Hi everyone,
I currently use a full synthetic Valvoline oil 5w-30 in my xkr. The car old has 6k miles on it. But I got invited to go to a track day at road America in the spring and was wondering would it hurt to switch to Valvolines synthetic racing oil 10w-30? Would it matter if I switched grades. Could I keep that oil in the motor while I'm storing during winter?
Any thoughts would be great.
Thanks in advance
Mike

 

IMHO a regular full synthetic from a major brand is all you need for track days.

FWIW, lots of Corvette day-trackers have switched from Mobil 1 5W-30 to Mobil 1 0W-40 primarily because it has more ZDDP. I get it at Wal-Mart for cheap.

 

Nothing to gain from switching. And you could lose lubrication by going up in weight. Your 5w-30 probably flows better, though I haven't looked up the actual numbers. Have fun! More important that you stay on the track!


Checked Valvoilne's website, the racing oil 10w-30 has slightly better flow 10.5 vs. 10.7 for syn 5w-30. No real difference.

 

So for flow the lower the better? Where did you find the flow rate on websites?
Thanks for the info,
Mike

 

No need to switch oils for a day at the track. Not much sense in trying to second guess the OEM on viscosity either.

 

I wouldn't be switching just for the day. I would change oil the day before going to the track and leave it in the car for the remainder of the season and change it out before it goes into storage for winter.

 

Can recommend the M1 0w40 as well, it has a good hths value.

 

You don't need 'racing' oil in the first place, never mind for a single day's racing. Stick with OEM recommendations.

 

No, for flow the more the better. The flow is related to the viscosity, which is listed in their website product specs pdf. Lower viscosity = higher flow. In general, 10lbs. oil pressure/ 1,000 rpm is a good pressure for gas engines; the viscosity that will get you there varies from engine to engine. Too heavy an oil will not flow enough especially at lower temps to keep the bearings well-oiled and cool. Lower viscosity = better lube and heat transfer up to the point where oil pressure is not maintained.....not going to happen with a good engine. The bigger problem with wear is not having enough flow when cold; even a 0W-20 is over 5 times thicker at 100 degrees than at 212 degrees. They don't have the 32 degree viscosity listed, but the difference would be much more.
I know there are plenty of auto techs and engineers who will find some fault with this and this is not meant to be too technical or exact, just an overview.

 

I'm a "engineer in training". Thanks though it makes more sense now.