Mobil 1 15w50(silver cap)

[James408]

Hi, me again. This is an oil I recently tried in my Pontiac 400. According to Mobil, the 15w50(silver cap) has a higher amount of zinc additives for high spring pressures and flat tappet cams. As far as seat of the pants performance, this is the best oil I have ever used. The car is very responsive compared to the other coventional 15w40's and 20w50's I've tried.
One thing I noticed with it was I had more valvetrain noise.

I read on the Crane cams sight(my cam is a comp cam xe274) that they do not recommend synthetic oil even after break in. They claim that synthetic is so slippery that it will not allow the lifters to turn properly. They also claim that the synthetic will fall off the cam. Any truth to this? Will I screw up my cam If I use this oil? Mobil, of course, said I won't. Is it normal to have more valvetrain noise with mobil 1?

 

[trik396]

I've never heard such a thing from a cam company... Maybe their just trying to cover their buts as some companies do. Awhile back some cam companies were wiping lobes left and right and blaming it on the oil when I think the real issue was the cam grind and whatever way they treated the metal itself.
Why would you take Crane cams recommendation for a Comp product anyway? Call Comp, see what they say. I've installed probably a dozen Comp cams in the last ten years, a few Crane, a few Lunati, a few others. Never had a problem with any of them. Some were switched over to synthetic after break in...

 

[James408]

Thanks Trik. I gues I'm just a worry wart. Actually, I have called Comp and they stated there should not be a problem with synthetic after break in as long as it has the proper amount of zinc. They said 1200 ppm of zinc is suffient. Just trying to figure out why crane would say something like that. I gues covering their butts. Any way the Mobil 1 is going back into the car.

 

[ted s]

u mean the new mobil one 15w50?