Looking for a good oil....

Pennzoil motor oil
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yamahaSHO

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Dec 11, 2003
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Location
Greenwood, AR
I have a 1995 Ford Taurus SHO that is highly modified. My last motor bit the dust due to a spun rod bearing. In the past, the car has been used for track events (road courses), but it is a street car. I actually do not plan to run this on the road course again, however, I will take it down the drag strip occasionally, AutoX, and canyon driving. Most of the driving is normal street driving and I do get on it occasionally.

I am looking for a good oil that can take some abuse, heat, and still be good for regular driving. I will be adding in a good oil cooling system.

The car makes anywhere between 550 - 600hp and revs up to 8,000+ RPM. It also makes some serious heat under the hood.

The oil brands I have been looking at most are:

1. Redline Synthetic (not racing as it recommended NOT for street use.
2. Mobil 1 (Used this when the bearing spun on track, still use it in my daily '02 Civic w/ extended OCI's)
3. Royal Purple

The stock motor called for 10w30 and I am currently breaking in the new motor (only 1,200 miles on it now) with Castrol GTX 10w30. I plan to go to full synthetic at about 2,500 - 3,000 miles. I have been looking at Redlines site and 10w-40 is recommended for daily driven vehicles in hot weather and best choice for high-performance engines that see street/strip or track activity. I have also considered 10w30 and 5w-40. This is a "good weather" car. It gets driven on nice days, so even though I live in Denver, it would very rarely be started up in the winter (garage is heated anyway and it's 95+ degrees this time a year).

Here are some pics of the car I'm doing all this research for.

IMG_6787.jpg


IMG_6789.jpg


IMG_6790.jpg
 
I forgot to add that I will NOT be doing any extended oil changes with this car. 3,000 miles will be the max between oil changes.
 
I am using Redline oil......to help get the price down....I would buy it by the case.
I have used Mobil 1 with very good results.
So, I would expect that any of the 3 oils you list will be very good.
I would stay at or close to the weight specified for your vehicle.
I have a '96 3.8L windstar...which is far from your SHO, but thought I would pass along the info.

You might also look into the power steering fluid and go with a synthetic.
My '96 windstar calls for Type "F" ATF for the power steering, and I have been using Redline Synthetic Power Steering Fluid, which lists the FORD specification # that my vehicle calls for......
Mobil 1 ATF would be great for a Mercon Specification.
Fords are known for cooking the power steering fluid, even with the little cooler that they put in.
Often a noisy power steering system is quieted down by changing the fluid.

Also, I have used Mobil 1 ATF for the Transmission with good results.
FORD has just (July of 2006) back spec'd Mercon V for all Mercon applications.
Mercon is still fine where called for, but Mercon V may be used where Mercon was specified.
Of course, Mercon V MUST be used where Mercon V is called for.
This summer, I changed over to Redline D4 ATF and it has done very well so far.
It is CRITICAL to keep the transmission fluid changed regularly.

Sorry to go a bit off topic.....just wanted to put the information in 1 place.
 
As far as going for the weight specified for my motor, I have completely rebuilt this motor. It now has forged pistons, performance rings, and different bearings (probably like stock w/stock clearances). It runs hotter, has bigger ring end gaps, and makes much more power. The problem in the past has been getting the motor too hot and having oil pressure drop. I have a large radiator that works well, but in the past, my oil temps have gone way up, which is why I've got a good Fluidyne cooler going in.

My transmission is running Redline MT90. It has also been rebuilt with brass blocking rings (original for my year were fiber-lined), shot peend, and shimmed tighter to handle more power. The MT90 seems to do great once it's all warm.
 
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My advice would be use the redline, then do a used oil analysis and send it to Terry Dyson at Dyson Analysis. He specializes in tuning oils for racing applications. Your setup is more complex then an average street car and he can really fine tune an oil for you.
 
I'd go with the Mobil 1 0w40 or GC. They are on the heavy end of the 30w scale and are rated for high-heat turbo applications.

Redline would be great for racing, as you said, but not for daily drivers. I don't care for RP, but a few people out there like it.
 
Love the intake runners and the intake tubes! Like a work of art!

I'd consider Mobil 1 0W-40 in that engine and with your intended usage.
 
Quote:

As far as going for the weight specified for my motor, I have completely rebuilt this motor. It now has forged pistons, performance rings, and different bearings (probably like stock w/stock clearances). It runs hotter, has bigger ring end gaps, and makes much more power. The problem in the past has been getting the motor too hot and having oil pressure drop. I have a large radiator that works well, but in the past, my oil temps have gone way up, which is why I've got a good Fluidyne cooler going in.

My transmission is running Redline MT90. It has also been rebuilt with brass blocking rings (original for my year were fiber-lined), shot peend, and shimmed tighter to handle more power. The MT90 seems to do great once it's all warm.

Click to expand...


I had similar engine oil problems with my rebuilt 96 infiniti vq30de motor. When the 3.5 liter engine came out I tried the new oil pump and it put out almost twice the pressure. Also it fit into place with no modifications!
Have you checked for a stronger pump?
To cool engine bay,
Have you looked into hood or front side venting, opening front area where ford emblem is located to make bigger grill , sealing off gap between radiator and front fascia to help direct air thru cowling, placing some small auxillary circular exhaust fans (the type used to cool race car drivers heads).
Do you have a relocated oil filter that holds 1 qt oil?
Don't be afraid to cut some body panels or fascia. You must cool down the engine bay.
I live in vegas and I finally got things modified enough that I can drive with my AC going in stop and go traffic in 110 degree heat and stay within 195-225 degrees.
 
Quote:

Quote:

As far as going for the weight specified for my motor, I have completely rebuilt this motor. It now has forged pistons, performance rings, and different bearings (probably like stock w/stock clearances). It runs hotter, has bigger ring end gaps, and makes much more power. The problem in the past has been getting the motor too hot and having oil pressure drop. I have a large radiator that works well, but in the past, my oil temps have gone way up, which is why I've got a good Fluidyne cooler going in.

My transmission is running Redline MT90. It has also been rebuilt with brass blocking rings (original for my year were fiber-lined), shot peend, and shimmed tighter to handle more power. The MT90 seems to do great once it's all warm.

Click to expand...


I had similar engine oil problems with my rebuilt 96 infiniti vq30de motor. When the 3.5 liter engine came out I tried the new oil pump and it put out almost twice the pressure. Also it fit into place with no modifications!
Have you checked for a stronger pump?
To cool engine bay,
Have you looked into hood or front side venting, opening front area where ford emblem is located to make bigger grill , sealing off gap between radiator and front fascia to help direct air thru cowling, placing some small auxillary circular exhaust fans (the type used to cool race car drivers heads).
Do you have a relocated oil filter that holds 1 qt oil?
Don't be afraid to cut some body panels or fascia. You must cool down the engine bay.
I live in vegas and I finally got things modified enough that I can drive with my AC going in stop and go traffic in 110 degree heat and stay within 195-225 degrees.

Click to expand...


There is not other pump for this motor, however, there is not need for a better pump. The stock pump is one of the better pumps I've ever seen on a stock car. I did find a brand new one it's doing fine.

It is 95F out right now and I just drove around for lunch with the AC on and the hottest the coolant got was 215F. I don't have an oil temp gauge, but my pressure was just fine. 19 PSI at idle (1100 RPM) and 40 PSI at 3,000 RPM (which is good). I'm not really looking at running "twice the pressure" as you have done. Pressure is just a measure of flow restriction. Too much pressure could be bad. My stock pump is a high flowing unit.

I have a VERY large radiator. It is about 3 times the size of the stock one. With the oil cooler on, I'll be fine, but I do want an oil that will withstand some heat for the more spirited drives (I track hard).

I have looked at other options to cool the engine bay, however, one of the biggest falls is my altitude. Up here in Denver, we have about 25% less cooling ability due to lack of air.

I do not have a relocated oil filter. I am trying to avoid using one. I use the Mustang FL-1A filter size which is over twice the size of the stock filter. I currently hold 6 quarts of oil, but it will increase by at least 2 when I add the cooler and lines.

I may do some cutting of the front bumper as it needs a repaint anyway, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I only have 1,300 miles on the motor as of today and I am still waiting to get to about 3,000 miles to use synthetic and I want my cooler in.
 
Definitely go with the Redline oil...
extreme heat is it's forte!!

You mentioned that the car sits up during the winters and if that is the case, you may want to put a thick conventional oil in the crankcase prior to putting the car to sleep for the winter - seems like I heard here that Ester oils draw (or absorb) moisture and in a car that sits that can't be good.

On springs first light off, you could get the car warmed up sweetly and then dump the conventional and start back with the redline. Cheers DV

PS. Nice car!!!
 
Quote:

Definitely go with the Redline oil...
extreme heat is it's forte!!

You mentioned that the car sits up during the winters and if that is the case, you may want to put a thick conventional oil in the crankcase prior to putting the car to sleep for the winter - seems like I heard here that Ester oils draw (or absorb) moisture and in a car that sits that can't be good.

On springs first light off, you could get the car warmed up sweetly and then dump the conventional and start back with the redline. Cheers DV

PS. Nice car!!!

Click to expand...


I've left cars stored with Redline and never seen a problem.

I don't know if Redline's Polyol Ester has a issue with moisture.

There may also be a benefit which is that many esters cling to the metal better and may protect better than conventional oil.
 
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