mrpete64 said:
Mobil 1 makes, I think, a 10-50 oil. Is this ok to use in my ES?
Mr. Pete-------->
aging hippie
According to Mobil, they don't offer a 10-50. They have so many versions of Mobil1 oil that we can not tell which one you are asking about. Here is the Mobil page which shows the oils they offer, and each will link to the weights:
https://mobiloil.com/en/motor-oils/mobil-1?WT.mc_id=cpc_Mobil1_Google_MobilOne&WT.srch=1
The automotive SL/SJ 15-50 is available at almost any car parts store or Walmart and has been widely used for a long time in motorcycles without problems. My guess is that this is the one you are asking about, because it is the most common on available. It is not optimal but works fine.
The reason the SL/SJ oils are not optimal is the additive package. The three additives to note are molybdenum, zinc, and phosphorus. Moly is flat bad for clutches and all of the Mobil1 oils do have a small amount. It's not that Mobil as a company is too cheap to pay to put the MA standard on the bottle, they actually do not meet the friction test, so do not meet a requirement for MA cert. Fortunately for us, unless you are off-road a lot or drag racing, you'll probably never stress your clutch as much as the oil test would.
The phosphorous and zinc are added for wear, but also relate to clutch performance, highly loaded motorcycle transmission gear sets over time breaking down the oil shear properties, and cylinder deposits. Higher amounts also can relate to the performance and life of catalytic converters, so about 5 years ago the EPA called for a slight reduction in the max allowable phosphorous. In the 15-50 the amounts are optimized for auto use, What Mobil says about using their 15-50 in motorcycles is:
It's a little hard to generalize about the difference between Mobil 1 passenger-car motor oils andMobil 1™ motorcycle oils. That's because not all viscosities of Mobil 1 passenger-car oils have the same levels of zinc and phosphorus, and there are even greater differences between the two Mobil 1 motorcycle oils.
• In general, Mobil 1 motorcycle oils have additive packages balanced differently for motorcycle engine and transmission operation. • For passenger vehicles, fuel economy and emission system protection are higher priorities. These require low phosphorus systems and the use of friction modifiers. • Motorcycle oils do not require friction modifiers for fuel economy and for better clutch friction less/no friction modifier is optimum. • Motorcycle oils allow the use of higher levels of anti-wear additives such as ZDDP (phosphorous).In addition to the overall benefits listed above – specifically, high-temperature stability and low volatility/low oil consumption – Mobil 1 synthetic motorcycle oils also offer superior anti-corrosion performance compared to conventional motor oil, which is important in many parts of the country where bikes may sit in garages for several months of the year. Compared to conventional oils, Mobil 1 motorcycle oils provide superior wear and high-temperature protection, and promote engine cleanliness and lower oil consumption. Once you get beyond these general advantages, you have to consider individual motorcycle oils to understand the benefits of each.
Mobil 1 Racing™ 4T 10W-40 is designed for sport bikes. Most of these bikes have multicylinder/multivalve engines and use a common sump, which means the engine oil lubricates the engine, transmission and wet clutch. So unlike Mobil 1 for cars, Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 motor oil has no friction modifiers, which could lead to clutch slippage. The motorcycle oil also has more phosphorus/zinc for enhanced wear protection at high engine speeds and high loads. In addition, Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 has a high performance dispersant/detergent technology for better high-temperature performance and engine cleanliness. Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 is also offered in a different viscosity grade than Mobil 1 for passenger cars.
Mobil 1™ V-Twin 20W-50 fully synthetic motor oil is designed for air-cooled, large-displacement bikes. Because of their design, these engines can generate very high localized oil temperatures and high overall bulk-oil temperatures. As you know, a typical air-cooled V-twin's rear cylinder gets a lot hotter than the front cylinder – it's a matter of airflow. When it's hot out and you're stuck in traffic, the oil temperature in your bike climbs rapidly. Above about 250 Fahrenheit, conventional motor oil is going to break down. Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 fully synthetic motor oil is good to above 300 Fahrenheit. Like Mobil 1 Racing™ 4T 10W-40, Mobil 1 V-Twin has high levels of phosphorus/zinc and the same high-temperature detergent technology for superior wear protection and engine cleanliness, even at elevated oil temperatures. With Mobil 1 V-Twin oil, you can go the full length of the manufacturer's recommended oil change intervals with ease.
What Mobil doesn't say is that after the EPA mandated a reduction in phosphorous, MCN tests found that the motorcycle oils now are only about 15% more phosphorus and 6% more zinc. For a normal owner of a water cooled m/c engine which is not red-lined at high rpm, who changes oil regularly, and is not going to own the bike for 500,000 miles, you will be fine with the 15-50.
For a LOT more info and an excellent resource: http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html
