oil viscosity

[Elias Yannitsadis]

#3120

i saw a post on a Viper forum ‘ penzoil vs mobil1’ where viper owners commented on what they run in their car. i believe that if you change your oil often then it won’t matter which synthetic oil you use. my question is what viscosity? someone posted a conversation he had with Richard Winkles and he did not recommend the 0w-40, instead go with high mileage 10w-40, which he says is what he runs in his viper. does it depend where you live and how you drive it?  i live in virginia and i have no problem taking my viper out in 30 degree weather , provided no salt on roads, and in the summer, if its 95 degrees or higher i wont drive it. nor do i track the car, but i do get a little red line crazy sometimes. it’s not that i don’t trust Richard, it just feels like its a big jump in viscosity for me to take that leap. what viscosity do you guys use?

[Tom]

#3207

Dick designed the engine. He should know. But everyone has an opinion and also facts based on their use of their Vipers. I have two and have used Mobil 1 10w-30, Mobil 1 15w-50, Mobil 0w-40, Pennzoil 0w-40, Pennzoil 5w-40. I do not race, I live in the snow belt and I do not drive the cars below 40F or with salt on the roads. High temps here get into the low 90’s but not often. In my temperature range and usage, I cannot tell the difference. I do an oil analysis at each oil change.  I use Blackstone Labs. They can’t tell the difference either. Wear and contaminants are always in the same range and they always say I could have kept the oil in longer. Right now one has 5w-40, and the other has 15w-50 in it because I took it to a race shop for normal service and they said “that’s what we always use.” Based on my temperature range  think Dick is correct about the w weight, 10 is fine since I am not starting the car below 40F and actually 15 is fine too since the garage never gets below 55F.

[Elias Yannitsadis]

#3208

thank you Tom, great feedback, that answers alot of my questions

[V10Viper]

#3220

I have used 0W-40 on all 3 of my Vipers. Gen III, IV and V  and have never had any issues. I have tracked them,  driven them in 90+ temps and below 40(but rarely)   I changed the oil once a year and put about 1,500 miles/year on the cars.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 1 week ago by V10Viper.

[GTS Dean]

#3238

<<i believe that if you change your oil often then it won’t matter which synthetic oil you use.>>

How often is “often”? If you only put sparing miles on the car and put 10 quarts of new oil and a filter in it every month, you certainly shouldn’t have problems.

<<my question is what viscosity? someone posted a conversation he had with Richard Winkles and he did not recommend the 0w-40, instead go with high mileage 10w-40, which he says is what he runs in his viper.>>

Dick lives in Michigan and lives and breathes Viper engines for 30 years. By all means, don’t take his advice.

[Brent Barr]

#3253

I have the Dick Winkles convo saved on my phone and show everyone who asks what Mr. V10 says. I’m an idiot, but I am definitely following his advice.

[Bill Pemberton]

#3308

Dick Winkles is a good friend, a walking bible of Viper knowledge, but no worries asking a simple question. We often don’t question what we read on Forums even though we all know the example of passing a short sentence around a 4th grade schoolroom by whispering in someone’s ear. The result is completely different by the time it reaches the last person, so feel free to ask questions as you are likely anal about your Viper as many of the rest of us. In this case the answer quoted from Mr. Winkles is correct, but he has also told folks to use 15-50w for track use, so it does depend on what thread ( of the zillion out there ) one might read. Ask away, your fellow Viper Owners are here to help and clarify.

[Elias Yannitsadis]

#3311

please excuse my ignorance, but i always thought that one of the main reasons for the viscosity recommended for a particular car was based on the clearances. so my concern is on a cold start, say with temps between 30 – 40 degrees at the lowest, how much longer does it take for the thicker oils to get to the vital areas? or is there no difference, unless your starting your viper at 0 degrees, which i don’t do.

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