10w 50 oil

[wile]

lucas 10w 50 oil for year round riding.....do you think its to heavy for winter riding

[NBmotocross3]

Depends on what temperatures were talking about.. 0-32 it will be too thick. Anything above that and you'll be good

Edited October 30, 2013 by NBmotocross3

[paul246]

The problems with oils with that great a viscosity range is that they are not shear stable due to the high amount of polymers used.

 

In our thumpers that oil would likely shear down to a 20 grade in a matter of a couple hundred miles.

 

Better to use the recommend grades as listed against prevalent temperatures in the owner's manual.

[dochawken]

What does Lucas recommend? I would go with whatever they say. I have used their products for years..run 20/50 weight year round with their oil stabilizer at 20% and have never had an issue, I live in Tn and ride nearly all winter long in some damn cool temps. I just find that my L likes the higher viscosity.

[NBmotocross3]

What does Lucas recommend? I would go with whatever they say. I have used their products for years..run 20/50 weight year round with their oil stabilizer at 20% and have never had an issue, I live in Tn and ride nearly all winter long in some damn cool temps. I just find that my L likes the higher viscosity.

I literally do the exact thing as you!

[HeadTrauma]

Lucas oil stabilizer is akin to the Motor Honey or STP that people would put in clapped-out old engine to nurse them along a little longer....or quiet them down enough to offload on someone else. It is simply extremely thick oil with no additive package and it promotes foaming. Where the air is, oil ain't.

 

To answer the question, forget what Lucas thinks and use what Honda recommends for the temperature.

 

I'll add this: 10w-50, 10w-40, and 10w-30 all have the same (10-weight) cold viscosity rating. That means that cold starting will be about the same for all of them. The 50/40/30 refer to hot viscosities, but it's not as it appears. The "50" means that it flows like a hot 50-weight oil at operating temperature, not that its viscosity at high temperature is 50-weight. All oil thins out as temp increases.

[Oil Baron]

 

I'll add this: 10w-50, 10w-40, and 10w-30 all have the same (10-weight) cold viscosity rating. That means that cold starting will be about the same for all of them. The 50/40/30 refer to hot viscosities, but it's not as it appears. The "50" means that it flows like a hot 50-weight oil at operating temperature, not that its viscosity at high temperature is 50-weight. All oil thins out as temp increases.

 

 

That's all true.  

 

What I would add is that the 10w50, 10w40 etc. are made from 10w base stock.  The 20w50 is made from a 20w base stock.  Viscosity improvers are added to the oil to make it more viscous than it would normally be at higher temperature.   These are like little lines that curl up when cold and stretch out when hot to increase viscosity.  

 

A 10w50 requires more VI by a factor of five where a 20w50 needs less, by a factor of 2.5.  

 

When an oil suffers viscosity breakdown, it moves toward its base viscosity.  A 20w50 can only be beaten back to a 20w where a 10w50 can become a 10w oil at operating temperature.  

 

20w50 is good down to freezing.  As long as you can start the engine, I think you're OK with a 20w50 in a tired motor, but don't rev the engine until the oil is warm or you will cavitate at the pump.  Some old engines need 20w50.  All air-cooled engines need 20w50 in warm weather.

 

These air-cooled, shared sump, wet clutch engines are about as hard on oil as it gets.  They can easily destroy an oil in a few hundred miles.

 

My 250L destroyed Mobil 1 15w50 in 600 miles of dual sport use.  It still shifted smooth but was smoking out the exhaust and started burning oil.  Changing the oil eliminated the smoking.  The oil was still lubricating as evidenced by the smooth shifting but it had suffered viscosity breakdown.

[dochawken]

Good stuff from Rambler...Who is going to ride in temps that fall below that which would harm the engine on start and warm up?? Lol...I sure as hell wouldn't..

[Snoman002]

Lucas oil stabilizer is akin to the Motor Honey or STP that people would put in clapped-out old engine to nurse them along a little longer....or quiet them down enough to offload on someone else. It is simply extremely thick oil with no additive package and it promotes foaming. Where the air is, oil ain't.

Very true, I will not run anything Lucas in my vehicles after seeing how bad any Lucas product foamed up. The additive the sell is terrible for foaming, but their oil is very bad too.

[dochawken]

Very true, I will not run anything Lucas in my vehicles after seeing how bad any Lucas product foamed up. The additive the sell is terrible for foaming, but their oil is very bad too.

Lucas Oil had profits last year of 150 million$, so do the math on their probable taxable sales. Obviously you are in what would he regarded as the distinct minority in your evaluation.

[Oil Baron]

Good stuff from Rambler...Who is going to ride in temps that fall below that which would harm the engine on start and warm up?? Lol...I sure as hell wouldn't..

 

Thanks, Doc. I probably wouldn't either, but I already rubbed it in with my bikini-clad women comment.  Dual-pane ski goggles don't fog up in cold weather. Down-hillers do 90mph with them.

 

The issue with the 20w50 in cold weather, is that it gets too thick to kick the bike over.

[paul246]

Good stuff from Rambler...Who is going to ride in temps that fall below that which would harm the engine on start and warm up?? Lol...I sure as hell wouldn't..

Provided I use the recommended grade of oil, please explain how this will hurt my engine.

[dochawken]

Provided I use the recommended grade of oil, please explain how this will hurt my engine.

I would think that the term proper grade is the key, but I have alwaysnrun 20/50 year round. I am not a tribologist...being an adult you can run whatever grade you wish. My preference is 20/50..

[paul246]

I would think that the term proper grade is the key, but I have alwaysnrun 20/50 year round. I am not a tribologist...being an adult you can run whatever grade you wish. My preference is 20/50..

Exactly, the proper grade is the key. If you want to take chances running otherwise, that is fine, as you say, you're an adult and its your machine. However, to advise other people is a different scenario, especially when its based upon guess work. You don't know what kind of wear your engine is actually experiencing unless you send samples of that oil for analysis, on a regular basis.

[dochawken]

Exactly, the proper grade is the key. If you want to take chances running otherwise, that is fine, as you say, you're an adult and its your machine. However, to advise other people is a different scenario, especially when its based upon guess work. You don't know what kind of wear your engine is actually experiencing unless you send samples of that oil for analysis, on a regular basis.

Sureeeeeee.I bet there are a ton of readers that would be that anal...get a life! If you worry that much about your viscosity you have some deep seated issues. But for you hand wringers.I guess any neurotic issue is something to cling to. Again, I run 20/50 year round with no issues, either agree or don't, who cares??

[paul246]

Sureeeeeee.I bet there are a ton of readers that would be that anal...get a life! If you worry that much about your viscosity you have some deep seated issues. But for you hand wringers.I guess any neurotic issue is something to cling to. Again, I run 20/50 year round with no issues, either agree or don't, who cares??

I rest my case.

[jjktmrider]

Cold weather is one area where I love synthetics, they tend to not get as thick in cold as dino oil. For the winter I usually throw in 10w-40 with a bit of 15w-40, never 20w unless it will not sit outside during the day in the teens. My bikes are kept in my heated garage so at startup it in the morning they are 55F, after work it may have to sit outside so then it'll be ambient temp. I do ride down into single digits, though then I will use the E start bike.

Edited October 31, 2013 by jjktmrider

[Oil Baron]

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

 

The word "synthetic" is now widely used, but are these oils really synthetic?  Some are and some are not. 

 

Here is an excellent lengthy article all about oil that will tell you "synthetic" can be little more than a marketing term since Mobil lost their lawsuit with Castrol.

[dochawken]

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

 

The word "synthetic" is now widely used, but are these oils really synthetic?  Some are and some are not. 

 

Here is an excellent lengthy article all about oil that will tell you "synthetic" can be little more than a marketing term since Mobil lost their lawsuit with Castrol.

Now that is interesting....you are ontop of this issue.

[dochawken]

I rest my case.

You have no case....Don't waste our time.