Lucas Oil

[Mckay]

Just seeking the board's opinion on Lucas Oil. The motor oil not the stabilizer. I've run it in a Saab 9-5 Aero - a motor notoriously hard on oil. I was told it was a "true" synthetic and since it's roots were racing oil it would be a good option for a car with fuel dilution. Since then I've heard conflicting reports on it's basestocks as well as quality. I've been considering a switch to M1 HM 10/40 or M1 15/50 silver cap not EP.


Thank you.

 

[Tempest]

Run a search. There have been a couple of threads.

 

[badtlc]

I havent seen a whole lot about Lucas oil other than it would be hard for it to be worth the $$ they charge. It would be nice to get a few more UOAs and see how it really works.

 

[BarkerMan]

For a better price and I think better performance try Pennzoil Platinum for for s bit more $ try Red Line. We have had Lucas on the dyno and in customer cars and it has never shown anything special although it has never failed us. It's very expensive. Lucas is a great company and very loyal to the racing community. Lucas is a bit like Mobil 1, great marketing that shows better than the actual products.

 

[Mckay]

Thanks. I've heard good things about PP and Redline. I run redline 5w40 in a 00 4.7 grand cherokee and it seems to work excellent. what's confusing on my Saab is that I get conflicting opinions from Saab mechanics. One swears by only M1 for that car saying he sees to much turbo failure with Redline, RP, and other boutique synthetics. He recommends thick synthetic M1 at least a 40. Other mechanic swears by Redline 5w30 year round. Both rip the Lucas as racing oil as not fit for consumer use.

Reason I like Lucas is that I can definately tell the difference between running lucas and some of the others I've tried. Motor seems to be freed up a bit runs very very smooth - maybe that's not a good thing long term??

 

[saaber1]

Mckay, Re: Turbo failure... I sold one saab turbo with 318k and original turbo and ran as new, used redline all its life. I have also run mobil 1 in saab turbo's with no problems but for much fewer miles than the 318k. I have had excellent luck with amsoil 10W30 in saab turbos but agian lower total miles than the 318k. Had 1 saab turbo at 220k that had turbo wear (but not catastrophic) which used castrol syntec all its life.

I don't understand the recommendation for thick oil at all. Everyone I have every talked to says stay on the thinner side for lubrication at startup. Maybe he is thinking stay thick for lubrication at shutdown? Or maybe he is saying use thick M1 because it shears down? This recommendation makes no sense to me.

I think startup oil to the turbo is important for turbo life and oils which clean well keep the passages to the turbo clean. Mobil 1 and redline both clean very well IMO.

I also think letting it cool a bit on shutdown by idling for a bit makes a difference in turbo life over the very long term. I don't know what properties of one oil over another would make it more effective at lubrication at shutdown other than viscosity and I suppose shear stability. My guess is redline and mobil 1 would be equally effective at shutdown and that the practice of letting it idle is what makes the difference.

 

[Dyoel182]

Originally Posted By: saaber1
I also think letting it cool a bit on shutdown by idling for a bit makes a difference in turbo life over the very long term. I don't know what properties of one oil over another would make it more effective at lubrication at shutdown other than viscosity and I suppose shear stability. My guess is redline and mobil 1 would be equally effective at shutdown and that the practice of letting it idle is what makes the difference.


I think so too and both my turbo cars have turbo timers so they always get a chance to idle down a little.

 

[Mckay]

Thanks! good to get info from a Saab guy. What grade Red Line would you run in an 03 9-5 Aero in high desert climate - Utah? winters average 20-30F summers can get over 100F.

 

[saaber1]

What's a turbo timer? I like the sound of that! What does it look like?, what does it do?, What does it cost?, How do you install?, Where do you get it?, What color is your refridgerator (kiddding!)

 

[Dyoel182]

A turbo timer is a device that plugs into your cars ignition and keeps the engine running for a preset time after you turn off the ignition and remove your key. I'm surprised you dont know about them. The models I use are a Blitz Dual Full Auto Timer which also doubles as my boost/peak gauge in the car.

 

[saaber1]

Mckay,

I would defer to Pablo, Buster, and others who know a lot more about the right viscosities to use. The 5W30 sounds pretty darn good to me and amsoil or redline 10W30 also.

Perhaps Pablo, Buster, or others can shed some light on whether anything in the following specs might suggest which weight might work well for this turbo assuming startup "pumpability" is important as well as holding up to high temps/stress:

 

[Brien]

Id try a 15-40 or 5-40 HDEO in that engine. Mobil 1 TDT should work great

 

[Win]

I have the Lucas 5w30 synthetic in my GTO.

The engine seems pretty content with it. Subjectively, the engine seems smoother and quieter with the Lucas than with the Hav 10/30 syn that I have used since the car was new. It's never piston slapped or consumed any measurable quantity of oil on either formulation. The on board computer shows a slight mpg increase - maybe there is a bit less internal friction in the engine - but it's also still breaking in with only about 21K miles on the odo.

The cost of the Lucas is a legitimate criticism, but it's not the most expensive oil out there.