Brad Penn Oil and the ZDDP Debate

[ERA Chas]

-Jus sayin'...

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

By the way, I was at a recent Cobra gathering with more than a dozen Cobras there. I think there was ONE other guy, like me, with a single roll bar. The other owners were kind of wondering why I had ONLY one...

Maybe it was one of those "Dinner With Schmucks" type deals where the "one-roll bar guys" invited the "two-roll bar guys" out for dinner.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Maybe it was one of those "Dinner With Schmucks" type deals where the "one-roll bar guys" invited the "two-roll bar guys" out for dinner.

Dude, you are on a roll

[Excaliber]

They made a good point, while THEY were giving folks rides around the track at $20 a pop (money for the club) I was not allowed to take a passenger, so missed out on that part of "community service" and had to sit and watch while they had all the fun.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

They made a good point, while THEY were giving folks rides around the track at $20 a pop (money for the club) I was not allowed to take a passenger, so missed out on that part of "community service" and had to sit and watch while they had all the fun.

Ernie, what the heck are you talking about?

[RodKnock]

Read Ernie's post about his "recent Cobra gathering" aka "Dinner With Schmucks."

[patrickt]

Oh, I get it. They wouldn't let him take people for a ride around the parking lot because he only had one roll bar. That seems a little excessive -- it's not like he's going around the track with an instructor in the seat next to him. But you know how "dual roll bar" guys can be.

[Excaliber]

I think SAAC-35 will have similiar requirements for some of the track events during that weekend, dual roll bar or no passenger. Being a single kine guy, I'm OK with that.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Being a single kind [of] guy, I'm OK with that.

Ahh, you never know. Your own Queen Guienevere could be right around the corner. If she asks for a ride around the parking lot, I say give it to her -- single roll bar or not.

[Bob In Ct]

What happened to the original thread?

Bob

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Bob In Ct

What happened to the original thread?

This was a successful thread. It accomplished at least 3 goals:

1) It clearly and definitively established the ZDDP levels of the "newer" BP oil.
2) It points out that there is a difference in labeling between the "old" BP oil and the "new" BP oil.
3) It cast a healthy "specter of doubt" over the efficacy of ZDDP supplements.

Yes, I feel good about myself. Of course, I felt that way before I started this thread....

[Excaliber]

It's a natural progression for a thread, you discuss the topic and then move on toward things like, "So, how you been? How are the kids? What you been up to lately?" Like any good conversation usually goes in time.

[madmaxx]

This has been a fantastic thread which caused me to learn what all the little symbols on the oil can mean and how they hurt engine oil performance!!!

[ENTDOC]

one of the better articles on the subject

http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html

[Excaliber]

As many of us, myself included, like Shell Rotella, be advised that oil is an ever changing product. What was good yesterday (or last year) may not be good this year!!!

Rotella as an example. It used to carry a CI-4 rating, now it's CJ-4 "and meets the requirements of CI-4 plus." Meeting the requirements is not good enough, it aint CI-4, period. It's been reformulated to reduce particulate matter in diesel trucks, they did that by a significant reduction in the ZDDP levels. Which is the primary reason I use an additive like STP.

If you can find Rotella with a CI-4 or CI-4 plus rating, NOT CJ-4, it's the good stuff. However, it is getting difficult to find any CI-4 rated oil these days.

The biggest issue I have with Brad Penn oil is the hassle of having to order it online. I want an oil that is readily available at most local sources. Walmart Super Tech Universal oil, by the way, aint a bad call. Among the top performers is NAPA Universal Fleet Plus. While exotic oils like Redline are good, I'm watching the dollar per gallon cost as well as I use a LOT of oil for my "fleet". I like ONE brand, easy to get, at a decent price over "exoctic" oils.

If your just looking to service your Cobra only you can afford to be a little more picky, wait for an online order, pay a little more. I'm going to look into NAPA as Rotella CI-4 is getting impossible to find.

3) It cast a healthy "specter of doubt" over the efficacy of ZDDP supplements.

Well for me it didn't, there's a time and place to use an additive!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

The biggest issue I have with Brad Penn oil is the hassle of having to order it online.

Actually, it feels like the opposite to me. Finding it online makes it much easier to get. Ordering online takes about 2 minutes and then a package comes to your door in about 3-5 days. Order a few cases and your set for a long time.

[Bob In Ct]

I'm going back to Mobil1 5W-30 (from Redline 5W-30) and I'm going to add 8 ounces of the Redline ZDDP additive to the 9+ quarts I pour in. This will give me about 1,400 PPM Phosphorous and about 1,600 PPM Zinc.

Bob

[CobraEd]

yep, thats what I do. it is the best of all worlds.


.

[Excaliber]

The NAPA oil (high in ZDDP) or Rotella, as well as a number of other ZDDP bearing oils, cost about half of what Brad Penn goes for. The cost is a factor when your using a LOT of oil. Because of the limited number of miles any of my vehicles actually see I generally change it based on "time" rather than miles, but that depends on use. Often that becomes a marathon fleet oil changing time, a time I don't generally look forward too.

$10 a gallon compared to about $20 a gallon, in round numbers. I add two bottles of STP at about $2.50-$3.00 a bottle (say $6.00 total). I buy oil in the gallon or more jugs at a time. The truck and the Cobra will consume over 4 gallons alone, not to mention the other vehicles around the place. All of them get the same oil and a shot of STP according to their need.

I've been using STP since high school, seems to work, who knows for sure? I never did put much faith in "testimonials" (mine or yours ) as I prefer hard numbers. But heck even "studies" and "polls" remain suspect. Good write up on Brad Penn, even though it is from a potentially biased source, I have a hunch it's the "good stuff", but a bit pricey.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Actually, it feels like the opposite to me. Finding it online makes it much easier to get. Ordering online takes about 2 minutes and then a package comes to your door in about 3-5 days. Order a few cases and your set for a long time.

Yep, I would rather buy stuff on line that spend 20 minutes running to the auto store to get it. BTW, how much "goodwill" did this thread buy me? I'm mulling over some gratuitous attack on SPF, BDR, and FFR. You know, criticize them all simultaneously to create a BFD, if you will....