Synthetic oil and horsepower increase
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fourthgear
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Synthetic oil and horsepower increase
I watched a show on the tube this week end ( I think it was Horse power TV ) they ran a motor on a dyno with reg. oil/ new filter and got horse power & torque readings off it then let it cool down and switched to Royal Purple syn. oil / new filter and got six more horse power and eight more foot pounds of torque out of it ,just by switching to syn. oil , go figure , just thought I would stir things up a bit here.
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steve_wood
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Interesting, but what was the horsepower of the motor with the standard oil? We should consider the % increase in horsepower and apply that to the panhead engine. My service manual says the FLH is 60 HP....
Once we understand the % increase we can weigh that against the cost associated with the frequent oil changes we do on our machines....
steve
Once we understand the % increase we can weigh that against the cost associated with the frequent oil changes we do on our machines....
steve
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fourthgear
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It was a motor from a cage (car ) . The HP/Torque really means nothing to me , I posted just for comparison purposes only. The gains can be interpreted to mean many things, Syn. is a better lubricant . They did not say any thing about the motor running cooler , which would mean some thing with an air cooled motor like Panheads. Yes Syn. is more expensive ,but I don't know about the rest of you , but any thing I can do to get a longer service life out of my drive train, I'm going for it ,since just changing to a diff. oil can help in that , its a no brain-er to me .
My experience with changing to Syn. in my boat motors , diesel truck and my Pans , were better fuel mileage, and cooler running .Those are facts that can not be disputed , including that dyno test.
My experience with changing to Syn. in my boat motors , diesel truck and my Pans , were better fuel mileage, and cooler running .Those are facts that can not be disputed , including that dyno test.
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Jack_Hester
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kevsett
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Jack - I know we are all spread out in the country but what price difference are you finding on your per quart or per gallon synthetics versus traditional 20W50 in the same size containers? And how much more mileage do you go between changes, if at all?
Jack_Hester wrote:Been running synthetics, exclusively, since the early 80's. The only dino oil that I have in my shop is in nostalgic cans. Even my air compressor has the same 20W-50 synthetic that I run in motorcycle engines.
Jack
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Jack_Hester
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kevsett -
I haven't compared prices on any oil, in a long time. The price of Amsoil V-Twin oil is approaching $6.00US per quart. As for drain intervals, if my '59 is very active (as it has been in recent years), the normal oil consumption takes care of how often I need to change. It's always fresh, as consumption is close to book spec. I don't know the correct mileage on it, and it's never been rebuilt since I've owned it (since '74). I put rings in it right after bringing it home, and replaced a dropped valve some years ago. But, I add a quart about every 600 to 800 miles. Ususally, it has 20W-50 Amsoil in it. The local Royal Purple supplier is trying to groom me to switch over to RP. So, he gave me a case of his 20W-50. I can see no change in consumption or anything else about the way it runs, as compared to the Amsoil.
xnoahx -
As to increase in leaks or not, I really haven't noticed any related to synthetics, as I haven't used dino oil since the early 80's. I treat any leak as just that. A leak, placing no blame on the oil. I fix them if they bother me. The '59 has had a number of them, since day one. I wash it, and ride it until it needs another wash. Anyway, once a leak is fixed, it doesn't leak anymore. You'd think that according to the myth, it would never stop with my use of syns.
Jack
I haven't compared prices on any oil, in a long time. The price of Amsoil V-Twin oil is approaching $6.00US per quart. As for drain intervals, if my '59 is very active (as it has been in recent years), the normal oil consumption takes care of how often I need to change. It's always fresh, as consumption is close to book spec. I don't know the correct mileage on it, and it's never been rebuilt since I've owned it (since '74). I put rings in it right after bringing it home, and replaced a dropped valve some years ago. But, I add a quart about every 600 to 800 miles. Ususally, it has 20W-50 Amsoil in it. The local Royal Purple supplier is trying to groom me to switch over to RP. So, he gave me a case of his 20W-50. I can see no change in consumption or anything else about the way it runs, as compared to the Amsoil.
xnoahx -
As to increase in leaks or not, I really haven't noticed any related to synthetics, as I haven't used dino oil since the early 80's. I treat any leak as just that. A leak, placing no blame on the oil. I fix them if they bother me. The '59 has had a number of them, since day one. I wash it, and ride it until it needs another wash. Anyway, once a leak is fixed, it doesn't leak anymore. You'd think that according to the myth, it would never stop with my use of syns.
Jack
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fourthgear
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Jack
I've been using the 60# from Amsoil and I was changing mine at regular intervals (3-4 K ) but the way the oil looks after that interval , I know I can get twice that. I changed to a spin on filter , I am thinking of once a year now . that would put it at 8-9 K or more. The only leak I have is from my tapered sprocket shaft and there is nothing I can do about that , so it gets some fresh , now and then. I tried the multi weight after the rebuild about two years ago and the motor seemed to make more noise ( could have been the fresh motor ) and down here in the Sun Shine state it gets a little warm , a lot .Motor seems to like the 60# . Its good to here about the length of service time with your motor, that's what I'm looking forward to .
I also use the 75-90 Syn. in the tranny , shifts smooth , no leaks. I just wish you could go to auto zone and pick up Amsoil .
I've been using the 60# from Amsoil and I was changing mine at regular intervals (3-4 K ) but the way the oil looks after that interval , I know I can get twice that. I changed to a spin on filter , I am thinking of once a year now . that would put it at 8-9 K or more. The only leak I have is from my tapered sprocket shaft and there is nothing I can do about that , so it gets some fresh , now and then. I tried the multi weight after the rebuild about two years ago and the motor seemed to make more noise ( could have been the fresh motor ) and down here in the Sun Shine state it gets a little warm , a lot .Motor seems to like the 60# . Its good to here about the length of service time with your motor, that's what I'm looking forward to .
I also use the 75-90 Syn. in the tranny , shifts smooth , no leaks. I just wish you could go to auto zone and pick up Amsoil .