# Anybody running plain USA RotellaT 15-40 in their 2.0L



## Gary_98Cabrio (Sep 4, 2009)

I use it in a 454 cu in unleaded gas rv motor. It's the only oil that maintains viscosity ( per the pressure gage) when I am running in the mountains (like a steady 4000 rpm). Castrol GTX is close behind.
I run it in my very high hour Generac and Onan generators. I am told I am 100% beyond normal engine life and oil consumption by both is almost nil... a quart in 400? hours. 
I ran it in my 1980 Yamaha 400 street rider. Did not use any oil.
I want to run it in my 98Cabrio with 2.0L and 128,000 miles. Any reason why I should not?


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## jbarton (Feb 29, 2008)

Heavy duty engine oils like Shell Rotella T, etc. are considerably thicker (more viscous) than light duty engine oils. They also lack the friction modifiers that are added into light duty engine oils. For this reason, HD engine oil will produce increased wear vs. LD engine oil given the same oil film thickness. However, since the HD engine oil produces a thicker oil film and is more viscous, it can offer increased protection in high-temperature, highly-loaded engines, or engines with loose operating tolerances.
Heavy duty engine oils will produce greater windage and pumping losses than thinner normal duty engine oils.
When it comes down to it, using a heavy duty engine oil in your gasoline street car is probably overkill, but it is an excellent way to protect against the wider tolerances and wear inherent with older engines.










_Modified by jbarton at 8:36 PM 9-10-2009_


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## Gary_98Cabrio (Sep 4, 2009)

*Re: (jbarton)*

OOOOOweee there big fella. You just sent me 
Googling for windage and pumping loss! Apparently you finished your college engineering education.. that I didn't.. or you are a serious motorhead. Anyway... thank you very much for your time and effort. Elsewhere in the forum I noted I got the car early July 2009 and do not know it very well. I might install some major brand 10w-30, right now... to see how the motor reacts and how much oil the little critter uses ... if any. I have no idea what is in there now. ... and I am too lazy to do a compression check. Oh... maybe next week I will get around to that. 
On another front, I am not comfortable with the little idle sputtering and the P0171 OBD warnings I am getting periodically. "Oh, just drive it!!" .. you say? I know... life is too short to always carry on this OCD stuff.
As to windage and pumping loss, I assumed the 15w-40 viscosity range covered all bases these days, but I get your point. I know/knew from my experiences with Shell oil back in the fifties.. that thin viscosity can maximize "slipperiness" and protection... but we were running engines that never got over 180F as best I can tell. The most awesome scientific test of one incident







..... was a 53 Buick Super ...that's their first V-8.....with engine wear unmeasurable 1956-1962.... 50,000 -375,000 miles .. running from Minneapolis to San Antonio and places east and west. .. on Shell 10W-30... I think it had a 172F thermostat...could be wrong . In the garage I worked in... you could tell the presence of Shell 10w-30 oil almost everytime. All oils viscosity run relatively, cold to hot.. as measured at any constant temperature beginning point ( according to an old U OF North Dakota review of oils for cold weather use). As to the notoriously thin Shell 10w-30.....assuming the engine was, correctly, "road warm", when you pulled the drain plug... that stuff gushed out of the oil pan like... cheap vodka. And the car owners always claimed some hard to believe gas mileage numbers. My dad's 1972 Buick Electra 225 Limited would actually get 23mpg....running mostly 70mph on I-35 and I-10. That was ..5700 lbs maybe?..two adults and luggage and fuel, wind, no-wind...and a 455 cu in engine, running unleaded 87 octane... with a four barrel carb..granted with the main venturi maybe a nickel in diameter!!.. (the secondaries were the size of tennis balls.) I digress. 
But certainly the well engineered, light duty, thin oils, are stellar performers. But regardless of SAE ratings etc... I insist...all 5w-30 or 10w-30 are not even close to equal. Compare the performance of Pennzoil 10w-30 and Castrol GTX 10w-30 in a hgh mileage four cylinder. Then you add subjective bias and you will have the beer and cigar assembly going on for days. 
Anyway...you confirmed what I had deduced...15w-40 Rotella T -USA is definitely an oil to consider for a 2.0 engine...gas... but especially the diesel.... in hot weather or...when clearances are opening up do to long term normal wear. 
Thanks again for your effort, hard work, and genuine expert input.


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## daughtersjetta01 (Aug 25, 2009)

*Re: Anybody running plain USA RotellaT 15-40 in their 2.0L (Gary_98Cabrio)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Gary_98Cabrio* »_I use it in a 454 cu in unleaded gas rv motor. It's the only oil that maintains viscosity ( per the pressure gage) when I am running in the mountains (like a steady 4000 rpm). Castrol GTX is close behind.
I run it in my very high hour Generac and Onan generators. I am told I am 100% beyond normal engine life and oil consumption by both is almost nil... a quart in 400? hours. 
I ran it in my 1980 Yamaha 400 street rider. Did not use any oil.
I want to run it in my 98Cabrio with 2.0L and 128,000 miles. Any reason why I should not?


99 2.0l 90,187 miles just changed to catrol gtx HM 10w-40,my daughters 1st car i don't think she'll out a lot of miles on it before the end of the year


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