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Ever heard/used Penngrade 1 20W50

motodan

Active member
Purchased a '93 R100RS a couple of days ago, with it, seller give me six quarts of PennGrade 1 Partial Synthetic motor oil. I had never heard of it however, the labeling states, "Meets no current API classification", that seemed a tad concerning. Then I Googled it and apparently it is well known to the racing world. States it contains high levels of Zinc and Phosphorus. It does state to be wise to the fact it could be detrimental to cars and trucks with converters. Of course this '93 does not have a converter. I'm thinking perhaps that's reason for not having a API classification. Anyone have experience/knowledge with this oil?
 
I did a bit of an internet search on Penn Grade 1. It claims/seems it has very high zinc and phosphorus (ZDDP ??) content: high enough to damage catalytic converters. It claims to be good in antique applications and racing applications.

What would concern me would be its longevity. Most racing engines get a few hundred miles before an oil change or an engine tear down. I tried but couldn't find anything definite except some car guys in a forum type discussion. One guy said he changed once a year in his Porshe 911 which was about 5,000 miles. Another said every 3,000 miles. The promo stuff for the oil touts its high zinc and phosphorus content, and states, "Contains strong detergent, dispersant and ZDDP anti-wear additives to help protect critical engine parts."
 
I run Brad Penn 30wt oil in my boat engine, 4.3L OMC. We run the boat at WOT most of the time which is about 4,200RPM, the engine see's about 80 or so hours a year. It was recommended by the engine builder who rebuilt our boats engine. He specializes in race motors doing hundreds per year, he asks everyone who's got one of his engines to run it, swears by it.

I'd run it for 3,000 miles and send a sample to Blackstone to have them take a look at it, adjust oil change duration based on their recommendations.
 
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