Valvoline Racing oil vs Rotella T 15W40
 

I am sure the oil issue had been beat to death so if you are thinking :beatdeadhorse: stop here. <--

The is based on data from the internet and I did my best to keep it short.

I found Valvoline Oil Products Racing 20W50 - Not Street Legal, 1 quart,
Part Number: VV851 Price: $7.29 through the local carquest.

From the Valvoline FAQ (this is not VR1 Racing Oil)
Rotella T testing
(Racing Oil)/(Rotella T 15W40)
Phosphorus 1300/944 = 1.38
Zinc 1400/1133 = 1.24

The racing oil has 38% more phosphorus and 24% more Zinc.

These are sizeable percentages but maybe either is adequate. The confusion is compounded because not all oils use the same form of ZDDP, some protect at lower temperatures which make them more effective. Also too much detergent can reduce the effectiveness of ZDDP.

Which is better? I don't have a clue.

To me , don't take this wrong you're comparing apples to bananas. The valvoline is not street legal the rotella is. Also with epa regulations the valvoline may not stay the same formula for long. I'll stick with rotella 15/40 in my truck and IH low ash in my cub.

From my experience, the best oil is the kind you change on regular intervals.

I was thinking about oil for our old cub engines when I wrote the post. Somehow that was removed when I edited the post to keep it short and to the point. But it was posted in the GT forum. It is apples.

The Valvoline is great stuff if your running a high lift cam with high valve spring pressures and flat lifters at high RPM's it was recommended by the guy that used to build my race engines along with some other oils. For what we are running Rotella is more that you need. For what it's worth I used to run Rotella in my race engine. Never had a problem because of oil. Reason it's not street legal is the zinc kills the cats and O2 sensors.

Cool as it is $2 a quart cheaper and in stock locally.
Thanks

Another thing to consider is the Kohlers are air cooled. :biggrin2:

AMEN....:ThumbsUp:

I use Rotella. If you have oil on the dipstick, You're doing better than 90% of the customers I have!:bash2:

I have to agree with J Mech and Roland. It doesn't matter what you use as long as it is changed regularly, although I use nothing but Castrol in my small engines and have never had any lubrication related problems ever, and I don't baby my equipment.

Besides what was posted 20W-50 is too heavy of an oil to use in any Cub Cadet engine.

Why not run an oil that the engine manufacture makes? Odds are it will have the correct amount of additives in it since it was design for their engine.

All Kohler and Briggs engines were designed to run 5W-30, 10W-30 or straight 30W oil(depends on when engine was built and the time of year temp wise).

Why pay $7.29 for an oil when you can buy Kohler or Briggs oil for $4-$5 a quart.

It's your money.....feel free to waste it as you see.

I do run Valvoline in all my autos.

I use the Valvoline 30w racing oil in mine.

:bash: :bash: Ouch

I posted about the two oils because earlier others posted about using one of them, Rotella T 15W40, for the Zinc levels. The racing oil has more. I did not say go out and use this oil. I posted about what I discovered and put forward some doubts based on that information. Doubts translate into question which should result in discussion.

Are the oils sold by briggs or kohler designed for todays engines or the decades old engines in our old cubs. Or are they more about keeping the EPA happy. It seems fair to look around and see if we can do better which should always be the case.

Iff $4 an oil change would do a better job of protecting the small engines I care for most I would use it in a heartbeat!

I really think you are reading too much on the internet about what "ingredients" are the best or whatever. Like I said, it is more important that you change your oil regularly than it is what brand/type you use, how much you pay, or what additives are in it. You could run Wal-Mart house brand oil and as long as you service it regularly, the motor would run a very long time. Now, that said there are certain oils I won't use for various reasons such as: they break down too soon, or are prone to carbon deposits. I'm sure I've opened up over 1000 engines. Some oils are just better than others, but I can tell you that the cleanest engines are the ones that are properly maintained. Companies will boast about their oil and it's properties. People will tell you how good of oil brand X is because they have run it for years with no issues. Those people are generally ones who do regular oil changes. So, if you are looking for a good debate here, that's all your going to get. A debate. Yes, I am kind of trying to kill the thread here, but this debate never ends well. Usually just a bunch of guys arguing over who's oil is best. Just do some research, pick a brand and change it regularly. It's the best thing you can do. I suggest running the weight that Kohler recommends and use your brand of choice. My personal choice is Rotella 30WT. 15W-40 is too heavy an oil for an air cooled, non pressure lube motor. :beerchug:

Well stated. Regular service is FAR more important than a specific brand (99% of the time). Use the weight your motor recommends, service is regularly, and take good care of it. The rest will fall into place :beerchug:

i use the dirty oil out of the wifes deep fryer, every time i get done mowing the grass im really hungry for some french fries and i dont know why. :biggrin2:

:ExtremeFunny:

Seriously.... I had a guy that I helped convert a diesel truck to run off of vegetable oil. He got most of it used from places with deep fryers. No joke, the exhaust smelled like french fries. Made me sick!! LOL! :bigeyes:

I know a guy that makes his own bio diesel from fryer oil he gets for free from a few local restaurants, you can smell the fryer oil in his garage from 50 feet away. :biggrin2:

J-mech I have been reading because I wanted to better understand the lubrication needs of these engines.. That and its too cold to be outside. The more I read the clearer it was that I could not make an informed choice based on what I was finding on the net.

My hope was that someone here might have relevant information about the oils. How effective are the "modern" high temperature ZDDP compounds in old small engines. Info of that sort. But I now see that I stuck that toe in the wrong pond and will try not to do it again.

Here is the Kohler Command oil recommendation:

Oil Recommendations
Using the proper type and weight of oil in the
crankcase is extremely important. So is checking oil
daily and changing oil regularly. Failure to use the
correct oil, or using dirty oil, causes premature engine
wear and failure.
Oil Type
Use high quality detergent oil of API (American
Petroleum Institute) service class SG, SH, SJ or higher.
Select the viscosity based on the air temperature at the
time of operation as shown in the following table.
Figure 3. Viscosity Grades Table.
NOTE: Using other than service class SG, SH, SJ or
higher oil or extending oil change intervals
longer than recommended can cause engine
damage.
NOTE: Synthetic oils meeting the listed
classifications may be used with oil changes
performed at the recommended intervals.
However to allow piston rings to properly
seat, a new or rebuilt engine should be
operated for at least 50 hours using standard
petroleum based oil before switching to
synthetic oil.
A logo or symbol on oil containers identifies the API
service class and SAE viscosity grade. See Figure 4.

The API spec and viscosity are listed as important characteristics along with regular changes.

No mention is made of BRAND OF OIL! Any oil that meets the recommended APi spec is satisfactory, doesn't matter if it's Wal-Mart house brand or a major oil company.

Looks like the API ratings they recommend for the Command are for plain old passenger car engines. Not diesel, not air cooled, etc.

I've been using Rotella T 15W/40 CJ-4, CI-4, oil for about 20 years now in my PowerStroke, Kubota CT and all my air cooled Kohlers. I don't know If Mr. Kohler would go along with that but I haven't had any problems.

PS. Last I checked, the Valvoline Racing oil is shy of detergents simply because it's expected to get changed frequently. There is also a danger of using too much ZDDP in an engine that doesn't require it like a Kohler engine.

Both Briggs and Kohler oils say the are design for older engines.

As a kid I remember a lot of vehicles of the late 40's early 50's vintage followed by a cloud of blue smoke, it was expected of a vehicle with maybe 50,60,000 miles.
I'd be my guess not only oils have improved greatly, but so have engine rings and their designs, as well as crank case ventilation systems
I'd guess todays least rated oils are superior to yesterdays best oils.
I just don't see many valve cover insides caked up like yesteryear and
a properly maintained engine @ 200,000 using little oil if any.
just my $,02

In the engines I've replaced/repaired/tossed over the years of wrenching, oil quantity, not quality has always been the issue. Keep it full and keep it changed.

AMEN!!!:beerchug:

Following manufactures recomendation ensures you do not have the wrong oil for the time the recomendation was made. It will be a good oil and may even be the best oil. Decades after the recomendation it is not always that simple.

As mrmousepotato said over a decade ago on another forum

your southwest oils had /have a paraffin/waxy build up problem ,that the Pennsylvania grade did not, but those brands are mostly gone or are using the SW oil now . or so I was told at tech schools Nissan, volvo, Lexus, mitsu

I use 30w non-detergent in the cub cause it's a spash-oiler , but guess were talken racing oil or best auto use oil.

you used to look for the API rating but now theres only really gas ,diesel grade

this site has much info
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
:American Flag 1: