Which oil for a Noble m400?

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Originally Posted By: fujirio
sorry to be rude but may i see a pic of this beauty?
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Pics:
P1010032.jpg


Another:
noblefront.jpg


And one to grow on:
Nobleclamsup.jpg
 
Beautiful car noble nut. I used to work at a shop in Houston that setup track cars, working on Spec Miatas and Porsche Cup cars. We had a blue M400 come in one time for some work. I remember the ride in the passenger seat vividly. Still have the video footage stored away on a hard drive somewhere. That Duratec motor doesn't mess around with the turbo setup. Not many street legal cars have pushed me back in the seat quite as hard as that Noble did. The bare bones interior and lightweight feel were killer. I'd love to own one some day.
 
Originally Posted By: biodiesel
Beautiful car noble nut. I used to work at a shop in Houston that setup track cars, working on Spec Miatas and Porsche Cup cars. We had a blue M400 come in one time for some work. I remember the ride in the passenger seat vividly. Still have the video footage stored away on a hard drive somewhere. That Duratec motor doesn't mess around with the turbo setup. Not many street legal cars have pushed me back in the seat quite as hard as that Noble did. The bare bones interior and lightweight feel were killer. I'd love to own one some day.


Thanks! It's a great car for me. Simple, light, well-balanced, and fast. Where are you in Atlanta? I grew up in the Canton area and went to Georgia Tech...
 
I'm north of the Perimeter up in Alpharetta. Ironically enough I was on North Ave down the street from the Varsity for a show Sunday evening. Some poor kid got shot and killed outside the venue over a parking dispute for crying out loud!
 
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Originally Posted By: noble_nut
Originally Posted By: fujirio
sorry to be rude but may i see a pic of this beauty?
20.gif


Pics:
P1010032.jpg


Another:
noblefront.jpg


And one to grow on:
Nobleclamsup.jpg



SICK RIDE!!
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thumbsup2.gif


That's even the same color I'd want on mine.
Even though I know the wing is FULLY functional, integrated, and an essential/necessary part of the aero package, I still think they would look sweeter yet with just the small lip spoiler.

But most real, pure track cars have them nowadays, and that is exactly what this monster was designed to be (with street use a secondary feature, albeit a very liveable one from what I've heard ; ).
 
Funny you should mention the wing...I took it off!!! It is functional, but was attracting significant attention (go figure), and it only takes about 3 minutes to take it off/put it back on. With the wing removed, if it weren't for the straight pipes that belch fire on downshifts it would be downright stealthy!
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Originally Posted By: noble_nut
Funny you should mention the wing...I took it off!!! It is functional, but was attracting significant attention (go figure), and it only takes about 3 minutes to take it off/put it back on. With the wing removed, if it weren't for the straight pipes that belch fire on downshifts it would be downright stealthy!
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kick [censored] ride thank you for pics.
 
Back to the oil question: The engine was originally speced for xxW-30 oil. Unless the oil temperature gauge reads above 285dF there is no reason to run a thicker oil, and unless the oil temp guague reads above 300dF there is no particular reason to run a thicker oil. If the oil temperature gauge reads above 300dF then an (or a bigger) oil cooler will help way more than a thicker oil.

So, what is the oil temp guage telling you?
 
Originally Posted By: Mitch Alsup
Back to the oil question: The engine was originally speced for xxW-30 oil. Unless the oil temperature gauge reads above 285dF there is no reason to run a thicker oil, and unless the oil temp guague reads above 300dF there is no particular reason to run a thicker oil. If the oil temperature gauge reads above 300dF then an (or a bigger) oil cooler will help way more than a thicker oil.

So, what is the oil temp guage telling you?


The car already has a bigger front-mount oil cooler (biggest that can be crammed in). The temps I saw at the track were at pretty low ambients (60s), so I think I'm going to run redline 5w40 at the track and see how it handles the heat. As you say, if the temps stay cool I'll then move to a thinner oil. Thanks for the input!
 
Originally Posted By: noble_nut
Funny you should mention the wing...I took it off!!! It is functional, but was attracting significant attention (go figure), and it only takes about 3 minutes to take it off/put it back on. With the wing removed, if it weren't for the straight pipes that belch fire on downshifts it would be downright stealthy!
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crackmeup2.gif
AS IF that ride could ever be considered "stealthy"!
lol.gif


Cool that you get the turbo overrun out those very short exhaust pipes!!
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Do you have any form of aftermarket anti-lag??
 
Originally Posted By: noble_nut
Hello all,

What a great forum! I'm a huge gearhead, but now realize I'm a lubrication neophyte. I'll try to follow the recommended format:

1. What kind of vehicle you have
2006 Noble M400
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
5w30 synthetic...no other info given
3. Where you live
Louisiana
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
Hard...with frequent autocross/road course
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5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
Mix...but rarely city.
6. Whether your car has any known problems
No problems, other than it is radar bait

The car has a new motor, now with ~3k miles on it. Break in was on 5w30 dino, followed by 20w50 valvoline vr1. The motor is based on the 3.0L Ford duratec, but has forged pistons, modified oil passages, piston squirters, and is twin-turbocharged. Oil capacity is about 9 quarts.

I tracked the car last autumn as a "test-drive" before purchase, and oil temps never went above 120 C during 30 minute runs. Ambient temps then were mid-60s.

I stumbled onto this site, and have been transfixed for the past week trying to figure out what to use. Now I feel schizophenic!
crazy2.gif
I decided on Amsoil... then read some detractors posts. Then I researched redline...and there was some chatter about high wear numbers on UOAs. My brain is swirling with UOA results, HT/HS ratings,TBNs, flash points ...aaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!

OCIs will be ~3k and price per oil change isn't a big concern. BTW, oil filter is Motocraft FL-820S (per 'manual').

I'll be tracking this car in the Texas summer heat, and need help given the lack of information available for this application! Which oil and which viscosity?!?!

Thanks!


I have a M400 2005 in the uk i would only use 5w 40 shell helix ultra fully synthetic on track and off. the uk being a colder climate is why we use a 5w 40 i think u should start with 5w 30 as you have warmer climate and see how u get on do not use a 10w or 20w in fact only use a 5w
 
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Update: Thanks to everyone for their input/help! I've ordered Redline 5w40, and I'll update with a uoa after track time this spring.

Cheers!
-S
 
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