Silkolene Comp 4 SX syn. oil

[OnTheEdge]

Anyone know anything about this oil? I can't seem to find Mobil 1 mx4t around my area and someone recommended Silkolene to me. Does anyone know how it matches up with mx4t or Amsoil MCF?

Thanks,

Duane

[mc1hd]

I have never used Silkolene but did try the Mobil 1 mx4t in a Ktm 525xc. I'm sure it was good oil for the crank, piston etc. but the transmission did not shift as well with it so I quit using it.

[642MX]

Silkolene is good oil. It exceeds the manufactures specs. Of course, everybody has a Walmart around and they always have Rotella.... ?

[rm125ridwe]

man rotalla cost to much these days like 2 years ago it was like $6.00. tractor supply store has some basic oil 15-40 oil probably repacked rotalla for like $8 a gallon

[642MX]

man rotalla cost to much these days like 2 years ago it was like $6.00. tractor supply store has some basic oil 15-40 oil probably repacked rotalla for like $8 a gallon

Yeah, any of the 15W40's will work, but I like my Rotella....lol. Rural King normally has it on sale every other month for about $8.99.... when they do, I buy a couple cases. Wally World has a good price too. ?

[grayracer513]

If you are curious, buy a couple of quarts, run it for two hours, and send it into Blackstone Labs for testing. Note in particular the tested viscosity at 200 degrees F. It will show tested and should be numbers. Be sure you take the sample before the next time the bike gets cold started, or you will contaminate the sample with fuel.

This is the primary issue with oils not formulated for use as transmission lubes; they shear down out of grade because the additive package isn't physically tough enough. Amsoil MCF/MCV and the Mobil 1 Racing 4T/V-Twin products do stand up to this, as do other oils. Rotella is not one of them, however. I ran some for an 1 1/2 hours of fast desert riding and it came back showing that it had tested as a 30wt. Since my races are 2-2.5 hours long or more, that won't quite get it for me.

[642MX]

Oh heck Gray, 30wt is plenty. My new truck calls for 0W20.... Seriously, there isn't much choice for Rekluse owners.... they tell us its best to run 15W40 dino.

[grayracer513]

So what if they tell you that?

As far as your truck is concerned, that's a plain bearing, low rpm. engine only application. It had no bearing on ball bearing engine/trans/clutch applications.

[642MX]

So what if they tell you that?

As far as your truck is concerned, that's a plain bearing, low rpm. engine only application. It had no bearing on ball bearing engine/trans/clutch applications.

According to them, the synthetics are too slick and cause fiber problems.... if I remember correctly, it had something to do with clamping force and too much slipping on take off. I fried a couple sets of fibers in my older z-start, called them and learned about the Rotella, switched to the Rotella and never had a issue after that. The oil I was running at the time was Motorex 10W50.

[642MX]

And for the truck, I still don't know about the 0W20... it has to be like water?...

[grayracer513]

And for the truck, I still don't know about the 0W20... it has to be like water?...

Literally like water at 70 degrees. That's what the 0 means. 20wt at 200 degrees isn't very thick either. But plain bearing engines benefit more from a high volume of oil than from thicker films, and good hydrodynamic separation is much easier to achieve this way with plain bearing engines. Ball bearings are better off with a more viscous lubricant.

According to them, the synthetics are too slick and cause fiber problems.... if I remember correctly, it had something to do with clamping force and too much slipping on take off. I fried a couple sets of fibers in my older z-start, called them and learned about the Rotella, switched to the Rotella and never had a issue after that. The oil I was running at the time was Motorex 10W50.

Synthetics are no slicker than dino oils unless they contain friction modifiers. They can be better at preventing wear caused by the oil film failing to separate moving parts, but if you are going to suggest that that happens in your clutch, I have to wonder what's going on elsewhere in the engine. It seems to me that any oil in compliance with JASO MA could be used successfully with any clutch setup. I've certainly had a total lack of any clutch problem with any of my YZF's.

[642MX]

I was kind of concerned going from the synthetic to a non synthetic, but the guys at Rekluse assured me that it would be okay.... now, I haven't checked with Rekluse in some time about oil recommendations, but maybe synthetics can be ran with the new Pro version... I don't know?

I've got another oil question.... why does Mercruiser recommend a 25W40 for my Vortec boat engine?.... Some of my friends run 10W40 in their boats, but they all call for 25W40. Any reason to run that thick of an oil?

[grayracer513]

I've got another oil question.... why does Mercruiser recommend a 25W40 for my Vortec boat engine?.... Some of my friends run 10W40 in their boats, but they all call for 25W40. Any reason to run that thick of an oil?

25w-40 and 10w-40, and for that matter, 5w or 0w, or any other w-40 are all the same as straight 40wt at operating temperatures. The difference between 25w-40 and 10w-40 is in how viscous they are at 70 degrees or colder only.

[642MX]

25w-40 and 10w-40, and for that matter, 5w or 0w, or any other w-40 are all the same as straight 40wt at operating temperatures. The difference between 25w-40 and 10w-40 is in how viscous they are at 70 degrees or colder only.

So on cool mornings when I start the boat, the 25W is probably not the best stuff? The 10W would be better. Last year we had the boat in the water when the high temp only reached 65. Of course, it doesn't rattle or anything on start up, so I guess its okay with the 25W....

[grayracer513]

20W-(*) oils are recommended down to 40 degrees ambient temps. If you don't just fire it up and dash, it's actually OK to 30 or lower.