Testing Motul Synthetic

[alquimista]

I tested Motul 5,100 on a Honda XRE 300, and results were evident; better motor response.
 
Today, at 19,500, I changed spark plugs and oil in my FJ. New oil is Motul 7,100 full Synthetic, instead of Yamalub. Indeed better... Motor more responsive, softer gear change, and much smoother motor (slight vibrations, mostly reduced).
 
 

[betoney]

Interesting results. I have always used a synthetic blend or semi-synthetic (Yamalube), is full synthetic really that much better? smoother?
 
I DON'T want to start an oil thread, but if a full synthetic is that much better, it might be worthwhile knowing about.

[alquimista]

Interesting results. I have always used a synthetic blend or semi-synthetic (Yamalube), is full synthetic really that much better? smoother? 
I DON'T want to start an oil thread, but if a full synthetic is that much better, it might be worthwhile knowing about.

 
 
Users guide says this bike should use yamalub semi-synthetic. Yet I have tested mineral, semi and full synthetic of 3 brands including yamalub, and best for me has been Motul syn.
 
Yamalub is not the best quality oil....

[pierreroyoidtimer]

How much you paid for a liter of Motul synthetic? I just bought Rotella T6 5-40 for $25usd for a 5 liters jug...

[micah2074]

When you say “test”, is there a lab involved? Or are you basing this thread on how you feel the different oils perfom in the bike?

[piotrek]

I use the 7100 10w40 in my bike. Shifting did become smoother since the switch from semi-synthetic (5100), but for all I know any full synthetic could have made a difference. Probably no more special than other quality oils out there. It works well with the bike, so for sake of consistency... sticking with it. Kinda looks like ATF...
 

 
 

[adjuster]

Good point on the various oils.
Any Ester based full synthetic oil is generally going to be very resistant to heat, breaking down and should have a quality additive package that will limit wear, while controlling soot and carbon deposits. (Red Line for example, or the 7100 Motul in this thread.)
 
Most "common" synthetics or even billed as "full" synthetics have less than quality base stocks. The better ones use oil from natural gas, it's a very stable form of base stock.
 
I would avoid any expensive oils that are "blended" synthetics, since they are expensive for what they offer.
 
Shell Rotella T Synthetic has proven to be a good performer for the money. Some of the extended Mobil 1 oils are also fairly good base stocks, but not all that are billed as full synthetic use real synthetic base stocks. (Check out Bob is the oil guy dot com for all this stuff on oils, it's an oil geeks wet dream.)
 
I've run RedLine both 100% and my own "blend" of One quart of RedLine with 3 quarts of either Mobil 1, or another quality synthetic that was better priced than the 12.00 per quart they want for RedLine.
 
One of the interesting details about a full true ester based oil is that they really don't wear out. The additives can become depleted, but if you add more to the mix, you can run an Ester based oil for nearly ever, as long as you remove the water, and filter it correctly.
 
The key there is using a reputable lab to test your oil every 6 months, and then have the ability to add zinc and other additives to the oil so it maintains the engine and bearings correctly.
 
In our bikes, using spin on filters? That's going to be hard to do. And adding a bypass filter to really clean the oil is not easy, as you'd have to mount it somewhere, and plumb the system etc. The upside is there are some really good spin on filter media options, just not from Yamaha. Purolator BOSS, some others are pretty good. Look for a depth media v/s paper and get the oil tested if you try this out. I'm just a dude on the net, so don't listen to me and any damage to your engine from my advice is your own risk.
 
One more key point, bring the bike up to full operating temp whenever you possibly can. Short trips, or starting it for a few moments and then shutting it down is pretty hard on oil. It is true that any engine has condensation that is mixed with the oil. Depending on where you live, it can be a significant amount of water in the oil, and you need to bring that oil temp up to the boiling point of water to remove it effectively. The vapor/steam is sucked off into the air box, and burned in the engine and goes out the exhaust. No problem, the PCV is designed to do just that, and vent blow-by materials as well. (Unburned hydrocarbons from fuel and oil for example.)
 
The engine needs to be hot enough to allow these vapors to be drawn off and burned by the combustion cycle. If they don't get burned off, the oil can become diluted by fuel, and contaminated by water. As you might expect, that causes wear, oxidation etc.
 
It would be interesting to see if using this Motul oil improves fuel economy in any way? It's a 20/50 rated oil, so I'd think it might actually lower economy in favor of better engine wear protection. (Takes more energy to pump the higher viscosity rated oils, but they do provide better wear protection, especially on highly stressed engines like the CP3 design.)

[vijay]

FWIW: On the Ford Edge Facebook Site, the guy who runs it: Bill Tramel (I believe his name is) has had his oil analyzed by blackstone every few thousand miles over all his Ford Edges'. He changes oil and gets the results from Blackstone. Very informative if you are interested in seeing his spreadsheet of results. Using everything from Walmart's own, to Rotella to Mobile One to Redline ... and everything in between. Go to his facebook page and search for his file on videos on Oil.
 
Assuming anyone is interested. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MACTFORDEDG
 
I recognize his is auto and not JASO-MA oil but is very interesting indeed.
 

[DavidS]

My theory is that most of the oil products mentioned in this thread will work fine with the FJ-09. The bigger issue is the deterioration of the oil over time, and that is based on service time and how hard each of us push our bikes.
 
I have used Rotella T6 since the first oil change in my bike, and I rarely go more than 3K miles before changing the oil. I'm sure someone will say I'm wasting my money, but I like tinkering anyway, and the bike always feels better running on fresh oil. I also change the oil filter at the same time, with every oil change.

[kingofthenorth]

Thinking about switching to full syn. oil.
Rotella seems a good option for the price (133$ cad for 18.9L, about 20$/oil change) which grade are you running?
Same filter? (I use k&n)

[koth442]

Rotella T6 is a great oil, but I really love Mobil 1 5w-40.

[alquimista]

Thinking about switching to full syn. oil. Rotella seems a good option for the price (133$ cad for 18.9L, about 20$/oil change) which grade are you running?
Same filter? (I use k&n)

 
 
20w50
 
And, stock oil filter

[roadrash83]

I have been running Mobil 1 in everything I own from lawn mower to motorhome for years. I have been able to buy Mobil 1 bike oil as low as $5.99 a quart if I keep my eyes open. I am more concerned about the quality of oil filters available for the bikes!