It's common for 914 owners to use a wide range of oil other than the factory recommendation - even dealers. Climate, thickness of oil to deter leaking and temperature control all contribute to personal preference. I live in Jacksonville where Brumos is and they use 0 weight in all their cars. Recently an owner recommended to me 20W-50. My old friend, 914 guru and former well-known 914 World member used another grade oil due to hotter climate and slow oil leaking. Which brings me to the question, what IS the factory recommended oil to use in a 914 anyway?

So in an attempt to find the right oil to use, I put the question to you - which oil is best for our cars?

1. What weight/grade oil do you use - and why? What factors make you choose the oil you use?
2. What brand do you use - and why?
3. On a personal note, what oil would you recommend for use in warmer climates, ie Florida?

I think most folks on the forum use 15w40 for colder climates, 20w50 for warmer climates. Brad Penn seems to be the brand of choice due to high ZDDP content although there are certainly acceptable alternatives.

I think the rule of thumb is this: if you have an oil pressure gauge and you're getting at least 1 bar per 1k RPM when fully warmed up, you're using an acceptable weight of oil. Chris Foley has done some experiments with oil weights so he might chime in.

What about adding ZDDP treatment to oil when changed? ZDDP Plus for example (just looked it up because I didn't know what ZDDP was, so thank you for that information!) If so, what would be some good alternative oils if I cannot find that brand locally?

Dozens of threads on Oil here. Search is our friend.
20-50 VR-1 is popular too

this is one of those debates similar to carbs vs. efi. ask one question, get 15 different answers.

for hot weather, 20w-50. colder climates, 10w-40.

Jake Raby had put a lot of time into oil testing. additives didnt do much, so you need to find an oil with zddp in it already.

If you're not able to find brad penn, Valvoline vr1 is pretty good, and can be found at most auto parts stores. VR1 however is a very low detergent oil, so adding some Marvel Mystery oil helps with the detergent.

Jake developed a new oil with Joe gibbs that can be purchased on Jake's or Joe gibbs racing oil's website. It's not cheap.



This topic has been beaten to absolute death, so I recomend you search for other threads regarding weight/and brand for type 4's.

there is so much on the internet about oil over the last few years.

really you need something with zinc on this type of motor
you will loose your cam quickly without it.


20/50 is the correct weight these days
maybe 10/40 in the winter but you will find used motors to run hot and the thicker oil will help.

additives are not as good as the real deal
but I have used them in some of my old cars
I haven't pulled the motors apart to tell you if the additives are as good
one concern is that they may not mix or be of the correct ratio when added....

I figured it was better than nothing, just not ideal.

so decide if you want dino or synthetic and then find one with zinc.
brad penn is a safe bet
I run royal purple hps in the race car

It seems as though the commonly used 20W/50 oil is for coldest temperatures, moreso than 10W/40 (per Brad Penn site). However, I live in Florida. Should I go with a lower number for higher performance? Brad Penn has a description for each oil and what circumstances to chose the best one for you. It seems that most of you that live in colder parts of the country would benefit more from 10W/40 or 20W/50 oil, though it seems that more performance comes from lighter oils in warmer climates.

I found two places here in Jacksonville that sell Brad Penn by the case. Most of you are using 20W/50 apparently, though in colder climates and their site indicates it's for colder climates. Other benefits from using it in FL or should I go with a lighter oil for warmer climates and more performance? Not oil savvy and trying to find the best one for me. Thanks!

Here's the link to the Brad Penn site with the page describing qualities of each oil. Click [click here] for descriptions. As you can see, 20W/50 they recommend for cooler weather. We get that one month out of the year here.

http://www.penngrade1.com/Products/Racing-Oils.aspx

Actually, (I didn't look at the link) the lighter weight is for cold climates and the heavier 20/50 is for hot climates.

the opposite of what you are describing.

but I think that logic is for standard motors which are usually water cooled.

with air cooled, your motor is hotter than most water cooled motors
so the heavy oil is almost always good for air cooled.
yes in a VERY cold climate you could run 10/40 during the winter to "thin" the oil... ie: colorado during the winter

but in Florida if its above freezing I would recommend 20/50 all year-round.

Mobile1 0w40 because that's what Porsche recommends for my motor ...

HA, yes, 0w-40 for a little ol 3.6.

For my 1.8, I use 20w-50 Mobil 1

Yeah Brumos recommended 0W/40 also. Difference between them? Which do you guys think would be better here between the two?

valvoline vr-1 50wt. in summer 30 wt in winter. same oi lin all my air cooled apps, motorcycles, tractors etc. according to valvoline still contains mineral package. never ad aproblem with it and available at local flaps.