[Healeys] Oil article abour ZDDP

[M Lempert]

First I must admit I'm no expert on this issue. I have been using Valvoline
VR1 20-50 based on product data and Michael Salter's blog. I have no reason
to believe VR1 isn't a good choice. However, if I remember correctly, the
VR1 bottle had a double API rating of SL/SM. That caused me some concern as
anything SM indicates current generation and safe for catalytic converters.
I really don't understand how it can have both ratings. I'd feel better with
something that would be very bad for catalytic converters.

I bought a few bottles of GM EOS and used it to supplement VR1 while
breaking in my 100 engine. I've since read that too much ZDDP isn't
necessarily a good thing (although GM and STP seem to add other ingredients
to help manage the added ZDDP effects), so I'd like to just use oil that is
appropriate for the engine.

API ratings simply go in alphabetical order. SL seems to be the last
generation that could contain the ZDDP levels safe for our cars, but doesn't
necessarily mean that they do. You need to check product data to make sure.
Anything before "L" is more likely to be safe. The latest generation, "M",
isn't safe, and I think now just by definition it can't contain enough ZDDP
levels to be safe for our cars.

The rest of my reasoning is much more subjective. I tend to like smaller
specialty companies (relative) and I also like that Brad Penn is using
Pennsylvania crude, the green stuff that used to be Kendall.  Brad Penn
product data indicate the levels of additives that we need; 0.12% ZDDP in
the SAE 20-W50 and 0.14% in the SAE 30 break-in oil. Their API ratings are
(I believe) SJ, which must be VERY bad for catalytic converters ( a good
thing for us :-) The only thing that I'm not crazy about with Brad Penn is
that the 20-W50 is partial synthetic. I like the idea of good old pure
crude, but what the heck, it has the critical ingredients.

Lastly, I trust that Brad Penn recognizes their market and is less likely to
make changes detrimental to our needs, or at least without announcing it.
The bigger companies see modern engines as their bread and butter and do
what they want without concern for 50 year old engines. We are not
necessarily going to know about changes unless someone in our midst keeps on
top of it, i.e. the whole SL to SM thing and its implications.

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Brad Penn, and there are other
choices that one might consider. Motul is one that comes to mind, a French
product used more in Europe. And to close as I opened, I'm no expert, just
explaining my own rationale.

Regards,
Mike Lempert

> Mike,
>
> Could you tell us all why exactly you would move from VR1?
>
> Robert.