if i recall correctly, i think i was poking around on the Bob the Oil Guy site and was able to track down various oil specs.

 

ya depends how old the tests are new oil formulations come out all the time
unless your doing your own tests to see how much zinc is in the oil you really don’t know
From my experience oil companies do not want to give you that info
now you can buy zink additives

I think oil weight and changing intervals are the most important thing you can do
I buy the t5 or t6 rottela for under $40 cdn and use it in all my cars

 

Are any of you members on the “Rover V8 appreciation” FB group?

That group seems to religiously subscribe to Valvoline VR1 conventional. So do the Atlantic British reman motors, as well as Turner and RPI. From what I’ve read, the warranty from Turner and AB is contingent on using VR1.

VR1 is 20/50 and has a tad more ZDDP than Rotella. It’s a race engine oil, but is really best for hot rod motors and flat tapper cams.

All of that to say, it seems like a lot of the Rover V8 folks recommend 20/50 VR1, even year round with freezing temps in the UK.

Rotella seems to work really well in these motors, but just wanted to share a leas mentioned option.

 

I'm not on Facebook however I've used VR1 20/50 dino in all my BMWs for a long time. At this point they're all classics and only require a visual on the presence of a cat, and not an actual emissions test. Or in the case of the cars with actual classic tags, there's no emissions compliance required whatsoever. High phosphorus is a concern for catalyzed engines, as well as zinc, and most manufacturers including Valvoline say not to use oils with anything over 600-800PPM due to the potential for damage to them. Both T4 and VR1 are well above 1,110PPM. It seems that Valvoline is on the racing tip, and Rotella is targeting diesel/farm use, which gets them around the catalytic converter issue. I've never really been on the synthetic band-wagon but am considering making the switch for the Rover. jastutte's experience says a lot to me since I have BMW engines with >300k miles on them and believe that's where the proof lies. I can attest that VR1 is a great oil for engine life, if emissions is a concern, maybe not so much. I'm sure this type of data sheet is out there for Rotella, I just happen to have a link to the VR1 doc handy.

https://sharena21.springcm.com/Publi...2-ac162d889bd1.

 

wow wonder how that 20 weight flown in negative temps

 

Poorly, I'm sure. Definitely will cause engine damage with prolonged use in <20°F environments. AMHIK...

 

@redwhitekat I can get away with it in Vancouver in the winter, Kitchener not so much . The UK is pretty mild compared to us, I run 10/40 in the winter but I can let my Disco warm up if required.

I have a block heater in the Spare engine that I may transfer over in the spring.

 

Emissions are definitely a concern, so is super cold weather.

i live in Alabama so neither are issues down here. Not only do we not have emissions testing but you’re vehicle doesn’t need head lights or turn signals to be street legal. Not sure why, but as long as use hand signals you’re good to go...

My garage rarely gets below 50 degrees F so I think 20/50 would work year round for me.

 

they get to -5 c sometimes hey if turner recommended 20-50 weight well I guess it’s ok

 

As the name says, the cold rating applies to cold oil only. 10W is thick enough at a cold start. Even 10W50 oil is thicker at room temp than at engine operating temp. There is no reason to use a higher cold rating. Also, I am not a friend of diesel oils, since their additives can damage the cats.

The videos from Jason were very informative to me: