uberwgn

The M1 product I was discussing above is very shear stable for normal operation. I've done multiple UOAs on my own vehicles using these oils we discuss and the results have always been good, minimal wear, etc. Yes, when running the oils beyond 10k miles, the oil viscosity does begin to fall off, but certainly not to the point of being a serious concern.

Grant, based upon your efforts and research, what existing oil specificatioin do you recommend for the average Audi driver in the continental USA under these two scenarios:

• late model car under mfr's warranty?
• used car out of warranty?

Thanks

Just Me

Yes, for D2D its fine. But it DOES shear down. After 5700 miles in my S6:

FP went from > 375 to 340
cST @ 100degC went from ~ 14 to 11.96

Fine, but clearly not full protection when hot and under hard use.

Grant

Just Me

You specified 0w40 M1. 0w40 barely meets ACEA A3/B4 when new.

It also shears - demonstrated by after track UOAs. You got different results - please provide the data.

Yes, its fine for D2D - i keep saying that. But to claim that 0w40 is shear stable under hard use is simply not true, compared to, say, 10w40 similar product.

For most use i'm happy with 0w40, or rotella T6 or M1 5w40 or about any other good 5w40.

For cars used hard (turbos driven hard, any track use which every car i own gets) i use 10w40 or a mix of 10w40 and 15w50/20w50.

My S6 currently has 5w40 from a lubricant lab in it.
My 986 has a cocktail of 10w40 and 15w50 both with fairly high levels of ZDDP.
I could care less about the 0.x mpg penalty i am suffering - but that is the primary reason for the thinner recomendations from the manufcturers. They have to to meet CAFE, wear be damned.

You simply cannot avoid the implication of wide ranges and their need for VIIs.

As noted, the real key is to understand the trade offs and make your own informed decisions.

i only interject when statements such as 'Ow has no effect on hgih temperature performance and stability" are made. That is not a judgement call. That is wrong.

Grant

jamesm0913

Yes, for the 3.0 that is known to eat exhaust cam lobes, I'd recomend an HDEO like RT6. Delo 400 5W-40 is another good option now that it's being stocked at WalMart for less $ than RT6.

A4 Phil

Ha ha ha...this religion argument kills me every time. It is such a train wreck but I cannot keep myself from clicking it open every time. I learn new stuff every iteration, however, unless you are tracking your vehicle or live in a very northern climb, just stick to the stuff recommended in the owners manual.

jcman

Yea either way its down to "Pick your Poison" as I've said a few times before or in a semantic type form like I use often "Any good trade off still has some bad ones" when you throw it in the overall lubrication mixing pot hence per application.

Total lubrication, seal life and cat life are not to much to ask for, then again too the materials have to meet the "ultimate oil" half way.

I'm sure most us believe that Audi recommends these oils for the most part of containing optimum cat life at least before the 10yr/100k warranty period first before any thing else.

uberwgn

OK, I understand where you are coming from. I not sure where you are writing from but I'm stuck in suburban USA (Boston MA) and don't enjoy frequent trips to the red line in our cars. I have to travel 20 minutes before i see 100C on my oil temp. I'm mostly crawling along at 35mph. No track-like conditions for us. When I suggest sticking with the mfr's spec, that recommendation is based upon what I believe is the typical Audi driver in the continental USA. While I realize this forum is mostly made up of the enthusiasts, I don't believe it's a broad representation of the person purchasing an Audi in this country. You are fortunate to live somewhere that you can operate your car at its true potential. I certainly wish I had the opportunity to do so. And, yes, it probably makes sense to perform an oil change following a track day.

Just Me

So you can use 5w30 or better 10w30 :-) Seriously.

As i said, my cars are all DD, yet every one of them sees the track at least once a year, one of them 6-8 times.

I'm in norther New Jersey

Grant

uberwgn

Jersey? I had visions of you racing up and down the Autobahn every day LOL.

Yeah, maybe I'll look for that Motul 10W40 oil. Can't say I've ever noticed it for sale.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

I've used Amsoil 15W-40 marine synthetic until late 2008 when I switched to amsoil 5W-40 european formula synthetic because the 02S6 calls for a higher formula.

The 15W-40 synthetic worked fine on the n/a 4.2 V8...perhaps a little thick for turbo engines at 0F!!
But it's synthetic and generally worked well on my turbo volvos and saabs, even down to -30F. At that temp just let the engine warm up for a minute rather than 10 seconds and go. In any case, turbo engines shouldn't be hammered until the engine temp needle at least moves off the cold end. Some people like to take it easy until the sump oil temp moves.