What is the best oil for flat tappet solid with high/press

[Erland Cox]

I have heard that motorcycle oils have extreme pressure additives because the oil also is used in the gear box and that this should be good for flat tappets.
I have also heard that Vokswagens with direct injection need special EP oil because the injectors take so much cam space that the lobes are too narrow.
This pupedüse oil is supposed to work very well with flat tappets.
Both the oil types above are syntetics.
Has anyone tested this?

Erland

[lorax]

I have heard that motorcycle oils have extreme pressure additives because the oil also is used in the gear box and that this should be good for flat tappets.
I have also heard that Vokswagens with direct injection need special EP oil because the injectors take so much cam space that the lobes are too narrow.
This pupedüse oil is supposed to work very well with flat tappets.
Both the oil types above are syntetics.
Has anyone tested this?

Erland

Aside from the above mentioned reasons, the EPA and ILSAC have no input or demands for MC oils, SO FAR! Same can be said for oils sold a marine oils. Lucas' marine is excellent stuff very similar to Brad Penn and Schaeffer.

I can't think of anything that has more metal to metal contact under extreme pressure than a M/C, or have to deal with greater heat.
I don't necessarily put any of them above a GOOD racing oil(not to be confused with a label that says "racing"), but off the shelf from the big box retailers, they are probably the best oils in the store.

[plovett]

540 RAT,
It would have been nice if you had done testing on some breakin oils, you got me thinking how much wear protection the Gibbs BR-30 has

The Gibbs BR30 can't have good wear protection because it according to it's website it, "provides the highest levels of zinc and phosphorus for flat-tappet engines."

JMO,

paulie

[Grocerius Maximus]

Turbocharger ramp style thrust bearings are the canary in a coal mine for extreme pressure/heat and marginal oils. Mobil 1 off-the shelf on-highway is a definite fail. Fully instrumented car/turbo including oil temp in and out, and a very small fast thermocouple about 1mm from the edge of the thrust brg that got oil flung on it, soon as you hit a good amount of load the oil temp delta from inlet to thrust brg exit would go from 0 to 60-100F. Same thrust bearing used for two years on a variety of test turbos lasted 2 years with Penn 20-50 without loss of boundary lube and heat marks, probably 600 dyno pulls plus miles and 1/4 miles. FOUR dyno pulls on Mobil One 15w-50 and it went metal to metal.

A HUGE common denominator (80% plus) in low mile failed thrust brgs + Mobil 1 led us to this test.

Mobil 1 = FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

[af2]

I have heard that motorcycle oils have extreme pressure additives because the oil also is used in the gear box and that this should be good for flat tappets.
I have also heard that Vokswagens with direct injection need special EP oil because the injectors take so much cam space that the lobes are too narrow.
This pupedüse oil is supposed to work very well with flat tappets.
Both the oil types above are syntetics.
Has anyone tested this?

Erland

As far as motorcycle that is all I run. Just because Rat never mentioned them and they are very good.

[lorax]

Turbocharger ramp style thrust bearings are the canary in a coal mine for extreme pressure/heat and marginal oils. Mobil 1 off-the shelf on-highway is a definite fail. Fully instrumented car/turbo including oil temp in and out, and a very small fast thermocouple about 1mm from the edge of the thrust brg that got oil flung on it, soon as you hit a good amount of load the oil temp delta from inlet to thrust brg exit would go from 0 to 60-100F. Same thrust bearing used for two years on a variety of test turbos lasted 2 years with Penn 20-50 without loss of boundary lube and heat marks, probably 600 dyno pulls plus miles and 1/4 miles. FOUR dyno pulls on Mobil One 15w-50 and it went metal to metal.

A HUGE common denominator (80% plus) in low mile failed thrust brgs + Mobil 1 led us to this test.

Mobil 1 = FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

Turbos are the holy Grail of heat and pressure.
paraffin based Pennsylvania type grude has been the bench mark lube for over a century. Still the best conventional base stock to blend with a synthetic. Synthetics are not the be all and end all some people try to label them.

For decades sperm whale oil was an additive in all automatic transmission fluids. When they stopped the hunting of sperm whales, the oil companies scrambled for a replacement. For the next 5 years or so, the failures of new car automatics was at a record high until they finally worked out, which is what led to some of the new ATF out there compared to 2 just a few years ago.

Some things in nature are just hard to beat.