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Pat Butler

I have a 1978 anniversary model c3 what is the best oil to use?

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Oct 02, 2011
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by: Anonymous

In my 76 I use Quaqer State high mileage 10w30. And also through in the recommended amout of Lucas. Never had any trouble and also use the lucas in my daily driver.
Sep 30, 2011
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by: Corvette-web-central

Below are facts about synthetic oil and why we believe you should stay away from them for older cars. Older cars use flat style lifters where the cam lobe is dragging at all time on the lifter. New engines use roller lifters and less friction. Its speculated that the ZDDP or "phosphorus" provides protection on older engines. New car manufactures are of course going to say the less phosphorus wont hurt older cars because they have nothing to loose. But the higher levels of phosphorus can damage the platinum coating in the catalytic converter. This is very costly and they are government mandated to replace any converter that fails before 80,000 miles regardless of manufactures warranty limits!

With that said we use Mobil 1 solely in our C5 Corvette and all other company vehicles as they are of all modern design. Subsequent tear downs of our performance engines have found no wear or sludge.

This is truly a case of the devil being in the details.

Questions & Answers About Oil

Question:
Has Zinc Been Removed from Motor Oils? I have seen problems of engines failing and I think it is the result of the removal of zinc from the oil. I was told by two separate racing engine builders that the EPA ordered the removal of the zinc from over-the-counter motor oil. I use Mobil 1 5W-20. Is this true and do you think a zinc additive might help?

Answer:
The active ingredient that you are talking about is phosphorus which is added thru a component called ZDDP. For products that meet the new ILSAC GF-4 specification the phosphorus levels for the oil must be less than 800 ppm phosphorus. The ILSAC level for phosphorus has been reduced to protect the catalytic converter and other emission protection equipment. The engine manufacturers are confident that this level of phosphorus will protect both new and older engines. However, there are Mobil 1 products which have a higher level of phosphorus (phos) and can be used in engines in racing or high performance applications.

We Recommend Valvoline VR1 Racing

For Older cars we recommend Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil. VR1 Racing contains 0.13% phosphorus Make sure and Confirm your viscosity! See the information on the product below.

We suggest that a 0.08% phosphorus (about 1000 PPM zinc in ZDDP) in the form of ZDP, is more than adequate to protect both current and older engines from scuffing and wear." Zinc concentrations in oil decrease with engine use.
If you cant find any locally you can find good prices and free shipping on the link below.

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