Best place to buy Rotella
 

Hey all, I'm looking for the best place to buy Rotella straight 30wt. Although their 15-40 would probably be fine for me to run in my stocker and S/G car, my engine builder prefers 30wt for his engines. 30wt is twice the cost of 15-40, so I'm looking for the best place to find a deal on the straight 30wt. Cheapest I can find it anywhere is about $30/gal. Tips or alternatives would be appreciated, thank you!

I will note that I always add 1qt of Lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer for added protection, and I could use a deal on that stuff too. I use it quite a bit of that as well. I usually change the oil in my stuff about every 40-50 runs or so.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Would think that Walmart would be the cheapest. When i had my diesel used only rotella. As for additive look at Bestline Engine Treatment, they sell the bottles on Amazon. I sell their engine treatment, fuel treatment and transmission treatment in 55 Gallon Drums if interested PM me.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Wow I never thought to look there. 17.80/gal. Thank you sir

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

You also might want to watch the video by Lake Speed Jr. about oil additives - the Lucas stabilizer is one he had lab tested along with about a dozen others ;)

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Are you close to a Family Farm & Home? See link below.

https://www.familyfarmandhome.com/brands/shell.html

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

go to tractor supply out your way

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

WALMART 15w40 usually in a 5 gallon Container.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

And the Delvac 668/295 fluid is there..

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Rather than mixing in a ZDDP additive, I prefer to use an oil that has it built in. I have been running Brad Penn/Penngrade 1 10/30 and 5/30 oils in my flat tappet and hydraulic roller stuff for quite a few years now, and have had no cam or lifter issues. Over the years, it appears that the Shell Rotella oil has had the ZDP content reduced more than once.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Continue to do what has worked in the real world for you and your engine builder.
For a stock or super stock application hopped up for class, Maxima PS0 oil straight worked great with 35 lbs. oil pressure at the stripe, the narrowed rod bearings looked new after 30 runs.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Good video, but didn't include the lucas oil heavy duty oil stabilizer. I'll see if I can find a review specifically for that.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I just bought 4 gallons of Rotella 15/40 at walmart last weekend. I think it was $18/gallon. I have bought it on Amazon as well. This was for my diesel tow rig and generator.

If you are looking for oil for your race car i recommend Lightning Racing Oil. I have been using their oil for about 8 years now and my engines have lasted the best of any oil i have tried. I dont run any over the counter street car oils in my race car or oil filters. I use a System One oil filter.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Historically, straight 30wt rotella is noticeably more expensive, that was the point of the thread, I was specifically looking for that. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into there oils.

I've been running 6qts rotella straight 30wt and 1qt of the lucas additive in my race car for the last 10 years or so with 4$ Fram oil filters off of amazon and have had great success. Only issue I've ever had was I wiped a cam lobe and roller lifter on my small block about 3 years ago, but I think that was a parts failure, not oiling issue. It seems the roller cracked and stopped spinning, eating itself and the cam.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

You're about a week late, Rotella had a good rebate deal. I paid about $70 for a 5 gal bucket and got $20 back. I believe Tractor Supply had a sale on Rotella, a little cheaper than Walmart.
I've run Rotella and other easy to find oils, with my flat tappet cams. I have been using Mobil 1 racing from WM about $27 for 5 qt. jug.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Lookup Bestline Racing engine treatment on you tube.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

It is in the video titled "additives" about a half hour long, but it DID specifically address the Lucas stabilizer. The video's too long, but worth the watch. It was in the section called "the Bad".

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I saw that, but that was the full synthetic stabilizer, I use the heavy duty version meant for big-rigs/diesel trucks

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Yup, I see that now. Makes me wonder how much difference there really is though.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Great Video on oil additives, quit using lucas years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAGT5inQScE&t=310s

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Have you checked Summit?

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

They don't carry Rotella. All good though, I took an earlier suggestion and bought 10 gallons of straight 30wt at 17.50/gal from Walmart.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

:cool:Why would you use Rotella In a gas engine? True, I've always used 5W-40 full synthetic in my diesels. Why..

By the way Wal Mart brand Super Tech 5W-30 has always equated to Mobil One, so I've used it. Never an issue.

Someone made a comment a week or so ago about a newer light weight oil that makes 3 horsepower on a 400 HP motor. What gives?

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Without knowing base and additive packages in these specialty oils especially after covid … I would be hesitant about adding anything.
I do not pretend to be a chemical engineer.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Hello; I heard that Shell has reduced or eliminated ZDDP from their formula (pressure from the EPA!) Rislone makes the best additive; contains both zinc & phosphorus. The STP additive is way too viscous & only contains zinc. We use synthetic oil in our stocker: 5w20 in spring/fall & 5w30 in the hot weather. (for what's it worth)

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Couple of things to note.


1. It's not at all a good idea to play chemical engineer with motor oil. As described by Lake Speed in the video, you could be literally mixing up something quite detrimental to your engine.


2. Be aware, diesel oils are for engines that do not normally even run at the RPM your gasoline race engine runs at to break in the camshaft if it has flat tappets. As such, the diesel oil will foam and aerate.Even just as you break in your camshaft. Air is not a good lubricant for an engine, especially not a race engine.



3. There are good oils designed specifically to break in your engine, including your flat tappet camshaft.It pays to use them. Brad Penn makes a good one. Among others.





Take from that what you will. Free advice might be worth what you paid for it. Or it might be priceless. Y'all think about it.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I agree with allen on this . Rotella has zinc in but also has detergent witch you don't want in a race engine. Why would spend 10's of thousand of dollar to build a race to then cheapin out with none racing oil and cheap filters. Race oil and good filter are a lot cheaper than a engine...My thoughts

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I am not sure where you got that detergents arent for race oil, but when I talked to Gibbs(driven) about using their BR30 in a race engine all the time, they recommended I don't because the break in oil has no detergent but their race oils do. That's why you get the separation in the K&P oil filter with BR30. I trust what they say

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I don't know who you talked to at Driven, but their break in oil does have detergent in it. But this thread is about using diesel oil in race engine. Diesel oil has a high amount of detergent in it. Not got for race gas engines to have high detergent. will cause zinc film to be removed from engine parts. SAE did a technical paper series 2007-01-3999 that states this problem. So use what ever you want.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I have friends who race mini sprinters with 600 cc motorcycle engines , buzz then 12000 rpm every lap their engine builders recommend rotella 15w40 .
Just sayin.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

You're comparing motorcycle engines with 4 stroke racing engines?

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Another area that can get analysis paralysis.
Ring seal and rod bearings will tell you all you want to know.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Very true. I've been using the Rotella/Lucas Oil heavy duty oil stabilizer combo on the same rods, block, and crank for the last 9 years. Have yet to hurt or spin a bearing. The stocker/flat tappet cam has yet to show signs of weakness but I haven't made enough runs to justify the oil combo yet. Time will tell. Much appreciate all the input and opinions on this post though, I will definitely consider putting a better grade motor oil in my stocker, might even find a touch of hp going to a higher performance oil.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Maybe because I’m told they use methanol? Would be my guess.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

yes they use methanol and to a previous reply they are 4 cycles not 2 strokes, but between the rpm and lots of laps it holds up well,and im not saying its right but it works and im sure they can use whatever they want .
I just dont understand the statement its diesel oil it cant work !

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I never said diesel oil can't work. I said diesel oil producers, who blend it, strongly recommended against using it in gasoline engines due to the higher operating RPM, and the possibility of foaming and aeration.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Not sure what you mean by separation, but I stopped using Driven because with every grade and type, both break in and race oils of various weights, we ended up with a ton of thick, grey, gelatinous slime in the bottom of the oil pan, regardless of which filter we used, the premium Delco, the Wix race filters, and K&N. It looked a lot like molybdenum disulfide paste. Can't say if it ever really hurt anything, but I certainly didn't care for it.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

C'mon man...

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

Same reason I stopped using it.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

I have had the same issue with VR1.

Re: Best place to buy Rotella
 

To jcw31, I never said the 600cc engine were 2 cycle. again why spend thousand on a motor and use oil not for race engines. your choice