Super Chevy – October 2019

Mobil1

Race 0w30

Valvoline Race

VR1 20w50

Driven XP3

Syn. 10w30

Driven

Break-In

15w50

Shell Non-

Detrgnt.

30w

Viscosity 100C (212F) 10.8 20.4 11.1 17.9 11.9

Calcium (ppm) 1,006 1,090 236 366 0

Sodium (ppm) 2 0 8 0 0

Magnesium (ppm) 555 528 0 0 0

Phosphorous (ppm) 2,020 1,302 984 2,990 0

Zinc (ppm) 2,323 1,475 792 2,713 0

Molybdenum (ppm) 1,670 50 1,784 0 0

Boron (ppm) 52 176 0 0 0

Silicon (ppm) 3 9 7 2 0

Titanium (ppm) 0 0 0 0 0

higher levels of zinc phosphates for flat

tappet engines, but few realize that the

old engine builder’s recommendation

of a non-detergent 30w as a break-in oil

actually had significant merit.

While detergents are a main compo-

nent in daily-use engine oil because they

help keep the engine clean, they do this

at the expense of the ZDDP additives.

High detergent concentrations tend

to strip the zinc and phosphorous that

attempts to adhere to heavily loaded

applications, such as lifter lobes. To

improve the performance of these

anti-wear additives during break-in,

it’s best to use oil with low detergent

concentrations. This is why using

diesel oil for break-in is not the best

choice because, as you can see from

the SPEEDiagnostix reports, diesel oil

contains high detergent concentrations.

We’ve included test numbers for Driven

Racing Oil’s 30w Break-In oil so you

can see how its formulation is aimed at

ensuring proper wear-in by favorably

combining high ZDDP levels with rela-

tively low detergents. SPEEDiagnostix

also included a sample of a 30w non-

detergent oil that is obviously not a

good idea since it contains literally no

additives at all.

As another example of continued

changes in the lubrication landscape,

new gasoline direct-injection engines

like the GM LT1, LT4, as well as the

truck L86 and L83 versions all require

a new, unique oil formulation. GM calls

it dexos1 Gen 2. We won’t get into all

the details of the difference between

dexos1 Gen 1 and Gen 2. There are

several online articles on the necessity

for the dexos1 Gen 2 subject if you want

to investigate this further. The critical

point is that the dexos1 Gen 2 formu-

lation (API designates this as SN+)

requires drastically lower calcium levels

and zero sodium, both of which are

common detergent additives.

Testing has revealed that high

calcium concentrations combine with

9

SPEEDiagnostix performed all these new oil sample tests, but their main job is used oil analysis.

This is a sample of a report with color-keyed highlights that can quickly point out a problem

they have identified. In this case, the engine has a fuel dilution problem. The report also offers

the exact breakdown of additives in your oil just like the values in this story. Information like

this can help you find a small problem in your engine before it becomes a much larger one.

(CHART 02)

Parts-Per-Million in Percentage

Percentage Parts-Per-Million

1% 10,000 ppm

0.1% 1,000 ppm

0.01% 100 ppm

0.001% 10 ppm

0.0001% 1 ppm

OIL ANALYSIS

Castrol

20w50 SN

Castrol Edge

SN+ 5w20

Chevron Delo

5w40

Diesel

Rotella T6

Diesel 5w40

Motul

10w40

Viscosity 100C (212F) 20.3 8.9 15.2 15.1 14.0

Calcium (ppm) 2,096 463 1,324 2,140 3,134

Sodium (ppm) 0 0 5 5 4

Magnesium (ppm) 18 1,330 453 86 15

Phosphorous (ppm) 783 777 900 1,151 1,130

Zinc (ppm) 640 920 771 1,293 1,359

Molybdenum (ppm) 64 88 0 5 1,006

Boron (ppm) 129 54 80 157 1

Silicon (ppm) 4 6 8 5 9

Titanium (ppm) 0 8 0 0 0

Pennzoil

5w20 SN

Amazon Euro

0w40 SN ACEA

Valvoline

Blue Diesel

10w30

Mobil 1 LV

ATF HP

Aero Shell

15w50

Viscosity 100C (212F) 8.2 13.7 1.7 6.3 19.4

Calcium (ppm) 2,561 3,115 900 94 0

Sodium (ppm) 1 4 0 0 0

Magnesium (ppm) 11 26 1,162 0 0

Phosphorous (ppm) 718 1,242 1,164 183 1,342

Zinc (ppm) 848 1,327 1,394 0 0

Molybdenum (ppm) 63 0 69 4 0

Boron (ppm) 0 0 0 92 0

Silicon (ppm) 2 0 0 1 4

Titanium (ppm) 0 0 0 0 0