Te 250 2011 oil choice

[Mike-AK]

I haven't quoted anything that is 40 weight.

17.19 at best would be at the very bottom of the 50W range at 100c. What is "plasti-guage"?

 

[Tinken]

17.19 at best would be at the very bottom of the 50W range at 100c. What is "plasti-guage"?

Plasti-gage is a wax like material that engine designers/builders lay across bearing surfaces in order to determine separation gauge thickness.

 

[Tinken]

One could speculate the reason for running on the low side of the 50W spectrum was to increase flow through a higher tolerance bearing gap. What is interesting is the 77cSt@40°C which is impressively thin at start up temperatures for a 50W, engine wear is greatly reduced at this viscosity.

 

[Boogie]

Strange... The product data sheet and the MSDS for the castrol 10w50 show different viscosities.



Name
Method
Units
Typical

Density @ 15C, Relative
ASTM D4052
g/ml
0.88

Appearance
Visual
-
Clear & Bright

Viscosity, Kinematic 100C
ASTM D445
mm2/s
17

Viscosity, CCS -25C (10W)
ASTM D5293
mPa.s (cP)
5000

Viscosity, Kinematic 40C
ASTM D445
mm2/s
110

Viscosity Index
ASTM D2270
None
168

Total Base Number, TBN
ASTM D2896
mg KOH/g
9.8

http://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/F...962B87A80257B18002132D6/$File/BPXE-955VYW.pdf

 

[Mike-AK]

So where do you find an oil that matches the "plasti-guage" for the TE310?

 

[Tinken]

So where do you find an oil that matches the "plasti-guage" for the TE310?

Husqvarna chose Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T 10W-50 as a match to their gauge specifications, but +/- 1 cSt isn't going to make any difference, +7 is a big difference.

I think you could use up the 20w50 you have, but I would suggest you warm up the engine well prior to rev or load. In the future, just use the numbers on the bottles as reference and look up the data sheets as to keep viscosity close to manufacture recommendation. The lower the front number, the better for engine start up wear, especially in cooler climates. For example, at Zipty, they use Torco in the race bikes. But because Torco is so far out of specification, a 10w40 can be used in the 310's because it has a cSt of 16.5 which is only 0.5 cSt from original specification. So bottle number is only there for reference and not an absolute determining factor.

 

[Tinken]

Strange... The product data sheet and the MSDS for the castrol 10w50 show different viscosities.

I see that. The 110cSt would seem to be closer to that of 10w oil at 40°C, but the higher temperature is virtually the same. At 150°C most 40, 50 and 60W oils have a viscosity of 3cSt +/- 0.25cSt respectively.

 

[Johnrg]

Interresting... I could not locate Castrol Power 1 Racing 4t 10W-50 and assumed for the US the RS Racing 4t 10w-50 was same or newer bike formulation for the US. Though specs seem a bit different on cold viscosity...

Kinematic: 117 mm2/s (117 cSt) at 40°C
Kinematic: 16.9 mm
2/s (16.9 cSt) at 100°C

http://msdspds.castrol.com/ussds/amersdsf.nsf/Files/18997C9193FD70C9862577EC007BBB86/$File/146061Castrol Power RS Racing 4T 10W-50.pdf

 

[Tinken]

Take a look at this and tell me what you think? I think this sells for $4.99/quart. Olderhuskyrider has tested this for 12k miles, I can't remember exactly.
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil1_15W-50.aspx

 

[Boogie]

So, should I be getting the big bore oil (below) out of my 310 ASAP???

Motul 7100 4T 10W60
Viscosity at 40°C (104°F) ASTM D445 156.1 mm2/s
Viscosity at 100°C (212°F) ASTM D445 24.0 mm2/s

 

[Tinken]

So, should I be getting the big bore oil (below) out of my 310 ASAP???

Motul 7100 4T 10W60
Viscosity at 40°C (104°F) ASTM D445 156.1 mm2/s
Viscosity at 100°C (212°F) ASTM D445 24.0 mm2/s

No, there's no rush.

People race these engines with this high viscosity oil all the time, but the key word is race and usually don't care if they get more than 1-2 years out of the engines knowing they are going to replace them anyway. Racers run thicker oils in order to keep oil pressure high at elevated temperatures.

Also another reason behind running these grades is because many people are under the impression that the higher shear strengths yield higher bearing separation. This is false. Higher bearing separation is obtained from higher flow. Because oil pressure and flow are inversely proportionate to each other, the higher viscosity while providing higher pressures will yield lower flow rates. This in turn lowers the bearing separation. Lower flow rates also lower the cooling of bearing surfaces. Engine manufactures are well aware of this and balance flow with pressure when recommending specifications.

 

[Tinken]

@Boogie:
http://www.motul.com/us/en-US/products/32?f[application]=139&f[range]=21
http://www.motul.com/system/product...s/2680/5100_10W-50_4T_TDS_(GB).pdf?1302116335

 

[Mike-AK]

I saw some used oil analysis reports on the Castrol RS Racing 10W50 and it had sheared down to 30W relatively quickly. Every report I have ever seen on the Amsoil showed it staying in grade.

 

[Mike-AK]

No, there's no rush.

People race these engines with this high viscosity oil all the time, but the key word is race and usually don't care if they get more than 1-2 years out of the engines knowing they are going to replace them anyway. Racers run thicker oils in order to keep oil pressure high at elevated temperatures.

Also another reason behind running these grades is because many people are under the impression that the higher shear strengths yield higher bearing separation. This is false. Higher bearing separation is obtained from higher flow. Because oil pressure and flow are inversely proportionate to each other, the higher viscosity while providing higher pressures will yield lower flow rates. This in turn lowers the bearing separation. Lower flow rates also lower the cooling of bearing surfaces. Engine manufactures are well aware of this and balance flow with pressure when recommending specifications.

So what oil should we be using in a 2012 TE310 for optimum performance and longevity for an average trail rider?

 

[Tinken]

If you can get that Mobil1 15w50 where you are at Mike, I think you'll be set. Drop Oldhuskyrider a pm to see what he has to say about it. A good source for it is Walmart. If not, there are all kinds of great oils out there near to manufactures specs. Amsoil may still sell there Dominator 15w50, you might have to call them to make sure it doesn't contain molybdenum disulphide.

 

[Mike-AK]

Unfortunately Amsoil Dominator is loaded with friction modifiers and is not recommended for wet clutch use. It looks like the Mobil 1 15W50 is SM rated, so it should be good to go for motorcycle use, yes?

 

[Tinken]

Unfortunately Amsoil Dominator is loaded with friction modifiers and is not recommended for wet clutch use. It looks like the Mobil 1 15W50 is SM rated, so it should be good to go for motorcycle use, yes?

SN rated too, which you don't see often. I think OHR said he ran his bike for 65 miles without water while running that oil. I think he should get paid to run one of those infomercials...

 

[Mike-AK]

SN rated too, which you don't see often. I think OHR said he ran his bike for 65 miles without water while running that oil. I think he should get paid to run one of those infomercials...

Right now the bike has the factory fill in it. I bought it in October, and it was already too cold to ride up here. I've got a couple quarts of the Amsoil 20W50, but no big loss if I don't use it. Do you think the Mobil 1 would be a better choice for my TE310? I can get Bel Ray Works Thumper 10W50 locally also. Would it be a better option? Thanks.

 

[Tinken]

Not sure on the Thumper oil, no information regarding this oil.

 

[Tinken]

Ask 100 people and you will get 100 answers on Oil !!!

I like DG's response. Rather than saying I like this or that, I try to answer with your "engine does this and your oil does that". This way riders can weight a better guess into which oil they should use.