GC 0w30 + LM MoS2 in 06 Audi A3 2.0t FSI 3100mi

[crew219]

This is a recent UOA taken from my 2.0t FSI (fuel diluting monster). The engine is modified with SII programming, intake with AEM dryflow filter and aftermarket turbo-back exhaust. This UOA comprised of mostly stop and go city driving, cold starts (late winter), as well as an auto-x event over the period of 3 months.

The latest UOA was done with Castrol 0w30 + LubroMoly MoS2 additive The treatment rate for the product was 50ml per liter of engine oil, but I emptied the entire 300ml bottle in my 5 quart sump. Other than moly, I am not sure if LM MoS2 contains any other additives. I'm also unsure of what the weight of the base oil is, given that the cSt@100C dropped from ~12 to 10, but I attribute a significant portion of that viscosity loss to the MoS2 additive given that virgin GC (3rd UOA) held up better despite more fuel and greater wear)

The second UOA is the latest version of Amsoil AFL 5w40; the last UOA is GC 0w30 with lube control.

Overall I am pretty happy with the results. For $6, the MoS2 additive doesn't appear to have any deleterious effects other than lowering the viscosity. I am considering switching to Redline 5w40 at a future date or possibly reducing the amount of MoS2 additive used. Currently the car is filled with the same GC + LM MoS2 additive and will be sampled after 4k miles.

Dave

 

[RI_RS4]

Dave,

If you are willing to switch to RL 5W40, I'd love to see how it performs. I'd also recommend the RLI 5W40, and am sure it will perform well.

Have you fixed a tuning problem from your 1/19/07 sample? I ask because your fuel and Manganese were exceptionally high.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I wouldn't add Moly to an oil that does not have any since some additives are counter-indicated with it. Is Molydisulphide even soluble? Regardless, 200mg/kg is not a lot of moly for $6. It appears the other additives are in-line with virgin GC. imo, the Lube Control scoured out pre-deposited Fe in the UOA. I would try Mobil D1/TDT in the 2.0 FSI application and cease the additives. That 10cSt visc is not too great.

 

[crew219]

Originally Posted By: RI_RS4
Dave,

If you are willing to switch to RL 5W40, I'd love to see how it performs. I'd also recommend the RLI 5W40, and am sure it will perform well.

Have you fixed a tuning problem from your 1/19/07 sample? I ask because your fuel and Manganese were exceptionally high.


Not sure about the manganese. IIRC prior to that run, M1 0w40 or Castrol 5w40 was used at the dealership so perhaps it could have been residual additive from whatever oil was run prior? IIRC I may have not changed the factory filter on that run (drained but not changed). Tuning-wise, I am using a different file that uses more timing and 2psi less boost all around. Not sure how much that affects the fuel dilution. I think possibly that the fuel dilution #s swing significantly since I'm not specifically requesting fuel % analysis from blackstone and they're calculating dilution as a measure of the flashpoint.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to try out the RLI, but as stated in previous threads, the low flashpoint does make me uncomfortable. While making viscosity charts, the RLI looks quite good due to it's high VI. Also, cost is a factor with RLI being the most expensive oil by a significant margin (after shipping to CA).

Dave

 

[RI_RS4]

Dave

Manganese comes from the fuel or a fuel booster. In some areas, MMT is still used in fuel at low doses.

What low flashpoint? RLI 5W40 has a 428F flashpoint. Their 0W20 and 0W30 PCMO have a flashpoint of 464F

 

[RI_RS4]

Also, you cannot compare Blackstone and Dyson flashpoint numbers directly. Dyson uses the closed cup method. Blackstone uses the open cup method.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I used Redlie 5W40 and it was a great product. I even had a cold start where the temp got down to -30°F that night and was between -25 and -28 when I had to start the car and go to church. It turned over like it was a 70° day out and their was zero additional valvetrain noise or anything like that. So do not worry about it the Redline 5W40 is a good product. Now the first OCI I did use like 1/4 of a quart withthe Redline 5W40 the first 1500 miles but after I toped off it never did it again. I have since found out that anytime I use any other type of oil like PAO or GIII for any length of time then go back to any ester based oil it will do this the first oil change.

I have also used Rotella-T Synthetic and while it is not in the same class with Redline it too holds up great and the cost is nothing and it can be had at Walmart for $16 a gallon. This is why I recomend it so much it is cheap ahs a nice additive package and does well in everything from GM V8's to 18,000 mile OCI's in BMW's!

 

[badtlc]

That dryflow intake filter looks to be dang good in your application. How many miles does the filter have on it?

 

[crew219]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
That dryflow intake filter looks to be dang good in your application. How many miles does the filter have on it?


I think about 6k miles. Haven't cleaned it yet.

Dave

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: crew219
........... Also, cost is a factor with RLI being the most expensive oil by a significant margin (after shipping to CA).

Dave


Isn't that the truth! Shipping from RLI in Ohio, to anywhere near the west coast, is definitely expensive.

 

[glennc]

I would say that it looks as though all the wear metals have pretty much trended down as the car has broken in, so it is hard to come to any conclusions about wear. Correcting for miles on the oil, your wear is almost exactly at the averages. The Si is interesting. It is low, but it was extremely low before, so it has actually gone up pretty significantly. It's unusual to see Si numbers in the single digits on a new engine, as you had in the first two UOAs. I suppose that tells us that Audi does not use silicone sealants in engine assembly, and possibly that your aftermarket air filter is not quite as good as what you had before - though it might improve as it builds up a layer of dirt.

From my experience, which does not include direct-injection engines, fuel in the oil can vary greatly depending on how the car was driven in the couple hundred miles prior to the oil change.

I am also unsure whether the moly additive is a good idea. It may not have any harmful effects, but I don't see any evidence of beneficial effects either.

I would also like to see how these oils compare to either Redline or RLI.

Whatever I used, I would extend the drain interval. What does Audi spec? Are they like BMW in specing relatively long OCIs, 10k+? You can always sample in the middle of an OCI if you're concerned the oil's not holding up.

Insolubles are neither particularly good nor particularly bad. Are you changing your oil filter with every oil change? If you leave it in a bit longer it might filter more effectively.

 

[magilson]

Originally Posted By: glennc

I would also like to see how these oils compare to either Redline or RLI.


That idea has been passed back and forth between the OP and I. The problem is that to truely see if RL would improve anything, or RLI for that matter, it would take several changes to be sure it wasn't some new interaction due to the properties of the new oil.