Valvoline VR1 synthetic or dino?

[evil02]

I use Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel 0W-40 synthetic with good results.

[Vicleonardo1]

21 hours ago, albatcha said:

 

I'm not sure if the post you linked to was posted originally by the one who goes as 540 RAT, but if you go to 540 RAT's blog it is more up to date with newer info.

 

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/

 

They say this of the 20w50 vr1 oil:

 

"

67. 20W50 Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil, conventional = 97,677 psi
This oil claims high zinc/phos.
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
It was tested Summer 2019. The psi value above, produced by this oil, came from testing it at the normal operating water-cooled engine test temperature of 230*F, which put it in the OUTSTANDING Wear Protection Category. But, this oil is way too thick for most any water-cooled engine. However, it is ideal for air cooled engines, which cannot control their oil temperatures well. And it is popular with air-cooled Harley Davidson Motorcycle Owners. So, for their benefit, I also tested this oil at the much higher test temperature of 275*F.

At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected to experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. But, this oil only had a very small 3% drop in capability. And even at that elevated temperature, it produced 94,850 psi, which still kept this much hotter and thinner oil in the OUTSTANDING Wear Protection Category.

I also tested this oil to find out its onset of thermal breakdown, which was an impressive 285*F."

Thank you for finding the latest up-to-date findings from this guy! 

Reading his rundown is now making me think....gulp....(awaiting the worms to explode out of the can) whether ZDDP levels mean anything anymore. It seems like the PSI value is king. He used to break down his ratings and categorize them based on whether there were high ZDDP levels or not.

But he seems to be moving away from whether Zinc levels matter no matter what cam one is using.