Oil - who is using what

What do you use?

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WDD

WDD

Final Approach
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Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
Not wanting to start / re start a range war, just curious on what is being used.

And……
Why does Shell call it “100” when it is 50 weight? That shouldn’t be allowed……..:cool:
 
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Neither. Phillips 20W50.
 
The Victory or XC version?
 
Blue bottles for the past 20 years.
 
Was using Shell for years,changed over to Philips 20/50 xc. Saved some money and my mechanics preferred it
 
According to Lycoming I am married to aeroshell 15w50. I even used it for break in.
 
Phillips 20w50 XC with Camguard. If my airplane sat unused for more than a week or two between flights, I would consider straight weight 40 or 50. But it doesn't.
 
Gary Ward said:
According to Lycoming I am married to aeroshell 15w50. I even used it for break in.
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Victory or any of the AeroShell “plus” oils should be acceptable for the 76 series Lycomings. But if you’re happy with 15w50 I see no reason to change.
 
Looks like a strong preference for Phillips over Shell.
 
Aeroshell 15w50
But giving Victory a try during the summer months last year, and this year.
Apparently thicker than Aeroshell when cold.

ETA: I did notice also that my oil pressure is higher right after starting when using Victory. It's the old original gauge so can't give specific numbers, but it's past the green more than it ever was. Not into the red yet.
Also feel like I have to add oil a little quicker when running the Victory. This could be due to having a couple small leaks, and the higher pressure when cold could contribute to that.
If that's the case, (no pun intended) it would lessen the Delta in cost savings just a bit. Or it could just burn a little quicker. I'm not sure what chemicals could/would be different between the two.
 
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WDD said:
Why does Shell call it “100” when it is 50 weight?
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I believe that's an older system of measuring viscosity. My dad has a Ford model A, which calls for "300" weight oil for the differential. Actually looking at the bottle, it's 150wt gear oil, only slightly heavier than what we use in modern axles.
 
WDD said:
Not wanting to start / re start a range war, just curious on what is being used.

And……
Why does Shell call it “100” when it is 50 weight? That shouldn’t be allowed……..:cool:
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Single weight aviation oils always used double the SAE weight numbers. For some reason, they didn't follow that standard on the multi viscosity stuff. Go figure.

In addition, just to be confusing, the W in the single weight refers to having the AD in it, where the W in the multigrade indicates the "winter" rating.
 
XC 20-50 + CamGuard in my O360. The CG eases my worries a bit if the plane doesn’t fly for a few weeks.
 
flyingron said:
In addition, just to be confusing, the W in the single weight refers to having the AD in it, where the W in the multigrade indicates the "winter" rating.
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Mission accomplished
 
Jim K said:
I believe that's an older system of measuring viscosity. My dad has a Ford model A, which calls for "300" weight oil for the differential. Actually looking at the bottle, it's 150wt gear oil, only slightly heavier than what we use in modern axles.
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And gear oil numbers are different than engine oil numbers.

IIRC 80 weight gear oil is about the same viscosity at 30 weight engine oil.
 
Phillips XC 20W50. No real need for multi vis here in Florida, but the Phillips is consistently cheaper than Shell. I’d be fine with Shell 100 if they had the best price.
 
Aeroshell 15W50. No reason to change since that's what I did with my last engine except for a brief period when I used Exxon Elite. I add CamGuard as well. I'm 400 hours into a new engine and it is squeaky clean. I suppose I could use Philips 20W50, but it gets really cold here in Central NY, so a little broader viscosity probably doesn't hurt. In my AA-1A I used single-weights, but it was too much of a pain to switch oils with the seasons, and really difficult to manage in the transitional seasons.
 
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Shell 15w50 Dad switched to Phillips and had almost 2 cases left over.
 
Jim K said:
I believe that's an older system of measuring viscosity. My dad has a Ford model A, which calls for "300" weight oil for the differential. Actually looking at the bottle, it's 150wt gear oil, only slightly heavier than what we use in modern axles.
Click to expand...
Gearbox on my shear built in 1947 calls for acidless tallow. I use Mobil gear 600 xp460. That stuffs like Elmer's glue when it's cold.
 
I use peanut oil when frying turkeys but in my Husky I use W100. That's what it ran the first 520 hours of it's life so I've stuck with it. That said, Ive only flew it 10 hours in the first month of ownership. Funny thing is I used it in the 182 that I just sold so I still had some in the hangar. I think frequency of changing is the most important thing. I don't think any of the modern oils are bad.
 
saddletramp said:
I think frequency of changing is the most important thing.
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I think frequency of flying is the most important thing.

These slow turning, high clearance engines could probably survive on anything that's sufficiently thick to maintain oil pressure if they're flown regularly.

saddletramp said:
I use peanut oil when frying turkeys
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I exclusively use coconut oil for my popcorn.
 
chemgeek said:
but it gets really cold here in Central NY, so a little broader viscosity probably doesn't hurt.
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Maybe an engine pre-heater?

I have just an oil sump pad and an padded cowl cover. When I start, my oil temp is normally around 80F.
 
Aeroshell for me.

As in, Aeroshell Sport Plus Four, three liters changed every 100 hours, just like the book says.
 
Pinecone said:
Maybe an engine pre-heater?

I have just an oil sump pad and an padded cowl cover. When I start, my oil temp is normally around 80F.
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I preheat the whole engine if it is below 32F. Otherwise, multiweight oil for our changeable seasons.
 
WDD said:
The Victory or XC version?
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I learned today that the Phillips Victory oil is not recommended for Continental engines. Something about the Lycoming additive having an adverse effect on the starter adapters.
 
LesGawlik said:
I learned today that the Phillips Victory oil is not recommended for Continental engines. Something about the Lycoming additive having an adverse effect on the starter adapters.
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It carries the same risks that using AeroShell “plus” oils in a Continental with a friction drive starter adapter does. In those applications it is probably best to steer clear of any oil that has the Lycoming antiwear additive in it and use Camguard if extra protection is desired.
 
GMascelli said:
Phillips X/C 20W50 and CamGuard. Im
Thinking of switching to the Victory 20/50 since it has the additives in it.
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It's not the same additive. Victory has an anti-wear additive, whereas CamGuard is an anti-corrosive. For folks like me whose plane may occasionally sit unflown for a while, I think CamGuard is a better choice. If you're flying a lot, anti-wear might be more important to you.
 
I would've expected a more even split between Shell and Phillips.
I'm in the 15W50 camp, just because that's what was in the plane when I bought it. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
Have planes that use both Phillips and AS, and all make over TBO. However my primary favorite is AS15w50.
 
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