Old Brit Sport Car, ZDDP v. Moly question

[reed]

I mistakenly posted this in the diesel oil forum and got some very useful feedback comments. But from an abundance of caution, I want to be sure I correctly cast my wider net in the gas realm.

I recently got a 71 Triumph TR6 with 76K for a weekend "beater", planning to use it once or twice a week 9 months a year, maybe 3K annually in Southeast PA. TR has a straight 6, not a high compression or high revving engine- redline at 5500, more typically run between 3500 and 4000 rpm.

Moss Motors advertises (at almost 6 bucks qt. in case lot)
that "Collector's Choice engine oil is a must for your classic engine. Contains 'pre-ban' ZDDP levels . . . ."

On this site, I've seen posts suggesting both 15W-40 diesel oil and 20W-50 oils for similar high milage old cars. And I read through the article on molybednum added oils as superior to ones with zinc.
So, I'd like to pose these questions regarding my leaky old ride:

1) is there any information about the "Collector's Choice", a 20W-50 manufactured by Hicks Oil?

2) Should I stop fretting about ZDDP altogther and just find a good moly added oil instead?

3) If so, which are available, and what would be the correct weight(s) to use?

thanks for any insight or guidance

 

[Ken E.]

Since you're in PA you should be able to source Brad Penn 20w/50 racing oil for your car without problem. This oil should be perfect for your application. I recently had a case shipped to me for use in the '58 Porsche project.

 

[rg200amp]

Brad penn, would work well.

If you want Moly, check out Redline or some Motul Oils. They have the most moly I have seen so far in a oil.

I use and really like Redline oil.

If your motor dose not need make up oil, I would try Redline. If your motor uses oil, and you always need to top off, Redline is way to $$$$. If your motor use oil, Id just use whatever is on sale.

As for oil weights, Id stick to what the car maker says.

 

[mechtech2]

Engines with high lift cams and strong valve springs benefit from the older oils with more ZDDP.
I would not worry about your engine.
Use any modern oil.
But HD oils in 15-40 would be a good choice. HD oils are 'dummied down' also now, and have less than they used to.
In general, if a moderate street engine needs more than X-30 or X-40, something is wrong with it.

 

[ryan2022]

I went through this a while back in my folks Sptifire. The valvoline 20w50 racing oil contains a lot of ZDDP. 50 weight was recommended in that engine at least. Might be worth a look for you. Either that, or look into a deisel oil in a heavier weight.

 

[mechtech2]

I had a Triumph Spitfire, and ran heavy oil in it. It was a huge mistake, and stating 'at least' 50 weight is a very poor recommendation.

Also remember that older cars will never spec an oil that wasn't invented yet.

 

[02Pilot]

Different beast, but my 1974 BMW 2002 runs happily on 15w40 HDEO (I've got Delo in there right now) with a quart of 20w50 in the mix; the sump holds 5 quarts, so the easy way is a gallon of 15w40 and a quart of 20w50. Oil pressure is actually a little stronger with this mix than with straight 20w50.

That said, a long-stroke Brit motor is not going to be particularly hard on oil compared to my high-compression, high-revving BMW M10. Assuming everything is as it should be in the engine, I wouldn't hesitate to use 15w40 HDEO alone or a mix with 20w50. IIRC, most British engines of that vintage had pretty substantial internals and large bearing surfaces, so nothing is going to be overtaxed in normal service.

Plus, it's British, which means you'll be adding oil more often than most of us, so better to have something readily available. Remember, when a British car stops leaking oil, it is because it is out of oil.

 

[ryan2022]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
I had a Triumph Spitfire, and ran heavy oil in it. It was a huge mistake, and stating 'at least' 50 weight is a very poor recommendation.

Also remember that older cars will never spec an oil that wasn't invented yet.


Sorry, I missworded that. I didnt say "at least a 50 weight" I meant it was used in this motor "at least". Numerous brit sites state 50 weight is the recommended oil, and the 20w50 valvoline has a lot of zinc, which the older oils had. There were complaints of problems in some of the old brit engines with the newer oils being lean on zinc. Just my two cents, but I cant see any harm coming from my recommendations.

What problems did you have with the 50 weight? I'm not arguing, just interested. Consumption seemed to increase on the folks spit with 10w40. The motor has 10K on a fresh rebuild.