[DeTomaso] Racing Oils – The Good, The Bad and The Slippery

[John Buckman]

Some excerpts from the article:

"racing oils require less detergents and dispersants since the typical racing engine doesn’t go for thousands of miles before oil changes.
This is very fortunate since research and testing showed that both detergent and ZDDP additives work in the same manner. Both additives produce sacrificial films which adhere to the surfaces you’re trying to protect. Since detergents can actually compete with ZDDPs for the surface of the cam lobe, high detergent oils tend to give the ZDDP additive less surface on which to be effective. This is a major problem when using Diesel engine oils on high-lift, flat tappet cam lobes."

"Secondly, don’t try to produce your own racing oil. ZDDP supplements have existed for decades, but most people don’t know the secret of blending ZDDP into oil. If the oil is cold when the ZDDP is added, the ZDDP won’t go into solution. If the oil is too hot, the ZDDP will decompose before it ever gets to the parts you were trying to protect. And “No,” I’m not going to tell you what the blending temperature should be."

About the author:

"John Martin is a “motorhead” physicist who worked for Lubrizol for 25 years, and before that he worked for Shell. He has formulated and tested racing oils for NASCAR and NHRA Pro Stock engines for decades. He has 22 patents to his credit through his work on engine and driveline testing and optimization. He is currently building a fuel-injected 692 BBC for his street rod."

John B