Oil Testing Data by Hendren Racing Engines
Published by Crate Insider on 16th Nov 2016
July 11, 2014
The following information was provided to Crate Insider by Hendren Racing Engines:
We have concluded our first round of oil testing.
Please note that the bulk of our testing was performed on one day, January 20th, 2014, with oils provided by five different oil manufacturers. Our baseline oil was 10w/30 Mobil 1 Synthetic, purchased at the local auto parts store down the road. Every oil in this test is being compared to our baseline oil, which is commonly used by many Crate racers. Our testing was simply oil against oil, using the same 604 GM crate engine on our Dynojet Chassis Dyno. We were strictly looking for horsepower and torque numbers, and not at wear or protection characteristics. We would like to state clearly that every scientific test has its limitations. We did everything humanly possible to ensure our results were as accurate as possible. We are not, however, claiming that these results are 100% accurate to the extent that they could be replicated in a laboratory environment. Oils were tested in the following manner: we would run, empty, change filter, and fill the engine with the next engine oil for each test. With this manner, we knew that there could be an ounce or two of the previous engine oil in the engine, but without testing on a dry sump engine with a scavenge system, this is as close as we think we will get to accurate results. In addition, we tested all of these oils on the same day so that temperature and humidity would be as closely matched as possible, but even the slightest change in each of these factors can introduce a margin of error. However, all testing fell within the dyno's correction factor.
These results are specific to a 604 crate engine, and not a super late model or limited engine. Engines running tighter clearances, using solid lifters, etc., may see different results than our testing shows.
Our conclusions: We feel that each of the racing oils that we tested are high quality engine oils and will protect your engine. If a few horsepower and a few foot pounds of torque are worth it to you to change oil brands, then that is up to you entirely. When we look at these oils, we don't simply look at the peak horse power and torque numbers. We look at the entire RPM range and the effects that a particular oil may have on the engine. Keep this in mind as you view our results. We would not hesitate to recommend the use of any of these oils to our customers, or to the racing public as a whole. We are posting the following dyno graphs for you to look at and draw your own conclusions. When viewing these graphs, we recommend that you pay attention to the numbers from 3,500 rpm on up. Due to the nature of the chassis dyno and the fact that a human is actually in the car using the gas pedal, numbers below 3,500 rpm could vary a bit and give you a false reading.
Update 11/16/16: After this initial round of oil testing, Hendren Racing Engines worked directly with Klotz Lubricants to develop an oil specifically for Crates. The Klotz KE-940 10W-40 Oil outperformed the top-rated Schaeffer Oil by 3 HP and 4 ft/lbs of torque!
Results:
Schaeffer's 10w/30 Supreme 7000 Synthetic Plus - $7.00 per quart retail
Max Power 405.01
Max Torque 405.29
Joe Gibbs Driven XP2 - $19.99 per quart retail
Max Power 404.46
Max Torque 404.49
Renegade 10w/30 - $7.00 per quart retail
Max Power 402.41
Max Torque 401.26
Joe Gibbs Driven XP1 - $19.99 per quart retail
Max Power 401.52
Max Torque 403.62
Maxima RS-020 - $13.95 per quart retail
Max Power 400.11
Max Torque 400.82
Maxima RS-1030 - $13.95 per quart retail
Max Power 400.39
Max Torque 399.77
Amsoil RD30 - $11.85 per quart retail
Max Power 400.97
Max Torque 397.77
Joe Gibbs XP3 - $16.99 per quart retail
Max Power 399.70
Max Torque 399.36
Mobil 1 10w/30 Advanced Full Synthetic - $7.59 per quart retail
Max Power 397.53
Max Torque 398.92
Click here to see the dyno charts.
Update: Schaeffer Oil is available in the Crate Insider Store. We offer: