Oil for C6 Corvette Z06 with LSX engine

[chris719]

PP Euro 5W-40, M1 FS 0W-40, ESP X3/X4 0W-40, Motul XCess Gen2 5W-40, etc.

 

[burbguy82]

I am misunderstanding I suppose. LSX is a GM performance engine, not a custom one off job. If you have a one off, you need to consult the person who built the motor. There should be some literature on it somewhere. GM would not make anything without accompanying literature.

They are also sold as rotating assemblies, and turn key.....https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines/lsx

I would recommend you contact the builder of the engine.

 

[smvmarine1]

I'm running 5w-40 in my Pontiac G8 w/ a supercharged 6.0 ls making around 700rwhp. I reached out to Dave @ HPL and that is what he recommended.

 

[Kalle.J]

MB 229.5 is very similar but is a high-SAPS standard, with a higher TBN requirement and phosphorus limit. MB 229.52 has more stringent requirements for engine tests in terms of oxidation, sludge, piston deposits, and fuel economy.

I'd tend to prefer MB 229.52, since performance in engine tests is more important than having more additives on the spec sheet.

As for the Porsche standards, C30 or C40 are better standards to look for than the older A40 standard, but it's hard to say whether they are any better than the modern MB standards.

Did you just bash on M1 FS xW40 on BITOG You are brave

He is doing 3-4000miles per year. None of that will matter really, C40 & C30 with .52 are just harder to find at a good price here.

 

[97prizm]

Hi all,

A while back, I bought a 2008 Corvette Z06. The car has an 7.2L LSX engine (iron block, instead of the original 7.0 aluminium LS7) and makes close to 600 hp (unsure if that is at the wheels or the engine, but I suspect at the engine). This is a dry sump (original GM system) engine as well.

From the previous owner, I received some Valvoline VR1 5W50 that is -assumingly- currently in the engine. I did some research in the past, and this oil seems a bit too thick and I am questioning if it is the right choice for my driving.

In my mind, I will take the car to trackdays and it will be used and abused, but realistically, it's just a street car that doesn't even get used all that hard (it's too fast to drive anywhere near the limit on the street). On ls1tech, a seemingly very knowledgeable guy recommended 0w40 or 5w40 that meets ACEA A3/B4 or Porsche A40. GM's recommended oil (for the original engine) is 5w30, the oil standard they retroactively recommend is apparently "dexol2".

I am in central Europe, temperature varies from -15 to +35. The car doesn't get driven much, but I did buy a set of uhp winter tyres for it, so it might get used in that range of temperatures. I'll probably end up doing between 5000 and 10 000 km, leaning more to the 5k. Of those km's, a lot will be boring highway on cruise control at 130 kph.

Looking on oeldepot24.de (bought oil there in the past, prices seem good, but otherwise no affiliation/preference), one of the cheaper options that seems to hit the marks (acea a3/b4, Porsche a40) is "Rheinol Primus 5w40": https://oeldepot24.de/Swd-Rheinol-Primus-HDC-5W-40-5-Liter
Another cheap oil, but of a well known brand, is this Mobil 1 ESP 0w40. It gets the Porsche a40 standard, but is a acea c2/c3 oil: https://oeldepot24.de/Mobil-1-ESP-x4-0W-40-1-Liter
Next up are TotalEnergies Quarts 9000 (or 9000 Energy) 5w40
Further up are multiple variants of Meguin: high condition 5w40: https://oeldepot24.de/Meguin-3198-megol-Motorenoel-High-Condition-5W-40-5-Liter
New generation 5w30: https://oeldepot24.de/Meguin-6513-megol-Motorenoel-New-Generation-SAE-5W-30-5-Liter
Efficiency 5w30
And last but not least Low Emmision 5w40: https://oeldepot24.de/Meguin-6574-megol-Motorenoel-Low-Emission-SAE-5W-40-5-Liter
(that seems to be hitting all the mentioned standards).

And that's just scraping the top of the ice berg. So in short => I have no idea what to buy, or what to look for.
I am not necessarily trying to go low budget, but I don't like spending more than needed/without tangible benefit. Oil on forums often seems to be more religion than reason, so I am hoping to find a more down to earth answer here.

Sweet. Something tells me a Corvette Z06 in Europe at least gets a double take as I don't think those were ever officially exported. A good 5-40 should be good.

 

[TFR]

MB 229.5 is very similar but is a high-SAPS standard, with a higher TBN requirement and phosphorus limit. MB 229.52 has more stringent requirements for engine tests in terms of oxidation, sludge, piston deposits, and fuel economy.

I'd tend to prefer MB 229.52, since performance in engine tests is more important than having more additives on the spec sheet.

As for the Porsche standards, C30 or C40 are better standards to look for than the older A40 standard, but it's hard to say whether they are any better than the modern MB standards.

Thanks for the explanation!

I am misunderstanding I suppose. LSX is a GM performance engine, not a custom one off job. If you have a one off, you need to consult the person who built the motor. There should be some literature on it somewhere. GM would not make anything without accompanying literature.

They are also sold as rotating assemblies, and turn key.....https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines/lsx

I would recommend you contact the builder of the engine.

They get/got sold as a bare block as well. If I remember correctly, I have the tall deck version. The original builder went bankrupt, but I also doubt they are well versed in all the specifics on oil. Luckily, everyone here seems to roughly agree on the same kind of oils

Sweet. Something tells me a Corvette Z06 in Europe at least gets a double take as I don't think those were ever officially exported. A good 5-40 should be good.

They are quite rare indeed. I think there were some official European models, but they are very rare. Most are US imports. In most EU countries, the taxes are pretty wild on this thing as well, so you really need to have an enthousiast, as you are paying as much, if not more for this than you would for a new Porsche of Ferrari. Here in Poland they are -relatively- more common, because the car taxes in general are quite low, so it makes sense from an economical standpoint. It's a lot of car for the money.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Even a euro xW-30 or xW-40 will have an HTHS that's quite a bit higher than the recommended API 5W-30, and should be appropriate even for track use. Once you hit the track, if you're seeing oil temperatures much higher than 130°C, you might consider going thicker, but it would be better to upgrade the oil cooler instead.

I'd consider MB 229.52 to be the best standard for oils in these grades, so of the oils you listed, the Mobil 1 ESP 0W-40 (or 5W-30) would be my choice. The Meguin 6513 meets MB 229.51, which is almost as good.

Some of the others you listed only meet the older 229.3 or 229.31 standards, which are less stringent, especially in terms of shear stability and oxidation, which are relevant to track use.

Bingo. It’s about oil temperature, simply put. What is the oil temperature going to be when the OP tracks the car. The kinematic viscosity drops with higher temps. You can track the car and get the temp off the dry sump with a infrared temp gun. Then look up the viscosity from a chart. You will have to decide if that viscosity sounds suitable to you. Better yet track it with a xW40 and then a xW50 and measure the temp again, and look up the viscosity again.

 

[TFR]

Thanks all, I went for Total Quartz 9000 Energy 5w40. It was cheap and easy to find, with both the MB 229.5 and Porsche A40 specification.

Another oil that seemed interesting, was the Aral High Tronic 5w40 (https://oeldepot24.de/Aral-High-Tronic-SAE-5W-40-20-Liter), which meets Porsche A40, BM 229.51 and the GM Dexos2. The 20l container has a very good price too, although I didn't find a great local option and I don't really have room to store a 20l container of oil.

I also looked at 2 really cheap options:
- MANNOL Extreme 5W-40 7915 (https://www.mannol.de/products/moto...rs/synthetic-engine-oils/mannol-extreme-5w-40), but it seems like they don't have any approval for the Porsche/MB standard, and they present it very sneakily in their spec sheet. Based on what I could find here (not that much, but similar sneakiness), I decided against it. See the screenshot how it is formatted. Mannol Extreme 5W-40 (which doesn't seem to have any approvals) on the left, and Mannol Energy Combi LL 5W-30 which does have some approvals, on the right.

The other one is Swd Rheinol Primus 5W40 (https://oeldepot24.de/Swd-Rheinol-Primus-HDC-5W-40-5-Liter), which does get the Porsche certification, the less strict MB 229.3 and some others. Seems like a good budget option, although it does seem to be hard to find.

 

[Kalle.J]

Forget about Mannol, use it old low value / junk cars maybe.

Swd Rheinol HDC might have been A40 approved at some point, not any more.

Here is the full Porsche A40 list.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10246387-0001.pdf

And Mercedes List.

Mercedes-Benz Operating Fluids

Publication platform for approved operating fluids from Mercedes-Benz

operatingfluids.mercedes-benz.com

 

[SaberOne]

Your thread title alone is soothing to my dreams.
If I wasn’t such a pack rat, I would’ve picked one of these up when I had the chance.

 

[TFR]

Forget about Mannol, use it old low value / junk cars maybe.

Swd Rheinol HDC might have been A40 approved at some point, not any more.

Here is the full Porsche A40 list.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10246387-0001.pdf

View attachment 230701

And Mercedes List.

Mercedes-Benz Operating Fluids

Publication platform for approved operating fluids from Mercedes-Benz

operatingfluids.mercedes-benz.com

Ohhh, good catch, I missed that indeed!

Your thread title alone is soothing to my dreams.
If I wasn’t such a pack rat, I would’ve picked one of these up when I had the chance.

You can actually fit quite a lot in them, the hatch is big! I have a bit of a sweet spot for American cars, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. The recent Mustangs with a big supercharger bolted to them, is another itch I hope to scratch at some point.