Thread: Oil Additives

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Last month I switched to syhnthetic Castrol 10-30 oil and began using a new oil additive that is on the market. My car is an old Mustang, and I must say the engine is running much smoother.
Since then however, I have heard rumours that oil additives are harmfum for engines on the long term. Does anyone have any comments on these claims?

Does it contain teflon? Yecch if it does. Slick 50 hit it big way back when for proving that adding it increased hp. Wellllll, it did, kinda. Once the teflon collected itself up that increase disappeared. Besides, oil is the best lubricant for engines, not teflon.

Only other experience is Lucas oil stabilizer. Met Mr. Lucas at a meet and greet with Kenny and Brandon Bernstein. He convinced me to put it in my drag car and said it'd pick up et and lower the engine oil temps. Proved to be correct on both counts. Also put it in high mileage vehicles with cold start rod knock and smoking issues. Worked there also. Truly impressed with the product.

I have no experience with any other additives. I do know the additive package in the name brand oils is truly superior if they're labled "SM".

Originally posted by gemcleod
Last month I switched to syhnthetic Castrol 10-30 oil and began using a new oil additive that is on the market. My car is an old Mustang, and I must say the engine is running much smoother.
Since then however, I have heard rumours that oil additives are harmfum for engines on the long term. Does anyone have any comments on these claims?

you shouldnt need any oil additives. the syhnthetic people claim a smoother running motor. i worked at UPS for 5 yrs. and they claimed the most miles at least cost of any trucking co. in the world and they used no additives, they changed the oil every 3000 miles, which on the adv. truck was every 3 weeks.

Is the 'Lucas' additive that stuff in the white squirt bottle -- with the gear demnstration models (I wish I could offer a more articulate description)?

That's it. Lucas and Moreys use the gear thingie. Close to the same product but I use Lucas.

In a good engine, oil additives shouldn't be needed. Even less so with synthetic oil. 124,000 on my truck every 5000 miles and no problems and no sludge.

I personally use the Slick 50, just not per instructions. About every 3rd oil change, and never gotten burned. If you have a rod knock on a car you dont care about, i personally reccomend a bottle of STP oil treatment. Comes out like honey and stops the knock. For a while anyway. But a good oil is really the best lubricant. As far as synthetic vs conventional, thats your choice. I stay conventional.

The API system revolves around two general classification: S for Service (typical passenger cars and light trucks) and C for commercial applications (typical diesel equipment). The breakdown of "S" varieties is as follows:

SA: This is a plain mineral oil that doesn't contain additives common in today's high-tech lubricants. This oil was primarily used in the 1920s and is obsolete today.

SB: Lubes that contain anti-wear and oxidation inhibitors as well as corrosion inhibitors. This oil was primarily in use prior to 1964, was created for vehicles that saw moderate conditions and is obsolete today.

SC: This classification was originally recommended for use in 1964-67 vehicles. It contains additives that control rust, wear, corrosion and engine deposits. It too is now obsolete.

SD: SD lubes were recommended for use in 1968-70 vehicles as well as certain post-1970 passenger cars. This oil contains the same additive packages as the SC class and can be used in place of it. SD is obsolete today.

SE: This category was recommended for certain 1971 vehicles as well as most 1972 vehicles. This classification offered more protection than the SD group of lubricants and was suitable for severe-duty applications. This classification is used in place of SD oils, but it is now obsolete.

SF: Recommended with 1988 and older passenger vehicles. This oil has superior anti-wear properties and enhanced oxidation stability over SE lubricants. It too is obsolete today.

SG: The SG rating was introduced in 1989 and combined the performance properties of the commercial rating CC (lubricants designed for use in supercharged/turbocharged diesel applications in moderate to severe service). Its designated use is for 1993 and older engines, and is also obsolete.

SH: Now obsolete, SH was designed for 1996 and older engines.

SJ: Introduced in 1996, this rating is for all automotive engines, early 2001 and older and is still current.

SL: This rating is for all gasoline engines currently in use. SL oils are manufactured for better high-temperature deposit control and lower oil consumption. Some SL oils also qualify as "Energy Conserving." SL is the most current of all categories. Look shortly for the soon-to-be-announced SM category.

Generally speaking, think of the API system as a blueprint for oil. In order to gain an API classification, oil manufacturers have to follow a set of limitations. This creates a few problems for oil companies, especially those who produce racing oils. Race oil must conform to viscosity-grade standards but not to those for chemical-additive composition and base-oil composition. That's why you'll find several brands of race oil without API classifications.

(Credit to Advance Auto Parts)

Originally posted by DennyW
I always use a good petroleum base oil, SD, never had any problems..

I didn't know you could still get SD oil. Interesting.

Originally posted by drg84
I personally use the Slick 50, just not per instructions. About every 3rd oil change, and never gotten burned. If you have a rod knock on a car you dont care about, i personally reccomend a bottle of STP oil treatment. Comes out like honey and stops the knock. For a while anyway. But a good oil is really the best lubricant. As far as synthetic vs conventional, thats your choice. I stay conventional.

my openion of oil treatments is they dont do anything, so if you're spending 10.00 for nothing then thats getting burned. JMO of course.

Actually, it seems to cushion the bottom end of the motor. but hey, its only $1.75. Worked on the 260 during its final days. But it is not to be used as a long-term solution.

Originally posted by drg84
Actually, it seems to cushion the bottom end of the motor. but hey, its only $1.75. Worked on the 260 during its final days. But it is not to be used as a long-term solution.

where are you getting slick 50 for 1.75? never bought any, but i thought it cost 7-8.00 dollers a bottle.

Moly is supposed to be the most important additive as per this guy www.bobistheoilguy.com

the only thing i think additives are good for is when you're trying to juice that last inch out of a tired beaten up old engine

The additive package is very very important to the function of the oil. Oils have additives like moly to repair some wear, additives to improve miscibility with water to prevent water from pooling at the bottom of your oil pan where your pump pickup is, viscosity modifiers to increase the working temperature range of the oil, there are additives to improve the film strength and shear resistance of the oil so it can lubricate better under non-ideal conditions, there are additives to reduce fluid friction for better hp and milage, ph modifiers for those of us running residual fuels with high sulfer contents, etc... The additive package of an oil is very important to the longevity of your engine. So, choose wisely and don't cheap out. Some of the best brands are Castrol, Chevron, Mobil, Havoline, Valvoline, redline, royal purple, amsoil, etc...