Donny on Oil - Harley Forum

Wrightturn · #1 08-12-2008, 03:41 PM

While this was several years ago it still seems relevant. This is an Amsoil website but it contains the three part article on oil.www.pecuniary.com/newsletters/americaniron.html -

#2 08-12-2008, 10:31 PM

That was really interesting...Thanks, Clif

BluesFan · #3 08-14-2008, 11:23 AM

OK, I read all of that.

And the HD rebuttal.

Now, who has the ExxonMobil rebuttal of the rebuttal?

Wrightturn · #4 08-14-2008, 12:12 PM

Hey Blues,

I am sure I have it somewhere. Most likely filed it with 89 different 9mm vs 45.
This was before HD had a synthetic and all synthetics were evil. Amazing how things change when they have something to sell. At least Donny sent the stuff out for analysis. And now the correct additive package is....????

Did we do detergent vs nondetergent so we can bring back Aeroshell. Since Castrol R vegetable is neither synthetic or mineral and cost $17.00 qt. surely it must be the best ?

OK
1. Synthetic in the engine, automotive or cycle
2. Mineral 20/50 in the primary
3. Mineral gear oil in the trans.

dwight · #5 08-14-2008, 01:24 PM

How about Amsoil 20/50 in the engine. May switch to Mobil 1 due to cost.
Harley Formula in the primary
Amsoil 75/90 gear lube in the trans
Works for me.

dwight

milindh · #6 08-14-2008, 01:51 PM

Mobil 1 20-50 is called their "V-Twin" oil which costs an arm and a leg. Mobil quit selling 20-50 syn in any other form than that "V-Twin" stuff so, I think, they could charge a premium price for this so called "V-Twin". You can get 15-50 Mobil 1 at Walmart for $6/qt. You can also get it in gallons for, if I recall correctly, $20. Donny said that the 15-50 ("car oil")and the 20-50 ("V-Twin oil") are for, all practical purposes, the same oil. He said he uses the 15-50 himself. I do the same. Personally I wouldn't doubt the two oils are exactly the same with different labels. They must think Harley folks would fall for the label switch and pay $3-$5 a quart difference. I believe Mobil claims a slight difference in the additive packages of the "two" but the differences are so slight as to be negligible. This info from a Donny Peterson AIM oil article from either last year or the year before.

Wrightturn · #7 08-14-2008, 05:01 PM

Hey Milindh,

Been meaning to ask Bluesfan about the shelf life of oil. I stocked up 3yrs ago when I was having trouble finding V Twin. When I run out I will go with 15/50 which I have already done in the FlHP. I have that article somewhere as well. Donny was just ahead of the curve. V Twin and Syn3 are the same price here.

If you surf around the net you will find a guy who has gone over 100k miles on a 250 Kawasaki on 3/30 KMart. At 87k he switched to 10/40 Rotella Wallmart (must have been on sale). I have known this guy for over 40 years and he is smart and has had several articles published in Cycle World, a regular in ECTA and other publications. We just don`t agree on oil.

BluesFan · #8 08-18-2008, 05:36 PM

Oils do have a shelf life.

Additives do odd things over long periods of stagnation. Settling may be the worst of them

A sealed bottle, used in its entirety, SHOULD be OK.