Best engine Oil and technique with VR4s

[amsoil]

A few years back in the UK Edge obtained a good reputation as a top of the range oil but was only available in a few grades; and it was good. 'Building' on that success the range was expanded and cheapened. It is not universal in that some of the harder to find grades are still true full synthetics but the rest are not but can be called a full synthetic because of case law (a hydro cracked mineral oil can be called synthetic) which was incidentaly brought and won by Castrol in the USA. So you cannot even believe what they say on the cans!

[OnBoost!]

Too late anyhow as I just finished doing the oil change with Castrol Edge 5w30..

[Subaru ETA]

at the end of the day it is each to there own! i have used amsoil in my car as reccomended here and it got a terriable lifter tick. with castrol it didnt.

[Rossco Type-S]

at the end of the day it is each to there own! i have used amsoil in my car as reccomended here and it got a terriable lifter tick. with castrol it didnt.

I have used Castrol Edge for the past two oil changes and I only get the Tick when it is due for another change. The lifters don't even tick on sub-zero mornings with Edge. I can't recall if I used 0W/60 or 5W/30, I think it was the later.

[elnevio]

I can't recall if I used 0W/60 or 5W/30, I think it was the later.

There really is quite a big difference in those! The former is more of a racing oil!

[wintertidenz]

Don't think they do 0w60's, only 0w50's?

[Rossco Type-S]

Don't think they do 0w60's, only 0w50's?

Found the remainder of the oil. I used 0W/40 for the Leggy and 10W/60 for the Airtrek. I knew there was a 60 in there somewhere. I think I may have used 5w/30 on the previous Oil change on the Leggy.

As an aside, I was looking at the Castrol Edge website, they recommend 0W40 or 5W30 for an Evo. In my user manual for my 4G63T powered Airtrek, it has a warning not to use anything below 10W30 otherwise the engine may cease. Certainly most forums recommend 15W40 or similar for a 4G63T

[taupodrifta]

I just did mine yesterday and used castrol edge 5w30 started it up this morning in the freezing cold got 2 tasp and then nothing. Quitest I have ever heard the engine in the year I have owned it so I will be using castrol edge again!!!

[White Lightning]

Don, what is your recommendation when a VR-4 is taken on track and driven hard? I was seeing oil temperatures up to 125oC at the Ring last weekend (I know Mike was seeing 150oC!) and I am still using the Amsoil SSO 0w 30. I was wondering whether I should change to something more 'race focused' for track usage and SSO for daily driving (which for me this is mainly short 3-4 mile journeys to and from work).

[amsoil]

Very good question, but the answer is also very good, like the oil. The SSO (formally TSO) 0w-30 is to such a high spec that we have for many years been using it in race cars with great success. This is incredibly tough oil. The 125c will be easily handled as will the 150c but the 150c is starting to get toooo hot. The problem will be inadequate cooling ie the rad will either be old and inefficient / too small for purpose or the engine is producing so much more power/ heat that an upgrade is called for. The SSO will survive until about 170c. This oil has a film strength many times superior to poorer oils and will therefore give excellent bearing protection but heat will reduce the film strength.
Bottom line is that for your car all is fine for Mike its new rad & or a nice oil cooler. I know that many people would advocate a thicker oil (and over heat it thereby making it thin) but this reduces efficiency and is a fudge not a fix.

Don, what is your recommendation when a VR-4 is taken on track and driven hard? I was seeing oil temperatures up to 125oC at the Ring last weekend (I know Mike was seeing 150oC!) and I am still using the Amsoil SSO 0w 30. I was wondering whether I should change to something more 'race focused' for track usage and SSO for daily driving (which for me this is mainly short 3-4 mile journeys to and from work).

[miller]

Cheers Don for the input, an oil cooler is a necessary item for me now, after the weekend and on my last lap i have an oil leak when the car is under pressure, oil is getting into the IC pipework and exiting at the joints. This ONLY happens when oil is hit 150deg ie at end of Ring lap. This also co incided with my catch tank filling up quite rapidly

At no other times do i see oil in the IC pipework or the catch tank.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

Mike

[Ghost_2008]

Cheers Don for the input, an oil cooler is a necessary item for me now, after the weekend and on my last lap i have an oil leak when the car is under pressure, oil is getting into the IC pipework and exiting at the joints. This ONLY happens when oil is hit 150deg ie at end of Ring lap. This also co incided with my catch tank filling up quite rapidly

At no other times do i see oil in the IC pipework or the catch tank.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

Mike

Could this be the oil expanding due to the tempurature??

[bradc]

That's pretty hot, what was your water temp?

[amsoil]

Oil in the Inter cooler is not so very uncommon; the seals being beaten in the turbo are the usual cause It doesn't take much oil to make things messy and usually once in there the oil stays and doesn't come out. Wouldn't worry too much about it unless you have a cupful or the like.
Oil in the catch tank is from one of 2 main reasons. First is that you have really poor oil that foams up in use this can force the foam /oil out of the engine and once out again it doesn't come back, but we can rule this one out if its SSO. The other is that you are getting pressure inside the engine which has to go somewhere, it can go out to a catch tank and take oil mist vapour with it (hence the oil in the catch tank) sometimes such a pressure build up can take out a seal which will then cover the underside of your car with oil if you are lucky; if not lucky you might see smoke behind before the back end of the car breaks away and puts you in the wall. It doesn't take much oil on the tyres to do this. In the circumstances of 150c the oil may well be coping but perhaps the rings on the pistons aren't, which is allowing the blow by. Loose the temperature and you might loose the problem. The Amsoil could very well have given you a margin that has allowed your engine to survived when another oil may have lost you the engine. Sometimes Amsoil is very cost effective, even cheap!

[Turbo_Steve]

Time for a rad-flush / replacement, then?

And possibly to relocate that intercooler.

[miller]

me thinks a rad flush is imminent! drop the oil and refill with some fresh stuff!

[amsoil]

I think in your position I would be getting a new rad, maybe even an uprated one with more rows in the core; Thinking of which I have just done that myself and must fit it this week!
I got mine made from Dockings at Silverstone but thats full custom with boxes etc I just might have got change out of 1K but i don't want to look and check!
Oil cooler too and that was more than 1K for the deposit. Good job its still not ready as I am still saving up to afford it.
Still trying to tell myself that the best is cheap compared to an engine rebuild.

me thinks a rad flush is imminent! drop the oil and refill with some fresh stuff!

[Turbo_Steve]

Stuff the rebuild, The best is cheap compared to losing the season, dude

[amsoil]

At getting on for £3,000 for an oil cooler I can assure you I not only coughed and thought twice about it, but also did the maths about how much rebuilding an engine would cost! It was actually a close call but what swung it was that I had to get a cooler anyway (£500 ish from Setrab) but that they now want a minimum order of 10 rads and have a lead in time of 6 months. The last Setrab I got failed (cracked) after 1 1/2 seasons use Marsdon Aerospace ones are the best money can buy and are much more robust; so it will last longer , I hope and will cool appx 37% better for the size, as I am hoping for 25% more power this may be needed.

Stuff the rebuild, The best is cheap compared to losing the season, dude

[scottie2hotti]

so i did an oil change 3rd april which hadnt been done in ages as previous owner hadnt been using the car and to start off with the ticking went away with castrol edge 5-30 but it just started coming back during idle for maybe 5mins. I'm thinking due to it having rather old oil in it for a while it might of still had a fair bit of gunk left in after the change maybe i should do another oil change?