# Previous owner was using 20w-50 Brad Penn. Should i change?



## DCdense88 (May 29, 2009)

Ok. Some of you guys may know the car. Previous owner was Tom Long(Thongprasert) from Plano, Texas. It's a 24v with forged bottom end, bored to 2.9L, r32 head, Precision t61 turbo, etc, etc. He has been using 20w-50 Brad Penn motor oil. I've never had any experience personally with this oil. I've always been an Amsoil and Mobile 1 fully synthetic fan and it's always worked for me. I know that each brand has it's own list of additives and was wondering what everyone thought of 1. The weight of oil(i'm from ohio so it's significantly colder here) 2. the brand of oil(Brad Penn obviously). I'm kind of worried about cold start ups with this heavy oil because of the low temperatures. Also, the Brad Penn that he has been using is partially synthetic. Any insight into this would be helpful. Also, price doesn't matter so if anyone has any cheaper OR more expensive brands/weights out there, i am willing to do it. Motor oil is so vital to the health and performance of an engine i don't want to mess around. Thank you for any and all help. It's very much appreciated


----------



## rickjaguar (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: Previous owner was using 20w-50 Brad Penn. Should i change? (DCdense88)*

There's a UOA from a Brad Penn 10W-30 that looks amazing.. especially considering it came from the oil-shredding 2.0T FSI engine.
That analysis has me thinking that Brad Penn is a great oil and I wouldn't say it's at all inferior to Amsoil or Mobil.
20W-50 tho....? judgement call i guess... but for daily driving it seems waaay too thick (to me).


----------



## DCdense88 (May 29, 2009)

thank you very much rickjaguar .. would love som more people's imput on this !!!


----------



## vliou (Nov 22, 2009)

*Re: (DCdense88)*

Would love a UOA when you're done!!


----------



## rhouse181 (Apr 13, 2008)

*Re: Previous owner was using 20w-50 Brad Penn. Should i change? (rickjaguar)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rickjaguar* »_
20W-50 tho....? judgement call i guess... but for daily driving it seems waaay too thick (to me). 

If it hasn't caused problems yet, why change? Seems to be a loaded oil with lots of anti-wear additives. I suggest sticking with Brad Penn, but modify your viscosity like rickjaguar said. I would give a 10w40 a shot, you will probably pick up some power due to the reduction in parasitic losses.
But you should get a UOA of the oil that's in there currently to develop a baseline. That why you can compare any oil experiments agains a "control"


----------



## DCdense88 (May 29, 2009)

where can i get a UOA done? and how much does it cost..


----------



## rhouse181 (Apr 13, 2008)

http://www.blackstone-labs.com... they charge $22 for a standard UOA


----------



## lupin..the..3rd (Jan 29, 2007)

*Re: Previous owner was using 20w-50 Brad Penn. Should i change? (DCdense88)*

Brad Penn Grade 1 20w-50 is the defacto standard in the air-cooled Porsche world. That's the only oil I will put in my '87 Carrera which sees regular track use. It's a fantastic oil.
IMO 20w-50 is appropriate for a modified turbocharged gasoline motor like yours. If yours was normally aspirated, I'd say go with a lighter grade, but turbochargers get HOT HOT HOT and require the use of a heavier grade of oil to cope with the heat.


----------



## rjdubtuner (Aug 12, 2007)

*Re: Previous owner was using 20w-50 Brad Penn. Should i change? (lupin..the..3rd)*

agreed


----------

