racing go-cart

[Arctic388]

what oil would one recommend for a 4 stroke B&S 5hp racing cart engine ?

 

[dwcopple]

i think that the consensus here is that briggs motors will run with any oil in them....hard to kill.

 

[JR]

If I have learned anything here as a member is that these little air-cooled briggs and stratton engine will give you many hours of operation with any oil you choose to use. Any people choose to use Mobil 1 syn. Many use their 5w30, 10w30 and their Truck and SUV 5W-40. Others use a HDEO 15w40. While others use a good old straight 30 weight oil. I personally like to use Mobil 1 T&S 5W-40 in my air-cooled equipment. If I don't have M1 T&S on hand when I change the oil in an air-cooled I will use a good HDEO 15w40. I put alot of hours on all the equipment I own and use. And I have never had any problems with any of then with the oils I have choosen to use. Also I want to say that I think that even though you can never go wrong with using a HDEO 15w40 or 30 weight, syn oil is the always the best choose. Syn will give you the best protection at cold starts, during both extreme cold and hot operation, during prolong operation, under heavy operation, and extended oil drains. About the only time I think a syn oil should not be used is if the engine either uses oil or leaks oil. Many people will say that syn oil can not be used in a brand new engine or freshly overhauled engine. I will to differ. The only reason that I do not put syn oil in at overhaul is because I dump the first fill of oil out after just a few hours of operation. After I dump that first fill out I use syn. I will put in a HDEO 15w40 in and then I put a syn in. I have been told many times that I am stupid to because it will cause "cylinder glacing. I have never had that happen. And I have several new engines. I bought a new Kubota RTV900-R in october of 2004. It was a demo. The dealer trailered it to my house. It has something like 26 hours on it. I started it and pulled it off the trailer. Ten minutes later I had it in the garage on ramps and I was dumping in M1 T&S 5W-40. It has alittle over 550 hours on it now and it has never used a drop of oil.

 

[Slick17601]

Are you racing or just running around the yard? If you are racing (and burning methanol) look at Cool Power or FHS oils. You will be giving up power if you are running HD30 or 15W40.

 

[Arctic388]

it will be for racing only. so i want the best. i'm 99% sure it will be AMSOIL but not sure what type would be best. i will be kind of like a sponsor to a guy and his son.

 

[Slick17601]

Amsoil doesn't really have an oil that will give you max power. If your heart is set on Amsoil try the 5W-20. True kart racing oils do make more power and as competative as things are today a few hundreths of a second can make a big difference. I've been out of racing for a few years but spent alot of time on the dyno trying various things. There is enough difference between some oils to make .1 or .2 HP.

 

[Bror Jace]

When you say 'the best,' do you mean protection or power?

I'm not sure how much hydrodynamic drag is a factor with these engines ... but the classic way to get that last few percent of power is to go with a thinner oil ... but that might allow greater wear. It depends how serious you are about getting that last bit of power out of the engine.

As for Amsoil? you might try their 0W-30.

I'd ask Pablo which Amsoil will be a thin 30 weight at operating temp (220F-250+F) and try that as a compromise weight.

Drain it every few hours of run time looking for silvery bits as a crude wear indicator.

--- Bror Jace

 

[Arctic388]

i was hoping someone on here would know cause i was hoping to get some customers form that sport. this summer i was going to try and intoduce some folks at 4 different type race tracks and see if i could make something form AMSOIL and knowing that all the smartest people are on this site is why i asked.

thanks all.

 

[Arctic388]

thanks ****, this is what i was looking for. is it safe to say that Series 2000 0w30 is the best to pick from AMSOIL.

 

[Slick17601]

****, I mean no disrespect but that kind of gain is impossible. My blueprinted stock engines would show approximatley 9.6 to 10 hp. Some oils would show a .1 hp difference. Sounds like he may have been running a Controlled Stock or Modified Briggs. If you could prove a gain like that with only oil you could sell all you could make for $25/quart.

 

[Arctic388]

so is it safe to say no matter what oil it wont increase performance ? guess i'll have to sell the fact that it will hold up better.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

Met a guy who blueprinted B&S engines for go-cart racing. Said the dyno showed 18 hp. Then he tried AMSOIL Series 2000 0W-30, and said he got to 21 hp.

 

[FORD1]

ok,i used to race go karts,but got fat and old but if you want a horsepower gain and like to cheat here is an old pro trick.you only gonna run about 12 to 16 oz in the briggs so mix 8 oz of your favorite oil with 8 oz of pure nitro methane and have engine builder set oil ring gap loose as goose and feel the power.i have done this honest,many,many times and seen on dyno what it will do.got many more speed tricks but will save for now.

 

[Shovel Head Ted]

I Know a guy who has kids that race carts and he told me he uses Amsoil 0w30. He said his engine builder recommended it.

 

[Slick17601]

FORD1, you must have been running back yard tracks that didn't have an oil sniffer.

 

[Arctic388]

great tips. keep 'em coming.

 

[wileyE]

Royal purple9 0w10 is pretty popular with the jr dragster crowd, but many just run off the shelf car oils.

 

[Jaybird]

So, Arctic...you don't have one of these engines, and are looking to find an Amsoil fluid to tout to the folks who do?

I'm just curious...and no offense meant to the valid Amsoil dealers and distributors here, but did you just attend an Amsoil sales seminar?
I'm sorry, but I have this vision of you running right out to the track and telling these folks how wonderful such and such a fluid is, yet having absolutely no idea why, when, where, or whatfor.

Marketing...you gotta love it.