How about this for a myth..

[Racerjk]

Around here, there is a prevailing myth,or so it seems, that Castrol GTX is the best for a smaller engine.

I've heard several folks say "If I had a 4 cylinder, I wouldn't run anything but Castrol."

What is your take on this?? I wonder how this may have gotten started?

I must say I bought into it,because I use it in my two lawnmowers.

My wife's parents bought her a '90 Sunbird with low miles back in '91. When she got her GTP, I took it over as my daily driver. We have put 140,000 miles on it using Q/S 5w30. It still runs like a top. We even used Fram filters for years before we heard how bad they are.

So how about this "myth?"

 

[Jelly]

I can't understand anything about the Castrol in smaller engines...no reason seems aparent to me.

If you have a high performance 4-cylinder, the big issues are high r.p.m's and the power-to-displacement ratio. Among other things, this would mean a highly loaded valvetrain, higher loads on rod and main bearings, (compared to stock, bigger displacement engines) thus placing a higher demand upon boundary lubrication and extreme pressure additives in the oil.

Either a heavy-duty "mixed-fleet" oil or a synthetic with a good additive package would seem like the best bet.

I say "myth" in regards to the Castrol.

Many, many people have ran many miles with Fram filters.

With the Fram though, there's no way around it...Fram filters are not as good as other filters...much less filtering material, gone to cardboard caps on all filters, etc, etc...

It simply boils down to this...for the money, there are much better choices, but your likely to never have a problem.

[ September 12, 2003, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: Jelly ]

 

[Racerjk]

quote:

---

My wife's parents bought her a '90 Sunbird with low miles back in '91. When she got her GTP, I took it over as my daily driver. We have put 140,000 miles on it using Q/S 5w30. It still runs like a top. We even used Fram filters for years before we heard how bad they are.

---

I meant that I had taken over the Sunbird, not my wife's GTP. The Sunbird has served us well for over 10 years before my wife got her GTP.

 

[Pablo]

As far as Castrol goes: Pure marketing hype that apparently sticks (even now) so I guess it's more than a myth, but in application what is the difference between a myth and marketing hype? Neither are scientific....either may be pure BS or actually have a kernel of truth.

Fram? See oil filters. My only gripe with Fram is the Volvo application. The ADBV looses it's load in under 60 seconds. I can not testify that I have seen one shred, or seen the cardboard end caps come free (or whatever). But then again, I don't use the orange kiss (of death)

 

[Al]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pablo:
As far as Castrol goes: Pure marketing hype that apparently sticks (even now)

---

Exactly. I assume this started in the mid to later 70's when 4 cylinders were becomming very popular. Hence if you can convince JoeSixpack that your oil is best for small "high reving engines"....

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Al:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pablo:
As far as Castrol goes: Pure marketing hype that apparently sticks (even now)

---

Exactly. I assume this started in the mid to later 70's when 4 cylinders were becomming very popular. Hence if you can convince JoeSixpack that your oil is best for small "high reving engines"....

---

Ya think so, huh? Well, let me tell ya something. 2 decades ago, I raced Honda 400's and 500's. These had air-cooled, InLine-4 SOHC engines. Read, very hot running, very high-revving. The 400's had redline of 11,000 rpm. I don't know where my 500's are right now, but my buddy has my old 400, it is a 1977 model. The thing is still running like new. The oil I used for this long-lived machine? Castrol GTX dino. 20w-50 and straight weight HD-30.

Needless to say, for my cars now, I run Castrol GTX dino (mostly 10w-40) unless the ownwer's manual specifically tells me to use a specific brand of oil like, say, Mobil 1.

 

[Jelly]

Flimflam,

Not to start an argument with you, but what do you have to back up your claim...what's to say that any other oil couldn't have done the same thing?

BTW, I ride a '76 CB400F

[ September 12, 2003, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: Jelly ]

 

[csandste]

Among the great unwashed:

1. Castrol seems foreign. Everyone knows the Brits have racing cars, and that those cars have racing engines which may be smaller. Gawl Dang, Zeke down at the gas station even told me that stuff might be castor oil. Must give your engine the runs.

2. Castrol is vaguely associated with motor cycle racing in a lot of minds. Cycles= small high reving engines, therefore Castrol must be good for small engines.

This is offset by people believing that Castrol is the great anti-Christ for pushing Group III oils as the real thing-- so some urban myths are good, some bad.

In reality the small engine superiority schtick is right up there with those that believe that Pennzoil still comes out of Pennsylvania and is filled with candle wax which will plug up your engine.

 

[TR3-2001SE]

No Myth to this. Back in the 50-60's Castrol R was the prefered racing oil for SCCA racing. Castor Bean oil it was with a special smell to it as it burned. Castrol did a lot of sponsorship of these mostly 4 cylinder foreign cars as they were known at the time. They used their knowledge of racing to develop a good multiweight oil for use in most of these foreign cars. They developed quite a reputation during this time with the foreign car crowd. It is just where Castrol came from and not a myth. Originally a british oil company they came over with MGA,TR3
Mini's etc.

 

[Jimbo]

Castrol has been the choice of the Brit and German car folks for a very long time. Today, it is owned by British Petroleum and is factory fill for BMW, so those connections still exist.

I had air-cooled VW's and small Japanese motorcycles in the 60's and 70's. Many people in that crowd were loyal to Castrol back then. I found too many strange deposits inside engines that ran the Castrol of that era. Valvoline became my brand of choice. For the 2-stroke bikes it was Torco.

 

[crashz]

I would like to start a new myth :
"I would never use anything but oil in my low reving truck v-6."

I can't imagine to many people arguing this one!

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jelly:
Flimflam,

Not to start an argument with you, but what do you have to back up your claim...what's to say that any other oil couldn't have done the same thing?

BTW, I ride a '76 CB400F

---

I have owned about 1/2 dozen bikes and the same number of cars/trucks over the past 23 years. All have had Castrol dinosaur oil in them, most of them have had ONLY Castrol dino oil in them. I have never had a hint of engine trouble in all of these machines. Some of them have been taken over by friends, and I even know their present condition....which is tip-top, great condition. As for sludge, coking up, "Black Death," I have never seen the slightest sign of any of these nasty gremlins.

As to your question....how do I know any other brand would not have given me the same results.....I don't. My experience has not proved that other oils will not give the same good results. I would not be surprised if Mobil 1 used in my 1977 CB 400 F would not produce the same clean engine. But on the down side, the PAO would cause my engine block to leak at the gasket interfaces. And, the Mobil 1 is a lot more expensive. So, I do not need to be a genius to know what oil is best for me.

 

[eljefino]

Pure marketing hype.

I inherited a case of Castrol 10/40 from my Dad who used to use it in his Ford Fairmont inline six and Dodge 024 with VW 1.7-- 1980's high-revving engines.

Still have some kicking around so here's a pic...

http://users.adelphia.net/~eljefino/pix/castrol1.jpg

 

[pscholte]

...boy, does seeing that label bring back memories (good ones)

[ September 12, 2003, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

 

[quadrun1]

I got a couple of bottles of those floating around somewhere too! Boy, Castrol GTX really WAS popular back in its heyday, huh?

Bethcha they're really kicking themselves over that Group III "FakeTec" PR disaster!

 

[Ray H]

Despite unabashed (and easily recognizable) marketing hype, there's usually an associated grain of truth. After all, the ad-copy writers are only following (and embellishing) the lead provided by the staid prose of the engineers who develop the product. (A car manufacturer outsources from a different shock absorber manufacturer, and, suddenly "Fordolet's" brochures laud the new model's improved suspension system...) I may be wrong, but I believe Castrol was an early believer that stuffing higher revving 4-bangers under the hoods of smaller cars, following the holy mantra of increased fuel economy, and increasing the power output of them to performance levels associated with six cylinder engines, would stress available motor oils with regard to oxidation and shear rate. The company may really have led the pack in specifiying a higher quality additive package to compensate. What I doubt, though, is whether their speculated performance and marketing advantage lasted very long. Competitive motor oil blenders would certainly have responded quickly to the challenge - perhaps within months if not weeks.

[ September 12, 2003, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: Ray H ]