Aircooled VW South Africa

The problem isnt finding a good oil to use on a daily driver - I use GTX diesel and am happy with it.
The problem is finding an oil that has the correct additives for us guys who have high powered engines with valve spring pressure up to 3 or 4 times more than stock. ZDDP is an additive that is required in the instanced and while all oil has it, the greenies are demanding the removal as new engines dont need such additives (not in the levels we do).
Yes, there are still oil out there with the levels that we need, but Mobil is the only company who has released their ZDDP levels to the public, which doesnt help us because Mobil doesnt sell the oils we need in SA. Trust me, I have tried plenty times. Go into any Mobil agent and ask for Mobil-1 15W50. The first thing most of them tell you is that there is no such oil and then when you insist, they contact their supplier, then take your phone number and never call back.

This is one of the topics I keep coming back to and trying to do more research on when I get the time.

Yet another update on this topic.

I just had a oil sample done for work and got an interesting result.
The current batch of Shell Rimula R4X 15W40 has a ZDDP level of pretty close to 1250ppm. This is pretty much spot on with what we need for our engines.

Tony Z wrote:Yet another update on this topic.

I just had a oil sample done for work and got an interesting result.
The current batch of Shell Rimula R4X 15W40 has a ZDDP level of pretty close to 1250ppm. This is pretty much spot on with what we need for our engines.

So would this be the best oil to use in a standard vw beetle engine?

I think it is one of the better options

Hi Tony how difficult is it to get hold of in SA? Which place can I find it?

Thanks

I thought it would be one of the easier ones to get being that Caterpillar specs it for their current engines.
I wont know until I get home and look for some.

I will have a look around but don't recall ever seeing it around here.

I recently saw a brochure for this oil at my local Porsche dealer, so believe it should be available locally.

The oil was specifically formulated for aircooled Porsche engines, so might be interesting to see the chemical specification, and most importantly, the price!

Part number for a 5L can is 00004320929.

Could be worth a look...

That'll definitely look good on a shelf!
Correct me if I am wrong, but other than the 914, all Porsches had OHC's and thus dont need the protection we need. So in fact, this might be the wrong oil to use?
I have searched online and cant find a ZDDP number. But I did find a couple of threads where people are saying that this is just re-branded Mobil 1 - could it be?

fourier wrote:I recently saw a brochure for this oil at my local Porsche dealer

you make it sound like they are on every corner or just down the road

I spotted this on the LN Engineering website:

Here are the running averages for all the oils tested thus far, listed by their API rating:
API P (ppm) Zn (ppm) B (ppm) Mo (ppm) Ca (ppm) Mg (ppm) Na (ppm) Total Detergents
SE-SJ 1301 1280 151 357 1936 293 214 2443
CI-4 1150 1374 83 80 2642 199 2840
SL 994 1182 133 273 2347 109 22 2479
CJ-4 819 1014 26 2075 7 2082
SM 770 939 127 122 2135 13 139 2287
I do not recommend the use of any SM or CJ-4 (or later specification) motor oils in any aircooled Porsche,

The 365 and 912 cars also had pushrods.

Interesting stuff there Tony! Could you find the API index of this specific oil?

According to the brochure, the oil was also developed for the 356, which had a similar cam, lifter, pushrods arrangement as the aircooled VW. 911's had the OHC arrangement you are referring to.

OK... proven wrong. Thanks guys.
I cant find anything regarding an API spec. The pics of the cans dont have anything on them indicating that it is tested and/or conforms to any regulations.
Maybe your local Porsche dealer can provide more info

....OK, I'll go check if they can provide more info!

Don't think it can be re-branded Mobil 1. This oil is mineral based, whereas Mobil 1 is fully synthetic.

Here is a bit of info I came across:

"Porsche Classic's response to the need for a modern engine oil suitable for classic air-cooled engines. This oil is designed to meet the lubrication needs of a flat engine, the viscosity needs of a low-pressure oiling system, and the anti-corrosive needs of engines that are used only occasionally.
The Porsche Classic 20W-50 is a mineral oil known as a hydrocracked base oil with mildly alloyed additives. Hydrocracked base oils are characterized by a very low level of contaminants, a very low sulphur content and very good oxidation and ageing stability, which prevents deposits, for example. At the same time, the Porsche Classic Motor Oil 20W-50 has an extremely high HTHS viscosity (High Temperature, High Shear), which describes the quality of the engine oil at high temperatures (150 °C) in the lubricating gap and with high shear rate (engine speeds). Finally, the excellent shear stability ensures that the optimum lubricating properties are reliably retained at high engine temperatures, even after long periods of operation and under high loads."

In a nutshell: low levels of deposits (at both hot and cold temperatures), optimum care for classic engines and excellent compatibility with the special materials found in these engines such as cork seals or leaded bearing shells.

Also remember that the filterless type 1 engine's oil is kept clean and fresh by replacing it at a maximum interval of 2500 km's. Two oil changes can be had from a 5L container. (Beetle takes 2.5L). Linkpin/kingpin suspensions have to be greased at 2500km intervals as well. Valve clearances adjusted at 10 000km intervals.