“If Ferrari specifies 5W-40 oil, why are you so interested in trying something like 0W-20? Do you believe the thinner viscosity will improve performance?”
Ferrari recommends oil based on the car being on a race track. A 20 grade oil running around town is thicker than a 40 grade oil running at wide open throttle on the track using all 800 HP. As oil takes around 20 minutes to warm up to the operating temperature while driving around town it is almost always thick as honey. Most trips are for me less than 30 minutes long. Hence the oil is even thicker yet.
I have demonstrated that these Ferrari engines have less wear running lower grade oils around town than the specified oils. Yes the results are of a small sample but they all show the same tendency. Oils less honey like will allow for more power, more fuel economy, less start up wear, running at higher RPM sooner, et cetera. My current 812 Superfast has sump temperatures of 165 - 175 F as I drive around town. What am I using at most - 100 HP? 200 HP? Certainly a 20 grade oil around town is way more viscous than a 40 grade oil while racing at the Sebring track using all 800 HP for 30 minutes.
Here is some data from older posts:
It may be worth revisiting this old UOA (used oil analysis) comparison. I am giving evidence that thinner oils can be used when otherwise very heavy grades may be specified. And that thinner oils may result in much less wear than when the “recommended” oil, in the “manual” is used.
Several things to note. We are neighbors, drove the same car (but for the milage), drove the same way in the same environment. His car had what can be considered normal wear. Yet mine had a significantly reduced wear pattern. Also, the original RLI that dropped to a 20 grade oil had more wear than the newer “Enzo” formulation. But it was still less than the 60 grade Shell oil. Maybe the sweat spot for this car was a 30 grade oil for driving in our environment.
Compared Enzo Ferrari UOA from years ago: This is my neighbor’s 2003 Ferrari Enzo with a total of 8,800 miles on the left column and my 2003 Enzo with a total of 4,400 miles on the right column (middle 2 columns, earlier UOA of my car). Both cars had about 1,400 miles on the oil. His obviously had more break-in time. He had the oil changed by the Ferrari dealer using the required 10W60 Shell Helix Ultra Racing oil. I ran 0W30 Castrol GC in the second column, the original formula of RLI in the 3rd column and the “new and improved “ RLI “Dr. Haas” Enzo formula in the last column.
Tested my Enzo oils by Terry Dyson. His testing counts larger particles as well as all the smaller ones so other labs may give false lower values. At no time has the oil temperature in this engine gotten above 180 F. This latest oil has been in for nearly two years but Terry Dyson said I should just keep going (and going and going). What is particularly interesting is that the original RLI formulation dropped to a 20 grade, the newer formulation did not.
Part of the original post: I believe this formulation has been perfected and am considering it’s use in all my cars. I am not sure my wife will allow such a thick oil in her Murcielago however.
OILS: ….....Shell.... GC….RLI….RLI - “Dr. Haas Enzo Formula”
Iron___________ 32...11...7...3 (Fe in RLI VOA =2)
Chromium ____ Nickel _________2...1....0...0
Aluminum _____11...3....2...0
lead _________ 16...0....3...1
Copper _______25...8....4...3
Tin __________ Silver ________ Titanium _____ Silicon ________ 7...3....4...2
Boron ________ 1...3...16..17
Sodium _______ 8...3....10...8
Potassium ____ Molybdenum _ Phosphorus ___1026...935…1032…698
Zinc _________ 1135...1228…1055...988
Calcium ______ 1454…167...2108…1898
Barium ______ Magnesium __1219...526…53...19
Antimony ____ Vanadium ____ Fuel %Vol ____ Flash_______not done..335..320..300
Abs Oxid _____ 34...10..127...95
Abs Nitr ______ 11....8....8....7
Wtr %vol ____ Vis CS 100C __ 15.8....11.8….8.6….9.8
Vic CS 40C___not done…66….44….48
SAE Grade _____40....30....20....30
Gly test ______NEG…..0.37 “not antifreeze”…...0…..0
TBN _________not done...7.9....5.9...6.4
TAN _________not done...1.7....1.4...1.3
Visc Inde x___ not done…154...177...192
Soot_________not done...0....0.01....0
Note that the Enzo engine that specifies a 60 grade oil had very little wear while running a 20 grade oil. But again, no use of all 650 HP. It’s just not possible driving in normal conditions. While running at 8,000 RPM and using all 650 HP may require a 60 grade oil, driving around town does not. I believe based on my own experiments that these cars are better off with oil grades more appropriate for urban driving as that is all I do these days. Though tempting and offered I have not raced for quite some time. Actually the last time I was on the track it was testing the soon to be released Maybach 57 and 62. Several professional racing drivers and I gave feedback to engineers from Stuttgart. ‘Quite a thrill. Several of my suggestions were done to the car. I eventually bought the original version then later the AMG version. Again, with some added Dr. Haas modifications.
Even Lamborghini tried to get my wife and her car on the track to no avail. It was enough for her to sip some wine with Valentino Balboni in our own garage. Note- her car ran a steady diet of a 20 grade oil:
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Ali