VOA Valvoline Motorcycle 10w-40
- Thread starter Fleetguy
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Thanks for posting, I use this oil frequently in ATVs.
Great, Don't see a whole lot of cycle VOA. Thick viscosity for a 10w-40 but that's most likely due to needing to double as lube for the transmission as well. Additives are higher than what we see in the PCMO SP oils. Was this oil labeled as a synthetic or not?
It’s the regular non synthetic
Thanks!
I use this oil in my classics like my 1979 Yamaha XS1100 ... it is a fantastic oil for little money. amazon regularly has a 6 qt. case for under $30 ! Spec'ing oils it is clear to see that it actually is a 20W-40 oil, which a lot UJM called for back then like my XS. Love this stuff and change oil every 2000 miles.
Question: What are you seeing that the Valvoline could be a 20w40, is it the 40 deg cSt? Other 10w40 MC oils I took a quick look at are in the 80's more or less for the 40° CST
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Yup .... compared to current 20W-40 specs.
Good catch on that, I haven't paid attention to that number, but you were right on the money. Valvoline looks to be one of the few that is like that when comparing 10w40 oil's. I amended my post above as well.
Wondering out loud here... taking the manufacture specifications versus the weight grade on the label, would that not suffice if a vehicle calls for 20w40? It would sure help cover the nut in discussions around here when folks ask about what to do because the bike calls for 20w40.
Wondering out loud here... taking the manufacture specifications versus the weight grade on the label, would that not suffice if a vehicle calls for 20w40? It would sure help cover the nut in discussions around here when folks ask about what to do because the bike calls for 20w40.
There are other factors influencing viscosity, such as CCS viscosity, but imma call it a 20W-40 based on 40F viscosty
I agree. For the sake of simplicity, when the 40 cST falls in 20 category, and the 100 cST falls in the 40 category, how does CCS potentially change the weight range of the oil? I don't understand oil ratings enough to know how that would apply.
I don't exactly know how this is determined, but maybe the flowability of oil in low temps has an influence ... or maybe its only the 40F/212F values?
OP- thank you for posting this. Just switched over to this in one of my bikes from years of T4 and others. So far shifting is the best after an oil change I’ve noticed, and dry valve train noise at start up is less.
Nice boron in the oil, am I correct/way off it is a good valve train anti-wear that can be considered a swap for zinc in terms of similar performance. Makes the anti-wear a good bit more stout, IMO. Any thoughts on that?
The Valvoline blue bottle is not a Pure Dino group 2 oil its the higher end group 3, it could be rated as a semi syn. But then it would cost more, and a Dino alternative needed.
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It's so interesting how everyone's experiences with shared transmissions/ wet clutches is with T4 vs T5 vs T6 (as long as they are JASO MA rated) vs Valvoline Atv oils. I've read into it and everyone has a different experience. Some say one is much better and others say the other one is for their personal machine.
Thanks for the analysis! I bought valvoline 10w40 wet clutch atv oil on Amazon before knowing that a number of the rotella oils were JASO MA rated. It's not surprising this oil is unique on the analysis due to the wet clutch and shared Transmission sump.
No, the W grading has nothing to do with 40F viscosity. It's determined by the results of cranking and pumping tests that are performed at sub freezing temperatures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J300
But yeah, I agree the Valvoline's a really good oil.
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Thanks! BTW, there is not a 40F viscosity that is tested. It is at 40c the 40cST test is performed.
However, if the 10w40 oil has a 20 grade rating in the 40 cST test that matches the same range as a specific 20w40 oil, it is a 20w40 oil. Is that not correct or is there an asterix somewhere I am not catching.
To clarify, are you saying based on 40 cST and 100 cST tests an oil that tests out as a 20w40 can still be a 10w40 because it passed the cold weather criteria for a 10w oil? That doesn't jive to my mind. But always willing to learn.
Yes, 40C not 40F, typo on my part there.
There is no grading of the oil by the 40C viscosity, only by the 100C viscosity, which determines the number to the right of the dash (e.g. the 40 in 10W-40).
The 'W' rating is determined by running the cold cranking simulator and mini-rotary viscometer tests as outlined by SAE J300. The number in front of the W also has no relation to the number to the right of the dash. Sometimes you'll hear people say 'a 5W-40 means the oil has the thickness of a 5 weight when cold and the thickness of a 40 when hot', which is wrong.
As for the example you mentioned, if a '20W-40' oil passes the winter grading tests for a 10W, then it must be labelled a 10W-40.
The Wikipedia article explains this all in more detail.
