Oil recommendation for supercharged/road raced 5.0 Mustang

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I originally planned on M1 10w-30 and Molekule's brew of 132/LC, but after reading many threads and listening to some of you via phone conversations, I am even more confused.

My 92 Mustang is supercharged and has many other engine mods, and it sees weekend street duty as well as open track and autocross events. I would like an oil combo where I don't have to worry about it for at least 3k miles, while maximizing protection and performance. With the car's aggressive handling setup, I expect there would be moments of a lack of lubrication in certain areas of the engine during hard turns. I also didn't want to buy an oil that is difficult to obtain. Synergen seems like a nice oil, but it appears to be pricey and from doing a Yahoo search I couldn't find a dealer easily.

Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Being in Fl and looking at your engine combo, I would go with one of these:

Mobil 1 15W-50
Redline 5W-40 or 10W-40
Amsoil S2k 20-50

[ November 26, 2003, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: Alex D ]
 
Thanks. I guess I could save the 2 jugs of M1 10w-30 I have for my wife's car.

You think the heavier weight oil would lower hp output much?

Not just Florida, South Florida. I swear this place must be cursed by the heat/humidity god.
 
quote:

I originally planned on M1 10w-30 and Molekule's brew of 132/LC, but after reading many threads and listening to some of you via phone conversations, I am even more confused.

This is actually a good choice or what AlexD listed.
cheers.gif
 
I don't think you need to worry about hp loss, you need the extra protection of these oils with a stout additive package and the extra viscosity since I assume you run high oil temps. In addition if your engine was set up for forced induction, it may well be clearanced on the looser side, if not it would worry me.
 
I have a basicly stock Mustang 5.0L and have been running M1 5W-30 for street use and weekend autocross events with no problems. I was thinking about using the M1/132 mix in mine or possibly Delvac 1 because my car sits for months sometimes. German Castrol 0W-30 was also a thought lately. It's a little thicker than the low 30 weight M1 and should be lower friction than the Delvac.

With long on track events and the blower you might have some consumption issues with 10W-30 M1 and with high oil temps something slightly heavier might be better. Just a guess, it'll depend on how new and tight your engine is, and how much you're leaning on the boost. Whatever you choose, you can overfill that engine a quart or more and have no windage problems. I'd advise this to make sure you don't run into starvation issues. On track much of the oil is going to be in the upper end anyway. Patman had a modded 5.0L with a supercharger so he might be able to tell you more about them in that form.

One other non oil related thing you may already know. Tape or safety wire the p/s cap on. The high temps from running at high RPM's for extended periods have been known to pop those things right off...
shocked.gif
A lot of guys are running underdrive pullies and by slowing the pump down the heat generated is less.

Jim - who wishes he had the $$ right now to build an A/Sedan Mustang...

[ November 26, 2003, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: jsharp ]
 
Thanks for the replies. I extended the PS cap with a length of hose and a cap from another PS pump. I've got a plate cooler for it going on. I also bought an oil cooler but haven't installed it yet. I really plan on sticking mainly with the autox for now, as I want to improve my driving skills before getting further into the open tracking, so the car really won't see much OT for now.

The shortblock's stock, but the heads/intake/cam/etc are aftermarket, and the SC is a Powerdyne that sees about 9 psi max.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Nitrox:
Thanks for the replies. I extended the PS cap with a length of hose and a cap from another PS pump. I've got a plate cooler for it going on. I also bought an oil cooler but haven't installed it yet. I really plan on sticking mainly with the autox for now, as I want to improve my driving skills before getting further into the open tracking, so the car really won't see much OT for now.

The shortblock's stock, but the heads/intake/cam/etc are aftermarket, and the SC is a Powerdyne that sees about 9 psi max.


Others may not agree, but for mixed auto/x and street use I'd feel comfortable with a 5W-30 or 10W-30 weight oil. Either the M1/132 mix, German Castrol, Redline, or Amsoil. Pick what's most available to you. You're running with a cold engine and low oil temp pretty much all of the time when you autocross so I'd avoid heavy oils.

You'll be Ok on the p/s pump too and don't worry about the underdrive pully setup for tight course auto/x. You need all the pump output you can get in that situation.

I auto/x'd my almost stock '90LX for about 3 years pretty consistantly when it was new. They are a hard car to drive fast and get used to seeing your new tires become old tires... Have fun!
cheers.gif


[ November 27, 2003, 12:42 AM: Message edited by: jsharp ]
 
Red Line or Amsoil 10W40. Maybe M1 15W50 just for the convienance. All are good oils.

How about Rotella T 5W40 for a group III?
 
I ran mostly 10w30 Mobil 1 in my supercharged Mustang, but I also ended up burning about 1qt every 3k after a few years of running the blower, while the engine burned no oil at all before. So I'm wondering if a thicker oil would've protected the rings better.

If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably run Amsoil 10w40 in it.
 
I'd agree with Jim ...I think the Amsoil Series 2000, 0w-30 or Redline 5w-30 would be the place to start. Do some oil analysis testing after several races - specifically to look at bearing/valvetrain wear. You may have to move up to a 10w-40, but that would be the thickest synthetic I'd consider for this motor ....

In turbocharged and supercharged applications, oil flow rates are very important. Thinner oils have significantly better heat transfer properties and your oil temps will be reduced. I've been substituting low viscosity synlubes for thicker dino oils for 18 years with extremely good results. It's better to have a 0w-30/5w-30 running @ 220F than a 15w-50/20w-50 running @ 250F. Thermal expansion is reduced so you don't lose power and the engine seals/gaskets last longer. There is also a reduced chance of pre-ignition, which can hole a piston.

When it comes to the best synlubes - thicker is NOT always better. Jet turbines run on 10wt synthetic oils. Many industrial screw compressors run on thin, ISO 32 or 46 synthetic fluids ....

Tooslick
 
The one reason I suggest 10w40 is because 5.0 engines are designed with "loose rings" and have a tendancy to burn oil, especially with superchargers added to them. The 10w40 would just provide that extra margin of safety, especially in the case of a car driven on a road course, where the oil temps will be very hot for sustained periods.
 
For sure a synthetic 15W-40 would be great in Florida in that car, in fact despite Buster, the Amsoil Series 2000 20W-50 would work perfectly. See TooSlick, he's in 'bama.
 
A no brainer:
The combination of FL and a sugercharged autcrossed engine means a 50 weighht,( especially in a looser engine like a 5.0 something like Castrol TWS 10w-60 is not off the table).

Mobil1 15w-50 or any 50 weight from Redline Amsoil come to mind.

Fred..
smile.gif


[ November 27, 2003, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: palmerwmd ]
 
Thicker oil is needed in supercharged engines to help keep the crank and rod berings away from the crank ,looking at the uoa's of supercharged and nitrous engines the bering wear metals are elevated. pistons and rings get by with a lighter oil o.k. the additives work well there but the berings are soft and can't rely on additive protection as the crank runs on the oil film. And piston ring end gaps are usually wider due to the increased heat. 9 psi must have some get up and go.

[ November 27, 2003, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: Steve S ]
 
I would think a good xxw40 wt would fit the bill, if it were road racing I'd think the 50 wt would be the call, but the time on track and time spent at WOT in Auto-X are brief and the 40 wt should certainly be enough for the street.
 
I ran a '91 5.0 Supercharged Mustang in the One Lap of America two years in a row. 425hp to the wheels, 7-8k miles for the event on M1 10w-30. No problems whatsoever. Also ran plenty of track days at Watkins Glen, etc. with it. Consumption was maybe 1qt/2000 miles, but definitely from excess crankcase pressure being vented to the atmosphere. Runnign the car N/A on the M1 and consumption goes away......

-Mike P
 
One thing I failed to mention, the engine has a 7 quart Canton T-style oil pan. I had to ding the driver side part of the pan to clear the longtube headers, so I think the capacity is a bit under 7 quarts now. I have 2 5 quart jugs of M1 10W-30 already (grabbed then from WM when they were on sale couple months ago). What do you all think of using the jug of 10w-30 with a top off of 1 quart M1 15w-50, and the Molekule 132/lc brew?

Hope your turkey hangovers are going well.
 
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