Zinc Additives by the Bottle?

[Jay Laifman]

I've seen all the threads on how the oils I can buy at Pep Boys do not have the zinc and phosphorus additives that help our engines last. For a while I was buying Brad Penn. But, it's a huge pain to drive all the way out to the one guy who carries it anywhere near me. And, it's expensive.

Pep Boys does however sell various bottles of additives you can pour in with your Castrol GTX or whatever. I searched for posts about whether that is a good solution, or half a solution, or useless waste of money. But I couldn't find anything. (which could just be a reflection of my searching abilities).

So, I'm inquiring on a thread focused on the additives.

[RSTarga]

Just use Mobil 1 15-50, plenty of ZDDP and is available everywhere. I would not use any additives in the oil. They spend a lot on research to know how much and what to add at the oil companies.

[Jay Laifman]

Oh, but now you are throwing the synthetic issue into the mix. I was just trying to focus on dino with pouring in the extra stuff. Your point on ratios is well taken.

[Flieger]

You should try to find an oil from the pelican ultimate oil thread that is easier or cheaper for you to get and has the proper amounts of zinc already. A type of Shell Rotella, Valvoline VR-1, etc. Castrol GTX (high mileage 20W50 at least) has adequate Zn and P but the oil base is not as good as the others (thins out after not as many miles) and the high amounts of detergents actually "clean" the ZDDP right off the metal surfaces.

[beh911]

I have purchased brad penn off amazon before and want to say the price per quart + shipping (maybe free shipping?) was on par with the price per quart of the usual suspects at the local auto parts store

[Troos]

I had been using Brad Penn faithfully with my 356's, but with the acquisition of my '73 T I transitioned to Rotella T15-40. I can buy it almost anywhere, and it has all the ZDDP anyone needs. Being able to buy it anywhere is really comforting.

[Chris Pomares]

Dean who built my POLO engine is a Valvoline VR-1 guy. I tried Brad Penn and my engine ran 10 to 15 degrees hotter. I talked to Charles Navarro and he explained why but I have since forgotten. But he said it has all the good stuff in there. I have historically been a Mobil 1 guy (15-50) with plenty of ZDDP as RSTarga said. I used to rep Mobil products. Charles said if I gotta have Mobil 1 then buy 20-50 Mobil 1 air cooled motorcycle oil. He is now promoting a synthetic product. My guess is if you use any of the oils mentioned on this thread and change your oil often you'll be fine. Sometimes I think I'm a little too paranoid about this stuff. But then maybe not. But then ....

[RSTarga]

Although I recommended Mobil 1 15-50 my comment on no additional additives stays the same. You don't need them.
Oil seems to be such a sensitive subject, but it shouldn't be there are a lot of good oils out there and maybe Brad Penn is good, but it is no longer the Kendall of old straight pennsylvania crude. Which is why Kendall was so good.
If Mobil is good enough for Porsche and Mercedes, why am I going to experiment?

[tomkirkcis]

GM OES is a great supplemental source of ZDDP. I use Rotela diesel rated oil with a boost of OES. Maybe not the most cutting edge solution but I do think it is an effective combination.

[gsjohnson]

+1 on Brad Penn