Some thoughts on Synthetic Oil
Posted by on the GWRRA Valkyrie Board on May 09, 1998
I have a '97 Black and Chrome with approx. 3,600 miles now. I started out using Honda's
GN 10w-40. Probably ran it about 1,000 miles after first change at 600 miles. Then I
switched to Honda's HP 10w-40 synthetic blend. It immediately started being easier to
shift. At 3,500 miles I switched to Mobil 1 (15w-50) and it's even easier to shift and
engine seems quieter. I spoke to a technical rep with Mobil and he said that their 15w-50
had a pour point comparable to 10w-40 mineral oil. I've seen many posts on this board
about how satisfied people were using Mobil 1 and now I know why. Go for it, you will not
regret it.
Don Cooksey
Mobil 1 only lists the last two specifications of the API Services. They just
recently (within the last 6 months) went from SH/SG to SJ/SH. Each of these specifications
exceeds the previous one. 15W-50 is the recommended viscosity which a great many Gold Wing
and Valkyrie riders use. I have never heard of a complaint about Mobil 1 ever allowing any
type of oil related failure in millions of miles of accumulated use. I just recently have
been informed that Mobil 1 has come out with a motorcycle specific oil. I know nothing
about it and would really be surprised to find out that it differs in any way from their
standard except that it will say "for motorcycles" on the label.
Marty Rood
Here is some information from the Mobil web site. Hope it can answer some of the Synthetic
questions about when and why..
Today's engines are built with much tighter tolerances and much improved machining compared to the engines of 10 and 20 years ago. The old concept of "engine break-in" involved two primary elements: - Removing any metal flashing (called swarf) or abrasive material left inside the engine.Allowing valves and rings to "seat" properly.
Today's engines do not require these break-in periods. In fact, Mobil 1 has shown excellent control of oil consumption in the industry standard ASTM Sequence III E (Three E) test, which uses a completely rebuilt engine for each new test run. This includes freshly honed cylinders, new pistons, and new rings (compression and oil control). The engine is exposed to only the test oil after rebuild. The outstanding oil consumption control of Mobil 1 in this test demonstrates that the old "seating" issue is not of concern in well machined engines. And don't forget that Mobil 1 is used as initial fill on Corvette and Porsche engines.
However, if the engine rebuilder is using older machining equipment or lower quality components, it can leave you with an engine containing swarf or abrasive material inside the engine. In this situation, you would be best served by using a short drain interval on your initial oil fill. Mobil 1 will still work in this situation, but it would be less expensive to use a conventional oil for this first, short duration fill.
You can start using Mobil 1 in new vehicles at any time. In fact, Mobil 1 is the factory fill for the Corvette LT-1 and LT-5 engines. And, Mobil and Porsche just announced a new partnership that will also have all Porsche cars manufactured at Zuffenhausen plant will be lubricated with Mobil 1. One of the myths that persists about Mobil 1 is that new engines require a break-in period with conventional oil. Current engine manufacturing technology does not require this break-in period. As the decisions by the engineers who design the Corvette and Porsche engines indicate, Mobil 1 can be used in an engine from the day you drive the car off the show room floor.
Mobil 1 Formula 0W-30, Mobil 1 Formula 5W-30 and Mobil 1 Formula 10W-30 flow down to
-54C (-65 F) and pump at lower temperatures than similar SAE viscosity conventional oils.
Mobil 1 Formula 15W-50 flows at -48 C (-55 F) and pumps at temperatures as low as many
conventional SAE 5W-30 oils.
Dennis aka Radioman aka ValkRyder Dennis DeFendi
ValkRyder@cchat.com