Rotella substitute ?

Brian VT

New member
I can't find the Rotella for $20/gal. anymore. :(
Would this Valvoline work just as well ?
NAPA has it on sale for $20. I'm thinking I should grab a case of 'em.


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Since you posted in the 2stroke section I assume you are using this for the tranny. If so I would not spend the extra on synthetic. Just use the Rotella 15w40.

I would say the Valvoline would be good as well just a little more $.
 
I would steer clear unless you know the amount of friction modifier used.

The nice thing about rotella (both dino and syn) is that it is jaso ma (motorcycle rating) approved for use in wet clutch motorcycles - so no clutch slippage due to addition of friction modifier....

jeff
 
Like web master said rotella non-sythetic 15-40 "triple protection" has the jaso ma or motorcycle approval rating. Other diesel oils may not or do not. Even rotella sythetic is not jaso ma approved. Not that it means anything but like webmaster said it could cause clutch problems with friction modifiers.
 
I switched from Rotella to Amsoil 0w-40. I like the Amsoil much better even at twice the price. Much less clutch drag than the Rotella and much easier to find neutral.
 
Like web master said rotella non-sythetic 15-40 "triple protection" has the jaso ma or motorcycle approval rating. Other diesel oils may not or do not. Even rotella sythetic is not jaso ma approved. Not that it means anything but like webmaster said it could cause clutch problems with friction modifiers.

I was at Walmart a few months ago and the synthetic that they had on the shelf (might have been semi syn), a 5w40 was also jaso ma rated.

jeff

p.s. I just checked the rotella website and rotella t6 full synthetic 5w40 has a jaso ma (motorcycle w/ wet clutch) rating :

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework...rotella-en/html/iwgen/products/t6_detail.html
 
I just tried some Mobile Delvac 15w40 and I like it much better than the Rotella 5w40 syn I had been using. It is dino and didn't list any "Resource Conserving" (the new label for what used to be Energy Conserving). The clutch squeal was much better and, when hot, would still start in gear. I don't think anyone leaves it in long enough to need syn anyways. Its also really cheap (even cheaper than house brand, less than $10/gallon) and at Wallys place. It is a diesel oil and it was cheaper than dino Rotella.
 
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i have been considering switching from amsoil 0w-40 (which works great) to amsoil 0w-20w or 0w-30w to eliminate hot clutch drag (but i think there are friction modifiers in it.... ) i am waiting on a reply from amsoil for some specs... i have run rotella in the past (and still do in many other bikes..), but i like the 0w-40 amsoil much better in the gasser trans......
 
amsoil says:
Neither 0W20 nor 0W30 oils are recommended for wet clutch use and do not pass JASO MA or MA-2 specifications.


so i'm looking into silkolene's 0w-20
 
I use ATF+4 it's designed to run with wet clutches and is synthetic and cheap. It's thin so it is low drag when cold. There may be a reason why running ATF+4 is a mistake but I have not heard it yet.
 
I'll bet all of those newer 0-20W or 0-30W oils are automotive spec formulated for the newer cars for milage reasons and because a lot of newer motors have some type of variable valve timing system that uses the oil for hydraulic control. Therefore it makes sense that they are not recommended. The Amsoil 0-40W has been around awhile and is not speced as an automotive oil.

The point of the Rotella syn 5-40W is not that its a synthetic, but that it has a viscosity low enough for good clutch action when cold, and good shifting when hot, in a non-automotive oil (no friction modifiers). In a 2stroke, we all dump the oil long before its worn out, as it fouls with debris first.
 
Yeah I noticed I was wrong the other day. Semi synthetic rotella didn't have rating when I looked last week. I think the full synthetic jasoma rating is new since they started calling it T6. The semi is called T5. Also noticed Valvaline has a ATV oil thats the same price as their other oils. Never known of anyone to use it.
 
I use ATF+4 it's designed to run with wet clutches and is synthetic and cheap. It's thin so it is low drag when cold. There may be a reason why running ATF+4 is a mistake but I have not heard it yet.

any idea what the atf+4 is like hot? i'm guessing it's like 10weight when cold/hot???
 
any idea what the atf+4 is like hot? i'm guessing it's like 10weight when cold/hot???

when changing transmission filters on fully warmed up cars and trucks it is similar to hot motor oil but it seems like there is not as much of a change from cold to hot like motor or gear oil.

Many years ago stock car racers were using auto trans fluid instead of heavy gear oil to correct countershaft bearing failures in their manual transmissions. It seems that the thicker gear oil could not supply the volume to lubricate and cool the countershaft when running for long periods in 3rd gear. This was on a 4 speed trans where the maximum side load combined with high speed on the counter shaft would be in 3rd gear. The belief was that at high rpm the heavier gear oil was being spun to the outer parts of the case and thus starving the counter shaft.
 
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