, although you couldn't run it as long as Red Line or 300V since it has a lower level of detergents/dispersants. Any of these oils could easily handle 3,750 miles intervals though (including track time).

-Dennis

[kster1]

Originally Posted by bluesubie

Red Line 5W-20 would probably be even more stable since, as I recall, it does not use any viscosity modifiers. I'd take Red Line xW-20 or Motul 300V 0W-20 at the track over any Resource Conserving xW-30 regardless of brand. Amsoil Dominator 5W-20 is also good race oil, although you couldn't run it as long as Red Line or 300V since it has a lower level of detergents/dispersants. Any of these oils could easily handle 3,750 miles intervals though (including track time).

-Dennis

Dennis,

Do you if there is any significant difference in the formulation of Redline 0w20 and 5w20? Isn't 0w20 their new offering? For whatever reasons, I see 0w20 recommended a lot more than 5w20 on sites like BITOG.

[SeanRTR]

I use the Joe Gibbs DRIVEN FR20 oil for daily driving / weekly autocross use. Michigan Environment.

The DRIVEN FR20 oil from Joe Gibbs Racing is formulated with a higher zinc content to produce that extra bit of horsepower, while still maintaining everything else that you need for a daily driven/street car.