Lab Report on Rotella T 15W-40 conventional oil

[BajaRon]

.....What relationship does " SHEAR " have in regards to oil filter changing .....ie. If BRP says 9000 mi. on OIL & FILTER can you change the oil at 4000 mi. and keep the same filter till say 9000 mi. or is this just " stupid ":yikes::yikes::yikes:...............Mikeguyver :thumbup:

I agree with ulflyer. There isn't any relationship. The filters are there strictly to keep contaminants out of the oil system. They only catch solids though, so liquids like fuel and water go right through them. Of course you're not supposed to have fuel or water in your oil, but a little is always present (at least when cold) and it doesn't really hurt anything.

Think of a tire. You have belts made of cords (usually steel or an Aramid fiber) which supports the tire structure. These materials are strong but will give you no traction. So you add rubber over the top. The rubber both protects the belts and give you traction with the road surface. But what happens when the rubber wears away? The fibrous materials are exposed and they are no match for the pavement. They don't last long, and then you have a blowout.

In most synthetic oils, the structural fibers would represent the oil molecule chains and the outer coating of rubber would represent the additive package. As long as the additives are doing their job, the oil chains will hold up pretty well. Once the additives go away the oil chains don't hold up very long. They wear quickly getting thinner and thinner.

This is the 'Shear' or thinning of the oil viscosity that you really don't want. Instead of a 10w-40 oil, you may be running a 5w-30, 25 or even 20 weight oil. This will not protect your metal to metal parts and you'll start to get wear.

And that's where your filters come in. They will screen out these metal shavings and keep them from circulating in the oil. But the idea is to NOT have metal parts rubbing together creating these shavings in the 1st place.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

YEA !!!!!

You certainly could do this. I guess the question to ask is how many miles do you plan to ride per year. Also how long will the machine sit without use?

Myself, just for the sake of corrosion protection, I would replace the filter and get rid of as much used oil as possible before storing. Now if you plan to log 9k or 6k or whatever miles run the filter the entire season just don't exceed the books rated number, change the oil at your selected mileage.

PK

....:clap::clap::clap:....Thanks Paul, and Ron and Ulflyer..........I don't know why I even posed this question, In the normal course of riding I probably won't go 5000 mi.in a season in my neck of the wood s:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:.........and the cost of a filter isn't really a factor since I'm using the Rotella T-6 @ $22 per gal........I am planning to add some full syn 40w on my next oil change ......because I agree the "SHEAR " does have life shortening effect on the oil.........even really good oil.................Thanks again all....Mikeguyver :thumbup:.......annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd now I can do PICS :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:....see GAS DOOR THREAD

 

[ulflyer]

Oil Mag says change when top number drops one grade.

Came across a ref in BITOG to an article in an oil mag with one section discussing when and what criteria to use for changing used oil. Basically it said when the oil drops ONE GRADE it should be changed. Thus, when the top number, 40, gets down to 30, thats it. This seems to be accepted criteria by most labs, not all however; Blackstone appears to stretch this out some.

http://digital.ipcprintservices.com/publication/?i=10654

 

[Roadster Renovations]

Crisper shift SE6

Very interesting discussion! I had 4,000 miles on the BRP oil that was put in at the 3,000 miles service by the dealership. We are planning a long run up into Maine and didn't really want to get close to that 9,200 mile service on the trip so I drained out all that I could (about 4 1/2 quarts) without changing the filter. Putting the same amount back I immediately noticed improved shifting. It shifts faster and much smoother. This is on the SE6. The better shifting leads me to think that at least in the SE6 replacing the oil 1/2 way through the 9,200 mile period without the filter will certainly help the transmission and I am sure the engine as well. I would like to send off a sample of that 4,000 mile BRP oil to see what the shear is on it. Any decent labs out there anyone can recommend?

 

[ulflyer]

Very interesting discussion! I had 4,000 miles on the BRP oil that was put in at the 3,000 miles service by the dealership. We are planning a long run up into Maine and didn't really want to get close to that 9,200 mile service on the trip so I drained out all that I could (about 4 1/2 quarts) without changing the filter. Putting the same amount back I immediately noticed improved shifting. It shifts faster and much smoother. This is on the SE6. The better shifting leads me to think that at least in the SE6 replacing the oil 1/2 way through the 9,200 mile period without the filter will certainly help the transmission and I am sure the engine as well. I would like to send off a sample of that 4,000 mile BRP oil to see what the shear is on it. Any decent labs out there anyone can recommend?

You can go to NAPA or O'reilly and get a Wix kit or online and order one. Costs about $20 or so and you only pay postage when you mail it in. Wix uses ALS Labs, a large major outfit, and thats the one I've been using for several years.
Put the sample in a brown envelope to avoid PO telling you you can't send it. I've started using a PO where you can do your own weighting, paying, and stamping. Avoids any problems with PO personel. Its not against regs to mail oil, but a lot of PO folks don't know and you can't argue with them. Will be really interested to see how BRP oil pans out as I've never seen a test done on it.

 

[OldCowboy]

So, I'm Wondering ....

It seems that sometimes we take it for granted that the BRP engineers are idiots and don't know what we know. Take, for instance, their recommendation for oil. Their Summer Blend is a 10W-40 oil. Their engineers cannot help but know that such an oil will shear/dilute down to 10W-30. And yet, they recommend an oil change interval that is bound to result in oil that is outside of the 'normal' range for a 10W-40 oil. Is it possible that they make this recommendation knowing that a 10W-30 effective viscosity will provide adequate protection?

 

[Roadster Renovations]

You can go to NAPA or O'reilly and get a Wix kit or online and order one. Costs about $20 or so and you only pay postage when you mail it in. Wix uses ALS Labs, a large major outfit, and thats the one I've been using for several years.
Put the sample in a brown envelope to avoid PO telling you you can't send it. I've started using a PO where you can do your own weighting, paying, and stamping. Avoids any problems with PO personel. Its not against regs to mail oil, but a lot of PO folks don't know and you can't argue with them. Will be really interested to see how BRP oil pans out as I've never seen a test done on it.

Count on it when I get back! The used BRP oil is setting on the shelf in a clean container. We have an account with Napa I'll send it off when we get back in about a week! TY!

 

[Roadster Renovations]

It seems that sometimes we take it for granted that the BRP engineers are idiots and don't know what we know. Take, for instance, their recommendation for oil. Their Summer Blend is a 10W-40 oil. Their engineers cannot help but know that such an oil will shear/dilute down to 10W-30. And yet, they recommend an oil change interval that is bound to result in oil that is outside of the 'normal' range for a 10W-40 oil. Is it possible that they make this recommendation knowing that a 10W-30 effective viscosity will provide adequate protection?

I know that car manufacturers recommend longer oil change intervals. Of course, they are in the business of selling vehicles. In BRP's case, not only does that oil protect the engine, but the transmission as well, so who knows? One thing for sure, they are in the business of selling products, either for replacement or repair.