42 replies to this topic

[classicminidriver]

I use Halfords own 20w/50 apparently it was recommended by one of the Mini mags :)


Look it even has a mini on the front...lol


http://www.halfords....catalogId=10151

Edited by classicminidriver, 23 March 2013 - 06:56 PM.

[Dan]

Halfords Classic 20 50 is Comma 20 50.

[mingy]

I was going to use CTV but the chap who has rebuilt my engine said i should use Valvoline Racing 20/50 with an additive that i can only assume is zddp based after i have used running in oil for the first 200 miles or so.

Any thoughts peeps ?

give me a shout if you want any.

After reading through the replies i think i will go against Valvoline and get some CTV. Do you mean you supply CTV or Valvoline?. I will also be changing the oil on a regular basis as after spending a fortune on a total engine / gearbox rebuild and a head modification i would like to keep it in tip top condition.

[classicminidriver]

Halfords Classic 20 50 is Comma 20 50.

is that bad or good?

[Dan]

Regarding oil, there is only one Company who has actually developed two oils specifically for the classic Mini and it's Millers.

And if you use it then the second gear synchro will still wear out long before the rest of the gearbox because it's an inherent weakness of the design. In all the years the Mini was in production, being sold and serviced and warranty repaired by many different companies all over the world, none of them endorsed the Millers M range of oils. They probably do benefit the gearbox to some extent but when the gearbox has been designed to use engine oil, you don't really need to design a special hybrid oil for it.

is that bad or good?

Neither really.

[classicminidriver]

This stuff...got a mini on it too!

[Sfuller1275gt]

So just to clear it up then any of the oils mentioned will be fine to use as long as its changed regular

[Dan]

Yes. People will disagree and have their own opinion and it will go on for pages and pages (which is why oil threads were banned for a long time). But in short for a new-ish engine a decent quality 10W 40 is good. As they get older they benefit from changing to a 20W 50. All oils will give different results but as long as it's good quality and changed regularly, and good filters are used, it won't seriously reduce the life of the engine. The actual original design life of an A series is only around 80,000 miles anyhow.

[ANON]

I was going to use CTV but the chap who has rebuilt my engine said i should use Valvoline Racing 20/50 with an additive that i can only assume is zddp based after i have used running in oil for the first 200 miles or so.

Any thoughts peeps ?

give me a shout if you want any.

After reading through the replies i think i will go against Valvoline and get some CTV. Do you mean you supply CTV or Valvoline?. I will also be changing the oil on a regular basis as after spending a fortune on a total engine / gearbox rebuild and a head modification i would like to keep it in tip top condition.

valvoline, unusual to go against the oil your engine builder recommended though? does he offer a warranty on his work

Edited by ANON, 23 March 2013 - 08:00 PM.

[Sfuller1275gt]

Thanks for that dan much appreciated

[classicminidriver]

The actual original design life of an A series is only around 80,000 miles anyhow.

But they last longer than that these days as the oil is better...yes or no??

[mingy]

I was going to use CTV but the chap who has rebuilt my engine said i should use Valvoline Racing 20/50 with an additive that i can only assume is zddp based after i have used running in oil for the first 200 miles or so.

Any thoughts peeps ?

give me a shout if you want any.

After reading through the replies i think i will go against Valvoline and get some CTV. Do you mean you supply CTV or Valvoline?. I will also be changing the oil on a regular basis as after spending a fortune on a total engine / gearbox rebuild and a head modification i would like to keep it in tip top condition.

valvoline, unusual to go against the oil your engine builder recommended though? does he offer a warranty on his work

I have not asked him about a warranty as he came highly recommended by numerous people in the rally and stock car business, but a chap i have got to know who rallies a MK1 mini said he had just changed to CTV and it seems alot better then Valvoline and he gets his engines maintained every year by MED.

[Dan]

But they last longer than that these days as the oil is better...yes or no??

Mainly because the machining is better and the materials and heat treatments are different and thing like that. Piston and cam follower design have changed a lot. And because these engines aren't made on old fashioned production lines any more but mostly by dedicated engineers who have done a lot of development work on A series engines. All that goes hand in hand with a better oil. But how do you define a better oil? The early responses to this thread say to use a multi grade mineral oil rich in ZDDP and low in detergent. So in essence a 1960s oil, not modernised and no better than they were in the past but there are people who are determined to stick to that technology. Despite the toxicity of it. As I said, it's a personal thing, different people like different oils and you can't convince them otherwise so why try? There are still people out there who say synthetics are terrible for Minis when it's more or less been proven that some of them are excellent. Calver says Torco oils will reduce running temperatures by at least 6 degrees with no other changes to the engine at all. But it's still not very popular stuff. Just use good quality stuff of an appropriate grade and it will be fine.

Edited by Dan, 23 March 2013 - 08:23 PM.

[Mrpeanut]

In the 18 months I've had my mini I've changed the oil 3 times. I've used valvoline, halfords and more recently Morris golden film. All 20/50

I can't tell any difference between them in performance or gearchange. I'm with dan on this, just use something half decent and change it often.

[jaydee]

This stuff...got a mini on it too!

OMG thats really a bad oil.....