Oil Weight?

[franchise]

Hi all!,

I have gotten a few opinions from rather respectable individuals, but not clear...

For engine oil, what do you guys run?

Of course all SYNTHETIC...

Manual says 0W or 5W
Viper Tech says 10W
Aftermarket says 20W

So since we covered ALL the options...what have you guys run?

I have a stock 2008 Roadster.
Out of warranty, but will get an extended soon.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[USMCLY]

5w-40 for me

 

[Steve-Indy]

Hi, Ron. Indeed,this has always been, and will always be, a topic for debate...a few facts, some good science, a lot of pseudo-science, habit, folklore, tradition, politics, "oil religion", and economics in my opinion.

Keep in mind that YOUR engine was developed using Mobil 1 0W-40. So, why change? One reason may be track use and/or other duty driving...also hot climate. In those cases, Mobil 1 15W-50 has been a WELL PROVEN alternative. Special needs often dictate special oils...depending of how close you wish to fly at the edge. Some "race" oils are low on additives for long term protection...requiring oil changes with each track outing. On the other hand, a "truck oil"such as Mobil's Delvac 1 5w-40 has a good history in our Vipers under a variety of circumstances. There are some great euro oils out there if money is no object. Oh, by the way, don't forget the "lucky charm effect" with special botique oils. I seriously doubt that there are very many Viper owners that have the amount of used oil analyses on Vipers that I have...dozens and dozens...from low to high mileage, street or track, and of course a few samples from folks who change the oil religiously every 4 years regardless of driving utilization.
I have been switching our Gen I, II, early Gen III Vipers away from the Mobil 1 10W-30 oils to Mobil 1. 0W-40 as recommend a couple of years ago by a prominent Viper engineer...especially since the synthetic 10W-30 ALWAYS tested a little low on viscosity...even with ****** oil samples sent from new quarts(also noted by Porsche) over 10 years ago.

All of that aside, make your own choices based on need, availability, price, and frequency of service interval that you plan.
Manufacturers of cars and oils have had to favor lower emissions and higher fuel mileage due to regulation. Sadly, this switch does not necessarily favor engine longevity and durability in my opinion. You would be appalled at the state of the oil sampled from late model Mercedes and BMW's when sampled at the dashboard-indicated service intervals. My lawnmower oil has better looking oil than seen in some of the examples...and, NO...I don't take great care of said mower.

P.S. You should pay close attention to brake and clutch fluids...as well as coolant to keep your Viper free of trouble !!

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

What Steve says above is spot on. Mobil1 OW40 and 15W50 for the track.

 

[VIPER 93]

Hi all!,

I have gotten a few opinions from rather respectable individuals, but not clear...

For engine oil, what do you guys run?

Of course all SYNTHETIC...

Manual says 0W or 5W
Viper Tech says 10W
Aftermarket says 20W

So since we covered ALL the options...what have you guys run?

I have a stock 2008 Roadster.
Out of warranty, but will get an extended soon.

Hey Ron, glad to see you finally pulled the trigger and got a Viper.
Sold my 08 VVO yesterday, it's on it way to Michigan.

 

[franchise]

Great info! Thanks!

OK...so for nice day driver and street fun...0-40 or 5w-40?
of course, Mobil 1 synthetic....

What about zinc additive?


VIPER 93- Thanks! and Congrats!!!

 

[AZTVR]

One engineering reason for choosing Mobil 1 0W-40 (street) or 15W-50 (track or lots of high temperatures) is that Mobil publishes the Zinc/Phosphate levels
( http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Files/Mobil_1_Product_Guide.pdf ) for their oils, and the viscosities that I and others referred to have high levels like the older formulation oils used to have.
Now, does the Viper engine need that added protection? I don't know. But, that's why I decided to buy them. For the same reason, many Viper folks buy oil formulated for diesel engines.

 

[St.Char]

0W-40 for me

 

[Roy]

I tend to think stock weight is always good or reaaaaallly close to good. All what comes next, is less studied and less proven to be good...0w40 is on my oil cap, so that's what I put in there, why would I think to know better than the designer of the car.
On the other hand, I think it is most important to keep clean and good oil in there and in the end you'll be fine.

 

[TrackAire]

Great info! Thanks!

OK...so for nice day driver and street fun...0-40 or 5w-40?
of course, Mobil 1 synthetic....

What about zinc additive?


VIPER 93- Thanks! and Congrats!!!

Do not add any type of additives....more is not always better and can actually make the oil not perform as intended. Sometimes adding additives can make your oil foam up or leave deposits...neither of which is good. Your engine is not a flat tappet design....there is no metal to metal contact, even on start up. If there was, you'd instantly have an issue.

Oil is not compressible.....there is always a layer of oil on every moving piece of metal that is in contact with metal.

You can't go wrong with what the factory recommends for the street (0-40w) and the 15-50w for the track. Reality is your engine will not fail due to the wrong weight oil as much as lack of oil pressure, foaming oil, etc will effect the motor. When oiling issues happen, it is usually catastrophic and you'll be the first to know.

 

[gatesy21]

does this apply to the gen 3 viper engine as well? It asks for 10w 30 but is 0w 40 better for just street driving?

 

[Steve-Indy]

2003's and I THINK 2004's came from factory with Mobil 1 10W-30.
YES, one can use either 0W-40 or 15W-50 in all Gen Iii and IV Vipers...better protection in my opinion.


2005's & 2006's plus 2008-2010 came with 0W-40.

 

[franchise]

Thanks guys!

for street fun...
OK...so summer texas weather of 95-105...would you run 5w-40 for the year...or do you think 0w-40 is fine?

according to the manual 5w-40 is fine for anything over 0 degrees...?


thanks for the advice!

R

 

[natsfan]

I'm a big fan of Royal Purple oil. I asked their opinion about which oil I should use in my Viper for some track use and spirited street driving. Here is what they told me:

"We have several great choices for your Viper. The list below shows them in order of most awesome to merely awesome, for the usage you describe:

- Royal Purple XPR 10W-40 (part #01041, quart bottle)

- Royal Purple HPS 10W-40 (part #31140, quart bottle)

- Royal Purple SAE 5W-40 (part #01540, quart bottle)

- Royal Purple SAE 0W-40 (part #11484, quart bottle)

The XPR is top of the line, absolute best protection, and in this vehicle, under the usage you describe, the additional cost may be justified for you. HPS is one step down from XPR in our automotive oils, providing most of the XPR benefit at a lower price.

Concerning a 0W-40 in HPS, there is really little functional reason. In all but the absolute coldest climates, there is no functional need for a 0W-40 at all. At operating temperature (~212 F) a 0W-40, 5W-40, 10W-40 and straight 40 are all the same. The first number indicates the cold flow of the oil, with the smaller number providing better cold flow.


Thanks for choosing Royal Purple and have a great day!"

 

[SEEEEYA]

I was told running 15w -50 would keep the "ticking" down to a minimum also, car does not see cold weather so I have the 15w-50 in mine

 

[franchise]

Ok...so 0w40 is preferred...but what about hot months with spirited driving? does 0w40 still stand up fine in 100 degree weather?
what does your research say STEVE-INDY?

also...what you guys do for oil filters?

thanks,
Ron

 

[Steve-Indy]

Without getting into brand wars, I'll just say that track days in Gens I-IV did very well with Mobil 1 15W-50...including a couple of ACR-X cars that I saw(saw they used that oil, but I did not ask for a sample).

There are a lot of good oils oil there, but for frequent track use and/or warm climates, both the higher viscosity and higher zinc and phosphorous levels in the Mobil 1. 15W-50 appeal to me any many others...it's also cheap at $22.66 per 5 quart jug.

Filter...ONLY SRT...for Gen I-III part number 05037836AB)(NOT the AA version).

For Gen IV, use part number 05038041AA.

 

[Roy]

It is a low tech engine with very little horsepower to the cubic inches, so unless you do very, and I mean very spritited TRACK driving, you'll be absolutely fine with both the 2003 and 2005+ stock advised Mobil fluids. I bet you swap oil every year and don't drive over 5k miles annually, so don't make it more difficult on yourself then needed!

 

[Steve-Indy]

I just checked with Tom Sessions...YES, they used Mobil 1's 15W-50 in the ACR-X that he maintained for the series.

 

[MoparMap]

So out of curiosity, say someone is in a pinch and needs to get their oil changed quickly, but can't get an SRT filter any time soon. What's the next best one out there in a case like this? I refuse to pay my dealer the ridiculous markup he wants for the filters, so I have to order them elsewhere. It's annoying that I can go buy the oil at Walmart, but have to wait a few days for a filter.

 

[AZTVR]

So out of curiosity, say someone is in a pinch and needs to get their oil changed quickly, but can't get an SRT filter any time soon. What's the next best one out there in a case like this? I refuse to pay my dealer the ridiculous markup he wants for the filters, so I have to order them elsewhere. It's annoying that I can go buy the oil at Walmart, but have to wait a few days for a filter.

I use the Mobil 1 filter on my other high performance car and the NAPA Gold (made by Wix) on the other vehicles after much research and reading in this forum and other forums. I had a discount at my dealer, so, I would buy several Viper filters at a time so that I would not find myself without one when I had a surprise oil change pop up. LOL !

Here are a couple of relevant posts from a thread I remembered reading:
http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/655794-Mobil-1-oil-filter-vs-Mopar-Viper-spec?p=3104142&viewfull=1#post3104142

http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...r-Viper-spec?p=3104369&viewfull=1#post3104369


_________________________________________________
Jim – ‘02 GTS ACR gray/silver -- sold – ( enthusiastic custodian for 8 years )http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...r-Viper-spec?p=3104369&viewfull=1#post3104369

 

[Flexx91]

So out of curiosity, say someone is in a pinch and needs to get their oil changed quickly, but can't get an SRT filter any time soon. What's the next best one out there in a case like this? I refuse to pay my dealer the ridiculous markup he wants for the filters, so I have to order them elsewhere. It's annoying that I can go buy the oil at Walmart, but have to wait a few days for a filter.

A lot of us were using the Mobil I oil filter (M1-204 I believe) prior to the introduction of the special Viper Filter on our Gen. III's.

 

[TRACKDAY]

As far as oil filters go, I use K&N premium wrench off oil filters because they are engineered to have high flow rates which the Viper requires.

As for oil, I use Pennzoil Ultra 0W-40 (street) and Mobile 1 15W-50 (track).

.....just my 2 cents

 

[MoparMap]

I use the Mobil 1 filter on my other high performance car and the NAPA Gold (made by Wix) on the other vehicles after much research and reading in this forum and other forums. I had a discount at my dealer, so, I would buy several Viper filters at a time so that I would not find myself without one when I had a surprise oil change pop up. LOL !

I've decided to do this this time around. With 3 Vipers in the family (luckily that share the same filter), a case will still last me a few years. I daily drive mine and put between 15-20k miles a year on it, so I do around two changes a year. My parents' cars don't see near the miles, but might go through one filter each per year.

 

[franchise]

Great info! I have read both Wixx is the way to go or Mobil 1.


OK! great on the oil weight!...anyone go to heavier oil when the outside temperature gets super hot....like Phoenix in August? for just street fun...

 

[Sonoman]

My Viper is almost always driven in 65-90 F temps, so I run the Mobil 1 15W-50 all the time. You will find the valve train noise to be noticeably less with the 15W-50 than it is with 0W-40.

 

[Steve-Indy]

franchise, I did not extract the same conclusion concerning oil filter of choice...IF indeed I correctly understood your last post. While there are few actual manufacturers, they make filters to various specs. SRT provided the specs for the SRT filters for good reasons!! Sure, most of us used Mobil or Wixx or NAPA Gold at some point...but, the evolving info over time raised questions...hence SRT's new specs, including an upgrade to the Gen I, II, and III filter now labeled as "AB" instead of "AA".

As to cost of the SRT filters, I purchased a case (12) for our Gen I,II, and III Vipers last fall and paid $134.00...so about $11.1666 per filter.

Whatever you choose, best of luck...ENJOY that Viper !!

 

[TrackAire]

Great info! I have read both Wixx is the way to go or Mobil 1.


OK! great on the oil weight!...anyone go to heavier oil when the outside temperature gets super hot....like Phoenix in August? for just street fun...

Think about the temps your talking about in Arizona...117 to maybe 125 degree at the most? Your engine is running at minimum at 190 degrees. The engine coolant, block and oil will always be hotter than the hottest day in Arizona. The oils heavier weight number is not going to matter for a street driven vehicle. The key number is the cold temp weight (0, 5, 10, 15 or in some cases 20w), this matters for cold start up, especially in super cold climates. Once the car is at operating temps, the oil should behave like the bigger number on the bottle.

Some people notice less "ticking" or valve noise with the heavier oil. That may be correct.....then again, running the thicker oil to alleviate that ticking noise in cold temps may mean less oil pressure on cold morning start ups. Oil for a street car really is dependent on your climate more than anything else.

I would think the heavier weight oils used in Viper racing applications have more to due with continual high rpm foaming of the oil, shear strengths, oil pressure viscosity at extreme temps, etc. A lot of full on race cars use 0 weight oils depending on how the engine is designed and if it offers more free high rpm hp (think small displacement but high revs). Full on race cars also use dry sumps and rebuild the motor after every race so what works great on a race car may be damaging to a street driven car.

Think of semi trucks that run huge diesel engines at very high compression ratios with tons of turbo heat. The most popular non synthetic weight oil is 15-40w. Synthetics flow a little better so they can run down to 5-40w weights. They run these 40w oils in the heat of the desert pulling grades with 80,000 lbs of weight on the truck. Most of these trucks can go at least 200k to 300k between rebuilds....all on a 40w oil. You really don't need a 50w oil for a street driven Viper, even if driven hard.

 

[franchise]

Yes. Thanks guys! Great info!

all questions answered!

R

 

[FrankBarba]

I use Rotella in my Race Cars, with either Wixx or Napa Gold Filters.