Anybody heard about really thin oil development?

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I heard, second hand,that there is a real revolution going on in "skinny" oils and don't surprised when there is a whole group of new oils out that are in the 10W region but can stand up to "anything" including the toughest race requirements. Has anybody else heard anything like this? Supposedly some race engines are "playing" with some "stuff" now?
 
How thin is thin? I was rearrangeing my winter case of M1R the other day. When I gave a quart of M1R a shake it sloshed like water in a canteen. How much thinner were you talking? I think Neo and Redline have some qualifying oils that are like 2Wt or something like that.
 
I think with continued advancements in base oil technology we are going to see "thinner" oils becoming acceptable in applications where "thicker" oils were/are the norm.

The ONLY reason Ford could make the switch to 5w20 3 years ago was because the quality of "conventinal" base oils had progressed to the point that this grade could not only be made, but could also protect and last in a modern engine. Before the advent of all-hydroprocessed base oils (Group II, II+, III), it would have been nearly impossible to produce a non-synthetic 5w20 that would go the distance in a modern engine.

Remember when Mobil 1 was first introduced in the US? It was a 5w20 (the only grade it was made in). Mobil advertised it as being able to protect as well as a conventional 10w40. They also advertised it as beeing good for 1 year or 25,000 miles. Needless to say, it didn't sell too well, and it being a 5w20 was a big part of the reason. But the fact remains that the reason they could produce a 5w20 and seriously recommend its use at at a time when 10w40 was the norm was because of the the superior base oil being used. The same holds true now for the 5w20s being sold that meet Ford's stringent specs.
 
Really thin oil...will the Atkins diet craze never end?
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Comeing in the near future!!

Low Carb Synthetic Motor Oil!

Keep your engine a Clean Lean and Mean!!!
 
quote:

Originally posted by Von Jammer:
Comeing in the near future!!

Low Carb Synthetic Motor Oil!

Keep your engine a Clean Lean and Mean!!!


VJ,

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Yeah, some things just develop a life of their own...
 
It isn't really new.

Neo has had 0w-5 since the late eighties.
Most of the boutique race oil manufacturers have one on their list.

A lot of the small capacity 'spec' engine classes in the UK like Vauxhall/Lotus (which series was Mobil 1 sponsored at the time) and Formula Ford grids were dominated in the late eighties/early nineties with the Neo 0w-5 oil.
Mobil were so ****** off in Vauxhall/Lotus that the rules were changed to stipulate only M 1 to be used by the entire field.

I'm pretty sure the '88 & '89 Australian Formula Ford championship was won on this oil. The engine builder in question certainly had a reasonable amount of oil in stock.

Having used it for several seasons in the early nineties, (it was the easiest horspower I ever found) cylinder wall surface finish and bearing clearances had to really be set up to suit the oil. I tended to substitute 10w-30 if the ambient got above 22-25*C. Oh, and we only used to set the oil pressure (dry sump) at 30-35psi @ 7000 RPM.

It smells fantastic too, although I stopped short of using it as aftershave.
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Rick.

[ June 14, 2004, 12:10 AM: Message edited by: tdi-rick ]
 
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