Looking for readers opinions……I had a 67 289 with a 2 barrel carb back in the 70’s that I ran back and forth from NJ to Illinois for 4 years, maybe 10-12 round trips, for school. Always added a can of STP oil treatment with every oil change and it ran great, never burned a drop of oil. Have a 68 with a 302 for local cruising now and was wondering with todays improved (and high zinc) oils is it necessary to use an additive. Run 10W40 Lucas high zinc classic car oil. Thanks all!
I only use Valvoline VR1 in my 68 J code 302. It has all the zinc you need.
Agree with steelman. VR1 with no additives. Available at any Wal Mart.
Thanks….I’m not concerned with the amount of zinc as much as the thicker viscosity and lubrication properties during longer time between starts with the additive?
The only thing the additive does is remove cash from your wallet. There’s no advantage to using it compared to regular oil changes.
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I’ve wondered about additives too. Since our engines sit a lot longer between starts than a car in normal use, is there an additive that helps protect the engine parts on cold start after oil has long since drained away? I am skeptical there is, and just make sure to start the engine and warm it up every month. I have also been very happy with VR1, and change oil yearly.
I’ve never used an oil additive. The after market additive you add to the oil could work against the additive package that the oil manufacturer has already put in their product. VR1 has all the vitamins and minerals your engine needs.
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Which VR1 oil grade do you use?
My car has no AC and doesn’t get driven when it’s real hot. So I use 10w-30.
Another happy VR1 customer here!
Hello, I am glad you asked for opinions because that is all you will get. As someone who bases decisions on facts and empirical data, nothing annoyed me more than oil and additives. And yes I was a sucker for STP and any other marketing hype. Recently I got onto the zinc story and started adding ZDDP. Last year when I pulled the pan to change a main seal and look at the main bearings, I was shocked to find this crumbly precipitate blocking my oil uptake screen. I again looked for answers about oil and oil additives. Where can one get data on any oil, its applicability for this application and usage. It is a tightly held secret. I did a deep dive into tribology. Well there is an answer - oil analysis - or hire a tribologist and give them an engine dyno with your application.
Royce says all additives do empty your wallet - correct. They also can damage your engine and cause it to fail. Therefore never ever use an oil additive (unless you are prepared to do the extensive testing to show that the additive works and doesnt harm your engine.
There are several oils specifically formulated and tested for our original engines - Valvoline VR1 and Driven (specific oil for each application). These oils are tested and shown to be good for and not harm the engine. VR1 has a low antioxidative package and is only for those doing low mileage. Modern day synthetics (SP rating) will perform to specification in our engines and are better for higher annual mileage usage. This is based on testing (watch The Motor Oil Geek on youtube)
The bottom line is - oil analysis is the only way to know exactly what is going on in your engine for your application and oil change interval. Never use oil additives. Use an oil designed for our engines (like VR1 and Driven) and change frequently (minimum once a year unless you do analysis that shows otherwise).
As always My 2c.
Makes sense. Did you do any testing to find out what the crumbly precipitate was? Wondering if it was the zinc, STP, or some combination of them. It’s great that VR1 already has the zinc so you don’t have to add anything to it.
Thanks!….makes sense….what are your thoughts on the racing/classic car oil 10688 made by Lucas Oil 10W40 as compared to the VR1?
Hello
I have not seen any analysis of Lucas classic car oil so sorry, I cannot comment. Amsoil the same. There is analysis of VR1 and SP rated synthetic oil tested on a flat tappet engine dyno available online.
Thanks you’ve been very helpful….1 more thing….i see they don’t have a VR1 10W40, but a 20W50 grade. Do you recall which was used in the test you mentioned, and which would you recommend for my 302, living in Md so not real hot but I do have factory AC? Thanks again. Right now I’m running the 10W40 Lucas classic car oil.
I am not a tribologist (oil specialist). The general advice is - there is no point in changing oil type if you are using an oil for the application (you are using a classic car oil already) or viscosity without data. Get an oil analysis. Some 40 weight oils are close to 30 anyway and some 40s are close to 30. The startup viscosity that is important is the first number. 10W will flow better than 20W when cold. That is the important startup number.
hope this helps.
Valvoline VR1 racing oil for me in my 69 428cj.