What you need to know about racing oils

Racing vehicles’ powerful, tuned engines produce high heat and pressures that your regular car will never experience.

Engine temperatures of above 149 degrees Celcius can be reached by a 900-hp performance vehicle. Engine temperatures in a normal passenger automobile range from 90 to 104 degrees Celsius. When you consider that the rate of motor oil oxidation doubles for every 10 degrees Celsius increase in oil temperature, the contrast is even more dramatic.

Another issue is the high shearing pressures that the oil experiences as it is forced between the interfaces of the pistons/rings and the cam lobes/lifters. The oil’s molecular structure can be ripped apart by the pressure, diminishing viscosity and film strength.

So why not use racing oil in your everyday vehicle? For starters, racing oils are often replaced. Oil is changed by most professionals every couple of races, if not more regularly. Racing oils have a lower total base number (TBN) than passenger car motor oils because of this. TBN is a metric that measures the oil’s detergency and capacity to neutralise acidic byproducts. TBNs are higher in oils with longer drain intervals.

A highly balanced composition is required to accomplish the responsibilities of a passenger car motor oil. Excessive or insufficient performance in one area might have a detrimental impact on other areas – and the oil’s overall protection and performance. A racing oil’s list of responsibilities, on the other hand, is substantially fewer.

You’re probably aware of the axiom “the right tool for the right task.” The same may be said of motor oil. It’s recommended to save racing oil for race engines and use a properly formulated passenger car motor oil for everyday driving.