What brand of oil do you use?  By  danno (Read 3,692 times)

Glorified lawn mower engines may be a bit off since scooters, even the GY6 variety, run at pretty much in the 8,000 rpm range while lawn mower engines to meet blade tip velocity regulations generally run at around 3,000 rpm (varies based on blade length). Most of the low end mowers just use a paddle wheel to splash oil on the crank and towards the cylinder which you can get away with at their relatively low rpm while the GY6 does have/need a pressurized oil system with an oil pump. Still pretty basic but not as basic as a lawn mower.

You do have to look at what you have and how you use it. On a GY6 there is not much benefit to using anything more than a basic oil that meets the specs for use in a scooter/motorcycle while at the higher end of the spectrum with more power per cc, real oil filtration and 6,000 + mile oil change intervals you go by the book and use the best scooter/motorcycle oil you can find.

Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 Synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for lubricant refined from petroleum when operating in extremes of temperature, because, in general, it provides superior mechanical and chemical properties to those found in traditional mineral oils. Aircraft jet engines, for example, require the use of synthetic oils, whereas aircraft piston engines do not. Though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella oil has found popularity with motorcyclists as well. The lack of "friction modifiers" in Rotella means they do not interfere with wet clutch operations. (This is called a "shared sump" design, which is unlike automobiles which maintain separate oil reservoirs - one for the engine and one for the transmission). Used oil analysis (UOA) reports on BobIsTheOilGuy.com have shown wear metals levels comparable to oils marketed as motorcycle-specific. Likewise with motorcycles, though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella T6 5w-40 synthetic oil has also found popularity with drivers and tuners of gasoline powered vehicles that utilize turbocharging or other forms of forced induction. Several drivers of high performance model cars have adopted its use due to its high heat tolerance, as well as its lower zinc additive amount.

The technical advantages of synthetic motor oils include:
Better low- and high-temperature viscosity performance at service temperature extremes
Better (higher) Viscosity Index (VI)
Better chemical and shear stability
Decreased evaporative loss
Resistance to oxidation, thermal breakdown, and oil sludge problems
Possibility to extended drain intervals, with the environmental benefit of less used oil waste generated
Improved fuel economy in certain engine configurations
Better lubrication during extreme cold weather starts
Possibly a longer engine life
Superior protection against "ash" and other deposit formation in engine hot spots (in particular in turbochargers and superchargers) for less oil burnoff and reduced chances of damaging oil passageway clogging.
Increased horsepower and torque due to less initial drag on engine
Improved Fuel Economy (FE)


The disadvantage of synthetic motor oil is that its more expensive than mineral oils.

After reading and listening to the many opinions on this subject, I made my decision. I went to Walmart and bought the cheapest conventional 10W-40 oil with the API approval stamp on it.I decided synthetics are better, but not worth paying double and sometimes triple the cost, especially if you change the oil as much as I do.

Makes you wonder what they use to use before they had synthetic oils doesn't it?

I use Rotella 15-40w because it has the highest ZDDP additive for modern oil. What is ZDDP? Well it is something that all non-roller cam engines need to cushion impact on the valve train. I also add STP oil additive to boost the ZDDP in all my older motors that have non-roller cams. Also, it is just a great oil.