I was continually fighting heat issues with a pair of 2007 Heritage Softail Classics. I now own a stock 2010 FLHTCU that runs cool. I installed an oil cooler and Lenale fan that keeps the oil temp around 220 degrees. I was stuck in a 30 minute traffic jam in Leesburg, Florida a month ago, and just flipped the fan on. The oil temp never exceeded 230 degrees. These 2 mods are priceless.

DJK

 

+1 on that. Plain old dino works just fine for me.

 

Pretty good info

Synthetic lubricants were first synthesized, or man-made, in significant quantities as replacements for mineral lubricants (and fuels) by German scientists in the late 1930s and early 1940s because of their lack of sufficient quantities of crude for their (primarily military) needs. A significant factor in its gain in popularity was the ability of synthetic-based lubricants to remain fluid in the sub-zero temperatures of the Eastern front in wintertime, temperatures which caused petroleum-based lubricants to solidify due to their higher wax content. The use of synthetic lubricants widened through the 1950s and 1960s due to a property at the other end of the temperature spectrum, the ability to lubricate aviation engines at temperatures that caused mineral-based lubricants to break down. In the mid 1970s, synthetic motor oils were formulated and commercially applied for the first time in automotive applications. The same SAE system for designating motor oil viscosity also applies to synthetic oils.

Instead of making motor oil with the conventional petroleum base, "true" synthetic oil base stocks are artificially synthesized. Synthetic oils are derived from either Group III mineral base oils, Group IV, or Group V non-mineral bases. True synthetics include classes of lubricants like synthetic esters as well as "others" like GTL (Methane Gas-to-Liquid) (Group V) and polyalpha-olefins (Group IV). Higher purity and therefore better property control theoretically means synthetic oil has good mechanical properties at extremes of high and low temperatures. The molecules are made large and "soft" enough to retain good viscosity at higher temperatures, yet branched molecular structures interfere with solidification and therefore allow flow at lower temperatures. Thus, although the viscosity still decreases as temperature increases, these synthetic motor oils have a much improved viscosity index over the traditional petroleum base. Their specially designed properties allow a wider temperature range at higher and lower temperatures and often include a lower pour point. With their improved viscosity index, true synthetic oils need little or no viscosity index improvers, which are the oil components most vulnerable to thermal and mechanical degradation as the oil ages, and thus they do not degrade as quickly as traditional motor oils. However, they still fill up with particulate matter, although at a lower rate compared to conventional oils, and the oil filter still fills and clogs up over time. So, periodic oil and filter changes should still be done with synthetic oil; but some synthetic oil suppliers suggest that the intervals between oil changes can be longer, sometimes as long as 16,000-24,000 km (10,000–15,000 mi).

With improved efficiency, synthetic lubricants are designed to make wear and tear on gears far less than with petroleum-based lubricants, reduce the incidence of oil oxidation and sludge formation, and allow for "long life" extended drain intervals. Today, synthetic lubricants are available for use in modern automobiles on nearly all lubricated components, potentially with superior performance and longevity as compared to non-synthetic alternatives. Some tests[citation needed] have shown that fully synthetic oil is superior to conventional oil in many respects, providing better engine protection, performance, and better flow in cold starts than petroleum-based motor oil.

 

haven't noticed any difference in any brand of oil, synthetic or dino.
I have buds that change their synthetic oil every 1200 miles. It makes them feel good.
I keep asking them if I could have the oil they drain to put in my bike.

 

Thanks for the info. I use Amsoil as well.
An Amsoil rep told me they get their base stock from Mobil.

 

From what source is this info?

 

We're getting the usual "Acme 20w50 works best for me," etc. I'd like to know the definition of "best" and an explanation of how this conclusion was formed.

No one can give you an answer to this question without doing specific tests to measure heat in a controlled atmosphere, and to my knowledge no one has done it except one person (see below). I think the smartest plan for selecting an oil for your bike is to use the least expensive and most accessible synthetic oil within spec or close (i.e. 15w50 and 20w60 are fine) from among the usual suspects. That would include Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Redline, Amsoil, and most any other synthetic oil available today. It's all good and must adhere to strict SAE guidelines, even Syn3 although it is overpriced for what you get.

I hate to go here but I don't have much to do this morning so here goes. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this since it's exposing the severely **** side of my personality, as if it hasn't been exposed before. There are some specialty oils available with extreme anti-friction additives in their formula that will reduce heat, but they are usually not good to run in a street engine. Many years ago I started running a mixture of 1 qt. Royal Purple Nitro 50 or 60 racing oil (for nitro-methane fuel dragsters) with 2.75 qts. of Royal Purple 20w50 (not MaxCycle) on the advice of a very knowledgeable oil engineer I once knew who ran some tests on heat and lubricity. He said his tests showed this combo to increase lubricity and decrease friction radically without losing the "backbone" (his word) of a street-worthy SAE-grade oil. He tested a number of other oils but I don't recall the list or how they ranked. The Nitro-50 also adheres to metal surfaces better than other lubricants to provide smoother cold starts and flows better than most multi-grades at cold temperatures. Nitro-methane-burning dragsters need cold-start and cylinder-washing protection especially with the extremely rich AFRs they run. Stoichiometric for these engines is 1.7:1, so fuel-washing of the cylinder walls is a big problem for the oil to overcome. I'm not an expert on these engines and this is about all I know except that they produce prodigious quantities of power. How this translates into a good thing for a street engine is that this oil adheres to metal surfaces much longer than all or most others.

The Nitro oil does not have some crucial additives in the formula that are needed for street use, so like most racing oils it wouldn't be good to run this without mixing with something else. Even though I run lean AFR's near stock I don't have heat problems and oil temps stay around 200° while moving in 90° weather, peaking at 230° only rarely in the worst summer stop-and-go traffic. CHT (front) runs ~230° while moving at 50mph or more in 90° weather and EITMS kicks-in only rarely at CHT=290°. BTW, this combo has the blessings of the chief chemist at Royal Purple, who I called for advise. He said you could go 50/50 in a street engine, and I did for several years after that, but since the racing oil is so expensive I'm now using less.

I did some informal cold-flow tests on the Nitro 50 and 60 and the 50 flowed better at both 0° and 32°F than either RP 20w50 or M1 10w30. The Nitro 60 flowed better at 0° but a bit slower at 32° than either of the other two. I have some of both now and run the 50 in winter, 60 in summer.

All that said, I wouldn't recommend this mixing procedure except for the most severely obsessed and **** among us. First, the Nitro 50 or 60 is only available in 5-gal. pails and costs about $350 ($17.50/qt.). I get mine wholesale through a friend who's an RP distributor and split the pail with a friend, an ME who's even more **** than I am about this sort of thing, and it lasts for years changing every 5k. We've been using this mix for about 12 years now. The second reason not to do this is that it's a minor hassle mixing oils like this, although I now have it down to a system and once every six months isn't a big deal. I also buy my 20w50 and 15w40 for the car by the pail to save money. A third reason to go the conventional route (no mix) is that a good synthetic will assure many miles of good lubrication, much longer than most of us will ride one bike. This mix may be overkill for any practical scenario but old habits are hard to break.

 

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

A good site for oil geeks

 

+1 I just switched to redline and I think the engine is quiter, and it seems to shift and clutch better. I don't know about the temp, as I don't have an oil temp gauge yet, just the useless air temp

 

Using Schaeffers 7000 20-50 racing and loving it.