Valvoline VR-1 racing oil for $1/qt!!

[63 R2 Hawk]

I was at my local Auto Zone looking for something else and decided it would be a good idea to pick up some Valvoline VR-1 racing oil, one of the few selections that still has ZDDP. I looked on the shelf and none there so I asked the manager and he told me they weren't going to sell it anymore. He had 2 six pack cases of straight 50W and said I could have it for $1/qt. No brainer decision, even though I'd prefer 10W-40. Should be OK to run in summer so I bought 12 qts. Anybody know if there's an additive to safely reduce viscosity, or do I even need to worry about 50W? Years ago I used to use Rislone to lower viscosity, but it looks like it's not the same product I bought 40 years ago....

[BobPalma]

I was at my local Auto Zone looking for something else and decided it would be a good idea to pick up some Valvoline VR-1 racing oil, one of the few selections that still has ZDDP. I looked on the shelf and none there so I asked the manager and he told me they weren't going to sell it anymore. He had 2 six pack cases of straight 50W and said I could have it for $1/qt. No brainer decision, even though I'd prefer 10W-40. Should be OK to run in summer so I bought 12 qts. Anybody know if there's an additive to safely reduce viscosity, or do I even need to worry about 50W? Years ago I used to use Rislone to lower viscosity, but it looks like it's not the same product I bought 40 years ago....

Gosh, Ed; I'd be leery of running straight 50-Weight, not that it wasn't worth buying.

Do you have some VR-1 10-30 you could "cut" it with. Perhaps half & half? BP

[jclary]

I agree with Bob. I'm not sure of your region, and what auto parts resources you have, but I would look into finding another store as a possible source. If you had a good warm engine, the oil might flow OK, but I'd be leery of using it in anything but very warm weather. My concern would be, with a cold engine, having the oil return properly through the return orifices. Also, the geared oil pumps are positive displacement pumps, so I'm wondering if there are areas where increased pressure (due to thick cold oil) could cause gaskets/seals, etc. to be distorted or displaced. (and I don't know this for a fact)

I use 40 wt in a very tired engine, but don't know if I'd go much higher. I'm a believer in the VR1 oils and use them exclusively in my older engines. I had a Valvoline engineer caution me about trying higher viscosities in modern engines like the V6 in my Nissan truck. He said the small return openings couldn't handle the flow. Something to ponder.

[TWChamp]

I agree about not using it in the car, and would use it in the lawn mower. My 1960 Parilla 350 calls for 50 weight, but it was always hard to find. There are uses for it and I'll have to check my local Autozone.

[Jessie J.]

Motor oils do mix ....and will work fine.
My experience. The 4.8 in my 2004 GMC Savana van normally receives a 10w30 oil change every 10k miles, or once a year.
Expressway driving regularly required the addition of two or three quarts of 10w30 between oil changes.
One time when it had became a quart low, as an experiment, I topped it up with a single quart of Mobile 1 full synthetic 15w50.
Oil pressure increased by 10lbs returning to 'as new' level, and consumption was reduced to the addition of a single quart of Mobile 1 15w50 as needed following each oil change.
Have been doing this for the last five years and today, with over 534,000 miles the engine runs cooler and quieter than it did a decade ago.
A cheap Wally-World oil-change, and a single quart of 15w50 and I am set for the year.

[jclary]

Jessie...that's a great testimony to some of us who are rather finicky about oil changing. I thought I was pushing the envelope by only changing every 5000 miles in our Dodge Ram and Camry. We've come a long way since my dad was changing oil in his '40 Chevy every 1000 miles.

[Jessie J.]

Advisable oil change intervals depend more on the -type- of driving one does rather simply miles or months. Most of the miles on my van accumulated in extended freeway jaunts of hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles a week.
More 'sedentary' uses, like 'running around town' or driving 5 miles to the market weekly, would certainly demand much more frequent oil change intervals.
My post was more concerned with the acceptability of mixing various weights and grades of oil to get the best results for individual circumstances and preferences.

[JoeHall]

The 50 wt would OK for an older Harley, if you know anyone who has one. Too thick for a Stude though, unless you use it between April and October in the Desert Southwest.

As for mixing oils, it will "stir up" when the motor is running, but will separate into layers if let sit a day or so. That is easy to observe in a tall glass, but you need, at least slightly, different colored oils to see the layers clearly. Looks like mixing oils is not a problem though, at least not for Jesse J. I have done it, but not regularly, or systematically; usually out of convenience or laziness, e.g. to top up, when the right stuff is not handy.