Shell Rotella T6

[reddragon]

oh crap!.......you guys just opened a can of worms! :laughing:

 

[KennyV]

You are correct is does extend oil changes.
JD Green needs to go somewhere other than TBN to get advise on oil people their are giving out poor advise.

The average person picks his oil based on a slick commercial and if you ask them what the
TBN number is they will not know.
If you ask them what the TAN number is they will not know.
If you ask them what the ZDDP count is they don't know.
If you ask them what the CST is at 100C they will have no idea.
If you ask them if it is made from a GRP. ll or GRP. lll or GRP. lV they have no idea.
All they know is in their mind it is the best but they base that on NO scientific info. :confused2:

There are a lot of people that think they know a bit about lubricants, but your right ... they generally get the bulk of their information from advertising, manufactures implication and reference sources that are out dated... As in all things, new information, new formulations and new chemical and manufacturing engineering will change, and what seemed to be solid good information 10 or 20 years ago is marginal at best and at times radically different... But those that 'believe' they have a handle on any subject will continue with the " it has not failed me yet" attitude, figuring that that is proof to support their position on any particular matter...
With the resources available today, you only have to be dimly curious to discover advances in technologies.
it is not difficult today to find out about, additive packages, causes of oxidation, how multi viscosity really works, sheer in mineral oil vs sheer in synthetics, information that is available in a UOA or VOA....

These oil "discussions' generally involve those that want to be persuaded to do something better and those that would never change their position, no matter how wrong that it may be...
I switched from Mobil 1 synthetic to Rotella T6 synthetic... when something comes along superior to T6, I will be using it in all my engines, in this my loyalty remains in technological advancement... and I will stay current on my resources... :smile:KennyV

 

[Black Bart]

The line between syn. and conv. oil has been broken somewhat, I hear that more than a few synthetics start out as dino oil now. They are hydrocracked or something and changed into what the oil companys now call synthetic but are these true synths? Are they that much better than conv. oil? I need answers DAGNABBIT! I also was told what made synthetic better really was the ad pack, that almost all oils nowadays use a very high quality base stock but the additive package is what makes the difference, in price and quality!? What do you guys say?:laughing:

You have it close to right most synthetics are made from group lll base stock a few are group lV and some are PAO.

The base stock makes a difference but so does the add pack.
Most people don't really need a PAO based oil but is is the better base stock especially if you have a modified high horsepower engine.

Mobil filed suit against Castrol several years ago because Castrol was using a grp. lll base stock and calling it full synthetic.
At that time Mobil was a PAO base but the ruling was that the Castrol was so much removed from the original base that it could be called a synthetic.

Die hard Mobil users insist that it still is a PAO but independent Labs have tested it and say it now is a group lll but Mobil will not say.

Even if it is grp lll it is still very good and what most use for base stock.

Redline and Amsoil are PAO base stock.

People do not need a PAO based oil for a mower and while synthetic is better a conventional oil will be fine in a mower but a multi grade is a MUCH better choice than a straight 30.

If you change every year your mower would last for years but it has been said here on LMF that synthetic will not extend OCI that is just flat WRONG.

It is true that some conventional oil are using a better add pack than what they did in the past so they have closed the gap but full synthetic still is better.

As far as the cost I look at it this way my mower takes less than 2 quarts I can buy T-6 at my local Wal Mart for $21.47 that means about 2 bucks per quart more than conventional oil.

If I changed it every year I would spent 4 bucks per year more for the better lubrication.
if that is a deal breaker then I can't afford a mower in the first place think about it that is barley more than a gallon of gas.

The new SN PCMO has a much lower ZDDP Diesel oil still has a high ZDDP count this is needed for a flat tappet cam.
It was removed to make the catalytic converter last longer and since all new cars are roller cam it is no problem.

I don't understand people buying a piece of equipment that cost thousands and then won't pay 2 bucks per year for a better oil to use in it.

The engine that I have in my Corvette holds 11 quarts of oil and the oil I put in it cost $10,95 a quart.
You want to talk about oil cost try that for a few changes and a oil change on your mower is chump change.

 

[jamesslcx]

Black Bart, your post made a lot of sense! Thanks.

 

[jamesslcx]

KennyV yours does also, sometimes its hard to believe all this new technology is better than the old stuff we are comfortable with. I use synthetic oil in some of my equipment, but because I dont see immediate results I have some doubts. I will give T6 a try sometime, i have noticed it is reasonably priced.

 

[Black Bart]

Black Bart, your post made a lot of sense! Thanks.

Glad that it helps.
The main thing that you want to consider is this the flat tappet cam will benefit from the high level of ZDDP in the diesel oil.

PCMO is much lower.
The conventional Rotella is a 15-40 and T-6 is a 5-40

Ideal viscosity for your engine is 10 CST but when you start it at 32F 5w40 is 583 CST the 15wt would be much heavier.
Your engine will not get proper lubrication until the correct CST is reached and their-in is the reason a multi-grade oil is vastly superior.

That is why my daily driver has 0-30 in it, You can not get a oil that is too thin at start up.

The T-6 is much better at start up, It will keep the engine cleaner than conventional oil and holds up better at high temperature and is a lower friction so less wear.

Since 80 percent of engine wear is done at start up and 20 percent is while running the T-6 is a no brainer since it is so cheap.

You can buy better oil but it will cost much-much more and would be over kill for a low performance mower engine, GO T-6

 

[Stefan73]

After doing a LOT of reading I chose Rotella T6. Most of my concerns are from the critical wear period of start up in an engine. Rotella T6 should reduce change interval which you can validate through oil sampling.

Some good reading for you on oils Used Oil Analysis - Bob is the Oil Guy - Bob is the Oil Guy

I hope this helps. I initially bought Rotella T6 to run in my Dodge when I was living in Alaska to minimize wear on startup which is a big issue at -50F.

 

[reddragon]

yes ..Rotella T6 has been tested a million times and still is one of the best oils....period
the other one that comes close is Chevrons 400.......but it has no JASO ratings....which are for motorcycles
motorcycles share oil with the transmission and require a shear rating for gear high speed and high power
so for an oil to have diesel- auto and motorcycle ratings is very rare....

 

[steveyrock]

I have been running 10w30 car drain oil in a craftsman push mower for 23 years, yes drain oil. The mower runs great except the deck is developing rust holes. I mow with this machine usually twice a week for at least an hour at a time, the thing wont quit.

 

[7394]

I've been using Rotella T-4 for a few yrs now. It is JASO rated & does have 1,200 ppm of zinc in it among many other things.