Choosing oil for my track car
 

So, I am having a hard time finding 20w50 mineral oils locally.


I can find Castrol GTX 10w30, but I think that's a bit thin for a track car.

I also can't seem to find any 10w50s or 15w50s that are mineral oil online.

Can anyone suggest an oil I might be able to buy online in bulk?

Would Pennzoil be a terrible choice? How about Gulf Blaze?

I have been using some sort of expensive full synthetic over the last few years, thought I can't say for certain which one it is (other than that it was probably Motys and I think 10w50; I didn't actually put it in the car myself).

I know you supposedly aren't supposed to use synthetics when running an OMP.
Of course, my car basically only runs at full throttle, so maybe carbon buildup isn't much of a concern in my case.
Maybe I should just keep running full synthetic and not worry about it, since nothing has broken so far?

15984B

this is your part number for the 5 qt castrol 20w-50 jug. if you put that into google, there are quite a few options that come up. if all else fails, we will be more than happy to sell you as much as you want as we can get what feels like a limitless supply locally.

By locally, I mean in Japan. Also, Autobacs doesn't seem to stock rotary-specific oil any more, though it was always too expensive to begin with.

I can find "Castrol Classic 20w50" on Amazon, but it's a bit expensive for a mineral oil.

I did find some 15w50 mineral oil designed for vintage cars that isn't too expensive. No idea how good it is, though.

The one 15w50 rotary-specific synthetic oil I found online is like $350 for a 20-liter pail. Pass!

crap... well being in the motherland does change things quite a bit. sorry, not much we can do to help. running synthetic and an omp wouldn't be the end of the world. considering you're tracking the car, it more than likely wouldn't matter at all honestly. it would be better all around if you just deleted it and premixed. that way you don't have to think twice about running a synthetic. it would broaden your oil choices

I don't want to run premix. I haven't so far, without issue. Or at least, I think it would be better to use an OMP (plus maybe 200:1 premix), since Mazda used them on all their endurance cars, and I mostly just want to my engine to last for a long time.
Part of my reasoning is since you will lose apex seal lubrication in off-throttle conditions.

Valvoline VR1 20W50

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...7c0e48de5.jpeg
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I know lots of people use it, but it’s not sold here.

Motul 300V competition 15w-50 is sold in japan and it is one of my choices for the track. It is however synthetic..

Isn’t that a full synthetic bike oil???

Bike oils have additives for their transmissions, since the have a shared sump.

It’s also a bit expensive. I want something less than 2000 per liter, ideally.

Full synthetic oil yes, bike oil no.
i have been using it for years and i am pretty happy. Motul also makes bike oils but this is not it

since the market in Japan is different, and there is a cost limit, why dont you post your options instead? Otherwise people will just post stuff that are not available in japan or they might be too expensive for you

Ah, I found the version that isn’t bike oil. 3300 yen per liter is… a lot, but I’d still be saving money doing my own oil changes again.

I found three 15w50 or 20w50 mineral oil options on Amazon Japan:
Kiwami (Japanese house brand of some sort)
Gulf Blaze (Japan only product, apparently)
Valvoline (no idea about the quality)

They’re all roughly the same price: ~$140 per 20 liter pail ($35 per oil change).


I can find 10w50 Castrol Edge locally, but it’s a synthetic.

I've been using Amsoil fluids for years, and they have a 20/50 synthetic that is high zinc like the VR1. Luckily, the local Fairfax Auto Parts chain carries the stuff so its actually convenient.

I also use their 70/140 in the diff, and that ended the noise and weepage I was seeing on track, performs as normal.

I'm thinking of trying a mixing/disolution test on their pre-mix, because I'm all about fluids I don't have to order. EDIT: I see you're looking for non-synthetic, but I don't think that's an issue even with an OMP if you want to expand your search. ALSO, you can become an Amsoil dealer fairly easily, and that might facilitate getting it shipped to Japan.

For a race or heavy duty track car that is rotary powered, I'd consider Idemetsu racing oil. Not sure if it is mineral or synthetic. I thought that brand was popular in JP...

Turning off decel fuel cut helps to remedy this concern. Even something as archaic as an Apexi PFC can do that.

overlooked you were in Japan, every auto part store around me in TX carries VR1

fwiw I did a google search specific to JP and a bunch of pages came up, depending where specifially you are it may need to be shipped in

well best wishes

日本のどこに住んでいるんだ？

Somewhere near Ebisu

I don't think my wife wants me to turn our garage into a motor oil warehouse. Hahah. I might just go buy some Castrol Edge 10w50, since I can source it locally.

Ironically, Idemitsu Racing Oil is actually only sold in the US. Some people apparently import it, but it's too expensive for my taste. My friend runs an Idemitsu gas station, so I can see what they have.

My policy is to not fix what isn't broken. There's probably enough blowby to keep my rotors lubricated, anyway... Haha.

+1 I prefer this over the black bottle Synthetic. I change oil at such a short interval to limit fuel dilution, i just don't see the cost/value ratio of the full synthetic.

The conventional shown here has a slightly higher zddp over it's synthetic brother according to Valvoline. Which may or may not matter for how large our bearings are. High levels of Zddp in general do not sit well with cat converters either so that's something to think about. No cats needed here in florida...

-M

probably not selling much 20W50 near Ebisu 😂

seems like many motorcycle shops carry it there, saw a Harley shop in Shinjuku, but couldn’t locate it

british car specialty accessory shop in sumiyoshiのkoto-ku

XADO ƒnƒhƒDEƒnƒCƒŒƒ“ƒWSTDEƒIƒCƒ‹E20W-50@1000ml z•¨–û

Castrol(ƒJƒXƒgƒ[ƒ‹)EƒNƒ‰ƒVƒbƒNEƒIƒCƒ‹ XL 20W-50@5L

Castrol(ƒJƒXƒgƒ[ƒ‹)EƒNƒ‰ƒVƒbƒNEƒIƒCƒ‹ XL 20W-50@4.54L

maybe can’t pick up, but it appeared that they offer same day delivery


you can order Valvoline VR1 20W50 by the 12Qt. case from this oil distributor in Fuchu, looks like maybe you could pickup there if you wanted to go in person

https://www.oilstation.jp

東京オイル株式会社
+81 42-352-7931
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Jot5vstjoUaJHZg8

the fact they carry it there is kind of saying something imo ;)
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Seems like VR1 isn't too expensive, but I'm just going to buy a pail of generic 15w50 from Amazon. It's less than 1000 yen per liter, shipped. Now I can afford to change the oil three or four times more often.

Do you understand what the VR1 has as far as an additive package though? Having been directed to use it by a pro rotary race engine builder, and your intended use being a race car.

I’m not sure what specific oil you’re looking at in comparison though? I wasn’t looking at pails, thinking you weren’t wanting to go there.
.

Well, 12 quarts of VR1 is actually cheaper than 20L of the Kiwami oil I was looking at, so I guess I'll go with VR1...

If you can get over the purple marketing you can run royal purple. I run Royal Purple HPS.. the "HPS" has the extra zinc and other additives. Burns clean and not too expensive imo. 10w40 or get crazy and throw in one quart of 20w50 with the rest 10w40 or 10w30..make toyr own 15w40 or so.... All the HPS viscosities can mix with 0 issues. I spent a long time speaking with them about various things with burn in the rotary being of main concern.
I stuck a camera up the exhaust ports not long ago and the housings and rotors looked beautiful. That's with running after market seals also.

I Premix idemitsu.