LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

[Michael W.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Thank you gentlemen!

I'll keep it simple........ 10w-40 from Castrol is good enough.

It used to be. No longer.

[Steven B.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Just brought my '77 modified L-82 and '78 factory L-48 out of storage and filled them with Rotella. They said "Thank You".

[David K.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Thank you all!

I'm going with the RotellaT 15W-40 in the end !

[Chuck G.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Thank you all!

I'm going with the RotellaT 15W-40 in the end !

I just bought 2 one gallon jugs of RotellaT 15-40 at the local WalMart to do the annual oil change in my 63. IIRC, they cost about $12.50 per jug. The quart bottles of the same stuff were about $7.00 each.

Chuck

[Ed N.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Just brought my '77 modified L-82 and '78 factory L-48 out of storage and filled them with Rotella. They said "Thank You".

Can I use 10 W40 on my GM HT4100 on my Eldorado?

[William F.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Duke,
You say 15-40 is unique to the C rating; but Rotella T 10W30 is CJ-4 as first rating. Same ZDDP content as 15-40 I would think. Guess you meant no 10W40 with C rating, but a C rated 10W30 is fine, right?

[Duke W.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Download and read the link in post #4. That should give you the knowledge you need to make an intelligent engine oil choice for any vehicle or four-stoke internal combustion engine powered equipment you own.

Duke

[Duke W.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

Duke,
You say 15-40 is unique to the C rating; but Rotella T 10W30 is CJ-4 as first rating. Same ZDDP content as 15-40 I would think. Guess you meant no 10W40 with C rating, but a C rated 10W30 is fine, right?

This is what I said:

"Castrol 10W-40 mentioned by the OP is not CJ-4. In fact, no 10W-40 carries a C-category rating. The 15W-40 SAE viscosity range is unique to C-category oils."

Maybe I should have said CJ-4 is unique to 15W-40. C-category oils are also available in 10W-30, straight 30, and 5W-40 "synthetic", but 10W-30 and 30 are not commonly stocked at urban FLAPS and big box stores. I am not aware of and have never seen a 10W-40 that carries a primary C-category API certification. AFAIK all 10W-40s are primary S-category, so they are not the best choice for vintage cars with sliding surface valve trains, and all 15W-40s are primary C-category, so they are the best choice.

Some obsess over 15W-40 versus 10W-30 CJ-4, which is ridiculous. A 15W is okay for consistent cold starts down to about 15F and 10W down to about zero F. Since most of our cars are rarely started below freezing the commonly available 15W-40 is perfect for the mild to hot ambient temperatures that are typical for most vintage car operation.

So one can use the following guideline to select engine oil.

1. 5W-40 and 15W-40 are primary C-category

2. 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30, 10W-40, and 20W-50 are primary S-category

3. 10W-30 is available in both primary S and primary C-category, but primary C-category is not commonly stocked in urban areas, especially in warmer climates.

Of course, one should always verify the primary category by looking a the API "donut" - usually on the backside label.

[George J.]

Re: LUCAS HOT ROD OIL (10w-40) - ADDED ZINC any good?

I use the Rotella 5W-40. I have not had any problems in the last five years, or so, of use.