Shell Rotella-T dino oil 15w40

[RSTDinPA]

Is this oil ok to use in an '06 RSTD? I changed my oil using this oil and the bike seems to run just fine; however, a buddy of mine has got me paranoid telling me that diesel oils can cause damage becuase of the higher detergent components. Seems like a bunch of hooey to me but I thought I would ask.

[RSTD-MN]

Is this oil ok to use in an '06 RSTD? I changed my oil using this oil and the bike seems to run just fine; however, a buddy of mine has got me paranoid telling me that diesel oils can cause damage becuase of the higher detergent components. Seems like a bunch of hooey to me but I thought I would ask.

 

This is the only oil I have ever used. It was suggested to me and I have never had any problems, but since it is the only oil I have used, I would not know how the other oils would compare, when it comes to shifting and such.

 

I would be interested in knowing what others have to say, that have used this oil as well.

 

David

[Wrongway]

I've used rotella dino for years in many bikes and currently use it in my 1st gen. I use rotella syn for my '04.

[RSTDinPA]

Someone on another forum replied to me that Shell has reformulated the Rotella-T 15w40 and it might not have zzinc in it anymore. It is hard to believe this oil would damage my engine. I just want to hear form some others and maybe get some alternatives to use. I like dino oil.

[Rick Butler]

Rick,

 

If I'm correct the Shell Rotella T 15/40 (white bottle) is a petroleum oil. I would suggest that you take a look at the Rotella T 5/40 (blue bottle) synthetic which is what most of my MC friends (not using Mobil 1 or AMSOIL) are running. And like they say, it's available from Walmart in a 1 gallon container.

 

Here is an interesting web site on MC oils, etc.

 

http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

[RSTDinPA]

Rick,

Thanks for the reply. I checked out your link and they recoment the Rotelly 15w40 dino oil. My concern is that they have changed it somehow (new packaging and formulation. My bike is running fine, shifting well, etc. Maybe I am just being paranoid. I don't want to just dump it and get some other oil. I always thought you should stay within the mfg recommended weights (on my 06 Yamaha syas 10w30 or 20w40) so I figured that 15w40 should be fine. Is it ok to use 5w40? would that cause problems being a bit light on the low end?

[bowa1]

I'm the guy who replied to your post on the other forum. Here's a link to the Shell website/motorcycle discussion forum http://www.shellusserver.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=9&page=1 They definitely changed the 15W40 Rotella-T dino oil. You'll be fine with it on this oil change but there is mention that they remove the zinc from the formulation and motorcycles need zinc in their oil (I'm just repeating what I read, I'm definitely not an oil expert). Go to that site, plenty of good reading. As I mentioned on the other site, I used the old Rotella T 15W40 in my bikes but when I saw it was changed I switched to the Syn. 5W40 to be safe because it's known to be good for bikes and I'll wait until more info is out on the new "triple protection" 15W40. Your bike is fine for now and if you do go with the 5W40 Syn. it'll work as well. Larry

[SaltyDawg]

That's what I use and have never had a problem.

 

Wayne

[whozleft]

Is the 5w-50 ok to use in the bikes? I guess I thought yamaha called for a little higher grade oil. that's why I have bneen hesitant about switching to a syn. on my bike. Especially in the warmer summer months. I'm due for an oild change now, so that's why I'm asking.

 

Thanks.

[SilvrT]

From my limited knowledge of oils (having worked in the auto servicing industry many years ago), a multi-grade oil such as 10w30 is a good "all around" oil for those climates where neither the heat in summer or the cold in winter is too extreme and the operation of the vehicle is "average".

 

If you're in climates where the temps vary considerably, you'd either change your oil more often, using a lighter grade (ie 5w30 in colder tempts) or a heavier grade (ie 20w40 in hotter temps) -OR- use a grade such as 5w40 or 20w50. Same would apply if you're working your engine much harder than "average" or, less than average.

 

This is a kindof a "rule of thumb".

[Hugbare]

I have been using Rotella-T 5w40 syn for about 2 years in my 99

after shifting from Mobil1 when they reformulated .. No problem

encountered after 32K miles w/5K mile oil change intervals ...

[pegscraper]

In general, diesel oils are fine for bikes. I've been using Rotella T dino oil for the past 20,000 miles and had no problems. However, I also noticed the label change on the last jug of it I picked up, and the information on the jug about the oil seemed a little more vague. I also wondered if they might have reformulated it. I have to figure that the possibility of that is really high. This is something that definitely needs to be investigated further.

[Monsta]

It's been my understanding that zinc's role in the oil really only comes in play once the oil has broken down a lot. It is like the last ditch protector against metal to metal contact. But is still important for gearbox protection.

 

Diesel oil is a better type of oil to use due it it's better shear stability. Motorcycles really "tear up" oil since it also runs in the gearbox and having an oil that can withstand the shearing action and the regular engine environment is best. Diesel oils are a good choice for that. Normal automotive, energy conserving oil are not.

 

Wonder why they removed the zinc. Now I'm gonna have to change oils...

[Venture90]

I've been using the Rotella 5w-40 synthetic in my bike since the first oil change by the dealer. He uses 10w -40 synthetic all the time even in all his new bikes. I have not had any problems with this oil.

[RSTDinPA]

Thanks for all of the great replies. I have done more research, and, apparently to meet stricter pollution specs, zinc is going to be phased out of all motor oils (many new bikes will have catalytic converters and zinc destroys them). In much the same way that sulphur is being removed from diesel fuel, replacement additives are being formulated. Not being a chemical engineer, I don't really understand the chemistry behind any of this, but, the zinc in motor oils is there as the "last resort " protection against metal to metal contact.when all else fails and the oil totally breaks down, it supposedly is there to give the oil one last chance to protect the motor. For someone like me, who changes the oil every three thousand miles or so, the chances of the oil breaking down like this are pretty remote. From what I think I understand from all this is this: modern engines are engineered to such fine tolerances and precision,the chances of "casual" metal to metal damaging contact occuring is slim (since the oil and other additives are there to prevent it). In any event, today, during a near 300 mile run, I got the best gas mileage I have ever gotten from my bike...49.6 mpg highway 65-70 mph. This has made me feel a lot better about using this new formulation. The best I have ever gotten before is around 45.xx. The clutch engages very smoothly (noticeably better than the Yamalube I have been using. Having said all that, I am going to leave it in for a bit more and probably try a synthetic next time just to see what all the "hype" is about. I will keep you all posted should any issues arise, but, I am not thinking any will.

[pegscraper]

This removing of zinc from diesel oil scares me. Zinc has good purpose besides being a last ditch effort to save an engine when the oil has broken down. Its purpose is to prevent metal to metal contact in high pressure areas, like the camshaft and shims, or cams and lifters in other engines. This is a particular problem area for engine oil and this can be an issue long before the oil breaks down. In fact it can be an issue with brand new fresh oil. This was discovered the hard way in the automotive hot rodding world as people would rebuild an engine and then wipe out a new camshaft almost immediately. Standard automotive engine oils had been quietly reformulated and no one paid much attention. After all, they wouldn't really design an oil that wouldn't protect your engine properly, would they? Zinc has been gone from the so called energy conserving oils for a while now, and when this oil was used in a fresh engine, flat tappet cams and lifters didn't last. It is less of a problem in roller cam engines. Having zinc in the oil is one of the biggest reasons I like to use diesel oil in my bike. Diesel engines don't have cats and zinc shouldn't be a problem for them, so why does zinc need to be removed from diesel oil? Maybe I'll have to find a zinc oil supplement and start putting it in my oil. GM's EOS (engine oil supplement) is a good possibility.

 

Another thing I wonder about is why was zinc only removed from oil within the past few years when cars have had cats for over 30 years now? Zinc must not be that much of a problem for cats or it would have been removed from the start, like leaded gas was. The d$#@ greenie weenies need to stop messing with stuff. They need to be shut down.

[RSTDinPA]

pegscraper, the newer diesels do in fact have cats. That is the reason for the mandated change to ULSD because the sulphur would not meet the particle emissions. My VW diesel has a cat. I have to believe they would have to have some alternative. Zinc destroys catalytic converters. The world can be wierd. I hope one of the good members here helps sort out the myth and mysteries.For example...I always change my oil every three thousand miles. This is a legacy idea and in reality no longer needed wiht todays modern formulations. I cannot believe that the vehicle manufacturers would want to be replacing a bunch of cams and shims under warranty because oils could not protect them. Myself, being ignorant of the chemical processes, am going to have to rely on faith in the fact that modern oils have a much longer duty cycle than oils of 10-20 years ago, and that if I keep changin every 3K miles my oil will still be good. Really sucks to not know for certain though.

[hipshot]

Just to get my 2 rpm's in, I used the Rotella dino last year with no ill effects, and this year I switched to the full synthetic. I just climbed off from a 600 mile run on the slabs and it's doing great. Ran hard at over 75 or 80 most of the way, packed with gear and my 260 lbs. Got 41 mpg on the way here. (Tennessee from Ohio) Running the Natchez Trace Parkway from top to bottom starting tomorrow. I'm going to fill in that bottom part of my map this week with the exception of Florida.

just a FYI!!!

don't even THINK of running 70 or 80 , on the trace!

i believe maximum allowed speed , is 55!!!!

federal tickets, are EXPENSIVE!

don't ask me how i know!

lol

just jt

[Doug Hare]

Great information on lubrication. I once worked for Shell Canada in research testing lubricants. Shear stability of a lubricant would be dependant on the polymer used in the formulation. Some polymers have good low temperature properties but are less shear stable. You could also visit the website www.shell.ca for Canadians seeking information as the fomulations for lubricants in Canada are not the same as that in the US.

[Gearhead]

"Is the 5w-50 ok to use in the bikes? I guess I thought yamaha called for a little higher grade oil. that's why I have bneen hesitant about switching to a syn. on my bike. Especially in the warmer summer months. I'm due for an oild change now, so that's why I'm asking."

 

 

 

This is a month late, but here goes. All oils thin as they heat up. A given SAE rating (5, 20, 50, etc) has a curve that shows it's absolute viscosity (thickness) at any given temp, with a higher SAE number oil having a curve that runs "thicker" overall than a lower SAE number. No matter what oil you run it WILL be thinner when hot, so you have to choose an oil that will be thick enough to maintain a film when hot but thin enough to allow the engine to crank when cold. That can be a problem with mono-grades (SAE30, etc) in cold climates.

 

So, some years back, some clever individual devised a way to add so-called VI-improvers to a lower viscosity oil that makes it ACT LIKE a higher vis oil when hot. 20W-50, for example, is actually SAE20 base stock oil, and 20 is its "winter" rating (thus the W) - measured at 32 deg F. As it warms up, the VI improvers come into play, and at 212 F it acts like SAE50 oil. This has several implications:

 

1) It is a more versatile oil, temperature-wise.

2) SAE50 oil at 212F is still much thinner than SAE20 oil at 32F, so the multi-vis oil still thins as it heats. It just does not thin AS MUCH as SAE20 mono grade would.

3) When you hear of viscosity breakdown, it is actually the VI improvers that fail, not the oil itself. Barring an extreme overtemp situation, SAE30 oil will be the same thickness when you drain it as when you put it in, while multi-vis oils will be thinner (at higher temps) come drain time. With the VI improvers not as "healthy" as when new, the 20W-50 oil may be more like 20W-40 oil when drained. (These numbers are for illustration purposes - I don't really know how many "grades" the high number will drop.)

4) Synth is much easier to make inherently like a multy-vis - maybe it just doesn't thin as much when heated - and requires much less VI improver. Thus, they don't suffer the same degree of viscosity breakdown.

5) FINALLY - with regards to the question of a 5W-50 synth, the 5 number only represents the behavior at 32F, and it still much thicker than the 50 number at 212F. In other words, compared to 20W-50, the hot viscosity is unchanged, and it is still thicker than that when cold, just not as much so as the 20W-50.

6) Since mono-grades don't breakdown, if you live in a place like Tucson where it doesn't get too cold (and my bike lives in a garage anyway), mono-grades can be a good alternative for a viscosity-stable oil.

 

Should not be a problem.

 

Jeremy

[Roy Hoffman]

RSTDinPA; I have been using Rotella synt in my venture since the first change everything seems fine and shifts good. I also used it for 3 years and 30k miles in my road star before trading it. No problems with that one either. You said about a cat on the diesel exhaust, my cummins has a soot collector not a cat, they are two different systems.

[wizard]

I've used the Rotella syn in my other bikes with never a problem. I tried it in the Venture and found that after about 3000 miles the shifting became a issue. I have switched to the Rotella dino oil now because I figure if I'm going to change the oil every 3000 miles, why pay the extra money for the syn oil if I can't benefit from it.

Leonard

[Locomotive]

Don't worry about the zinc. Rotella will have more than enough zinc and phosphorus to protect our engines and even more so than regular motorcycle oil. The new formulation is still a top quality oil that can handle the demands of a motorcycle engine and still stay in grade. Any 15/40 oil will work well in our bikes. If you want to find out about oil and how it holds up in Motorcycles, Cars, Trucks, Boats and even Lawnmowers go to http://www.bobistheoilguy.com. Click on to a subject line go to the bottom of the page and click on the drop menu, go to used oil analysis-motorcycle and check it out. Be careful, it is an addictive site:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

[SilvrT]

ok... dumb question here... or maybe I'm just not thinking -but- what does zinc in the oil have to do with a catalytic convertor?

[GigaWhiskey]

ok... dumb question here... or maybe I'm just not thinking -but- what does zinc in the oil have to do with a catalytic convertor?

 

Yea, I thought it was the platinum everyone wanted, lol.