Follower scar oil tests (2018)

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Many posts on this forum on a variety of topics will often contain suggestions, beliefs, theories, ideas, recommendations and such like. All too often there is very seldom anything concrete behind these posts, and I am often reminded of the comment made by the late technical writer Gordon Jennings in 1996.

'If there is anything to keep in mind, it is that everything a reasonably intelligent person should intuitively believe to be right,
will probably be totally wrong'.

Following on from this an old adage would seem most appropriate, 'to measure is to know'.

Comnoz has done all the measuring, and has presented the results for everyone to examine and use as he or she wishes.


The work is a great step forward in furthering our understanding of oils as they may be applicable to the Commando engine, and indeed a great many other engines also.

We are all in Comnoz' debt for this superb work. In a lifetime of involvement with engines of all types and sizes, I have never come across anything that gets remotely close to this presentation.
 
Thanks Jim, appreciate all your hours spent testing and great feed back for us all.

Now I have to decide what to run in my race motor?
Regards Mike
 
Yes, another thanks from me. Let's hope all those who will potentially benefit will think about a contribution.
Oh and I see the whole thing has been dissed on the NOC....sigh!
 
There are people on the NOC forum with some very entrenched ideas. Some even advocate Avon SM tyres as being the best fitment for a Norton as an example of being stuck in the past. I just read that sort of stuff, smile and hope people don't take too much notice of them.

Ian
 
Thanks for your hard work Jim. What mileage intervals would you do an oil change when you're using Royal Purple HPS 20W50?
 
Great work Jim.

I see it as a positive that you have retired the kit. We have enough knowledge to work with.

Rest assured that I have no intention of stopping my product testing of single malt, all samples for testing reatly appreciated :oops:
 
Thanks for your hard work Jim. What mileage intervals would you do an oil change when you're using Royal Purple HPS 20W50?

I will probably change it every 2000 to 3000 miles.
If I am on a trip I will probably run it longer, as long as I don't see it getting thicker due to oxidation.

Actually, what I usually do is change it after every trip. Most of my trips run between 2000 and 4500 miles.
 
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There are people on the NOC forum with some very entrenched ideas. Some even advocate Avon SM tyres as being the best fitment for a Norton as an example of being stuck in the past. I just read that sort of stuff, smile and hope people don't take too much notice of them.

Ian

I also see that Charles Bovington referred to my test setup as a Timkin tester.
That tells me that he has not bothered to see what I was doing.
 
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Great stuff, just need to use them on the road / track and back the testing up.

No doubt, the final test is using it to see how it works in real use.
But it's nice to have an idea of what is likely to work.
 
In mechanical systems, it doesn't matter if you make the strongest parts stronger, when the weakest part in the system is always going to limit the performance. A solid lifter, pushrod engine depends on good oil for the cam and lifters. It makes sense to tailor your oil needs to where its' performance is most critical... and of course that's the aspect you need to test to make sure the oil you chose performs as needed...

It's always sad when ludites or wanna-be experts publically undermine good research with their long held misconceptions or single data point opinions. They can cause a wave of false beliefs that can go forward as fact when repeated enough. I recall 30 years ago a norton expert I knew saying that my '70 cases were thinner and more flexible than later model cases which helped them keep from breaking when the crankshaft flexed at high RPM... I probably believe him for a while, then came to my senses...

It seems to me that Jim's testing made sense, and he didn't claim anything beyond what his testing showed. In the end, if there's some unaccounted factor that negates his findings in real engine usage, he's already admitted that possibility which is a sign of keeping an open mind towards the results of the test.
 
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I had got 6 quarter of redline 20w50 (not motorcycle one :confused: !!) is it worst than the 20w60 of the same brand ??????
 
I am in Melbourne Australia and Royal Purple HPS 20W50 is available at Super Cheap Auto for:
1 Litre $21.99
5 Litre $87.99
20 Litre $329.00
Also free delivery, not available over the counter, only available online. I have placed my order.
Hope this helps Aussie owners.
David
 
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I had got 6 quarter of redline 20w50 (not motorcycle one :confused: !!) is it worst than the 20w60 of the same brand ??????

I do not believe I tested the 20w50 Red Line. So I do not know.

But I suspect that just like the 20w60 it is designed for a modern engine, so load capacity was not a concern.
 
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