Additives
 

Is anyone using an engine additive like ZMax? Just curious what the thought is...

Use a quality oil. OEM filter. Change it at least yearly, or every 5,000 miles or so. You don't need any additives.

If everything that I have read and if I understand it correctly, Z-Max works by introducing zinc compounds into the oil. These are anti-wear additives. The oil companies reduced these compounds in their oils because they can ruin catalytic converters if they coat the platinum mesh in the converters.
So the choice is to help protect the engine and risk ruining the expensive catalytic converters, or use a high quality oil and change it regularly.
If you live somewhere that doesn't have emissions testing requirements, this may not concern you.

never use additives.

Zmax oil additive does not contain any ZDDP, or much else for that matter; most analysis says it is refined mineral oil with a coloring dye in it. The product is also the subject of an FTC investigation concerning the validity of its advertising claims.

Upon further research, I stand corrected. JFP is right.

An additive is the quickest way to compromise the anti-wear and detergency packages of the oil.
According to the API the only time it's acceptable to use any oil additive is never.

ZDDP was invented in 1941 by Lubrizol.. Lubrizol is the company who formulates and produces the Joe Gibbs offerings, to include our DT40 offering.

Thanks all for the insight. I saw a commercial for it and was wondering how many use. I cant imagine it working to actually do anything or I think the OEMs would push it too...

Jake, I am still planning on buying a case of this DT40 (5W40) from Charles for my yearly oil change next month.

Can you post a VOA? Or at least tell me the levels, in PPM, of your Zinc and Phosphorus? I'm hoping it's about 1,100 PPM for both, and on par with my current Mobil 5W50. Thank you.

Here is the High Temperature High Shear data that we gathered comparing DT40 to M1
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...01392487_n.jpg

My machine and back up drive that has all the VOA and UOA data was struck by lightning last Monday... I'll post both when it comes back online. Lets just say that the zinc levels of the DT40 are greater after 12 hours of on track service with temps north of 250F than what you stated your target would be. No exaggeration.

When you have time.....
 

I'd like to know how it compares to Mobil 1 5W50 as I will not run 0w40 at the track.

Thanks.

I'm old school - a can of STP and a handful of sawdust stops the leaks and silences the bearing knock, at least long enough to sell it anyway. :D

Haha. Note to self.............don't buy anything from Mark T. JK.

Excellent question. I am also running Mobil 5W50 with excellent UOA's (slight improvement over Red Line 5W40). I plan on trying Jake's new oil DT40 for the next 2 years to compare.

Thank you, Jake! I'll check back in again in a few days. Sorry your computer got fried.

I'll pat te VOA with UOA from a comparison I recently did that included 5,200 start cycles for one of our M96 engines. I have VOA from that DT40 oil as well as UoA from 739 miles of driving and 75 dyno runs, then data of the same oil after 5,200 starts. We also had a particulate test carried out to see even more about what happens...

This wasn't an oil test, but the evaluation ended up being multifaceted and very informative.