Synthetic lubricants

will anyone share what they know about oils.hp gains&better cooling? also where can you put them other than motor-tranie. what spec number syn.to use. thanks

How much time you got? With respect to HP gains, the "thin oil = HP" theory is folly & although I don't remember if it was DEI or RCR, I do remember that in NASCAR qualifying @ Charlotte a few years ago, all 3 Chevy team cars blew up. They put -0- weight Mobil I in the engines & the team got fined $40,000 for oiling down the track & scattering parts everywhere.

I'm not a Chevy guy & fell out laughing, but what was even funnier was that TV commentator Larry McReynolds, who previously was the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. & before then Davey Allison, stuck his microphone in the crew chiefs' faces, asking what were you thinking ??? If you try something new, you do it one car, not all 3 !! If it works, fine, if it doesn't, you just lose 1 engine & we knew that trick didn't work 10 years ago !!

The cars had been fast enough in practice to challenge for the pole too, but having to change engines put 'em @ the back of the pack on raceday. That mistake cost them about 1/4 million $$$, figuring 3 blown engines & the fine.

On the flip side of the coin, I've been running straight-weight SAE 50, 60 & sometimes even 70 since 1969 & have never had an oil-related engine failure - street or track - not even a collapsed lifter. I'm certainly not the only one, indy shop owners & racers I know run the same & I started as a teenager 'cause guys a lot older & more experienced than me were using the same.

With respect to cooling, I have found that comparing weight for weight, oil temps are the same using conventional or synthetic & I use both, depending on the application.

You didn't say what kind of bike you have, but assuming Harley, you can get away with running motor oil in the primary & tranny, but you'll never see the day I or a whole bunch of folks I know do it. I'm not a chemical engineer but I used to work for one & have spoken @ length with 3 others. What it boils down to is lubricants are formulated for specific purposes & you'll get the best results by using one formulated for the particular application.

For example, if you're old enough you'll remember that if you had a "Pos-I-Traction" limited-slip differential in your car or pickup, when changing fluid you had to pour in a little bottle of additive or the clutches wouldn't work right & you wouldn't have "Posi". Nowadays that additive is already in many gear lubes, but not all of them - have to read the label. The "wet clutch" in a bike needs that additive or it can slip. But the transmission doesn't need it & neither does the engine.

In simpler terms, synthetic is a little more slippery (less friction) than dino and doesn't breakdown as soon, so there might be a slight gain in hp, mileage, and maybe cooling also, but not much as you'll notice. My main reason for using it is it doesn't breakdown as soon, so it's safer for your engine. Beware of high-mileage engines and synthetic, as it may cause a leak. Lastly, always warm your engine up for a minute or two before taking off so everything's well lubed and your pressure is up before taking off.

As far as brands..just pick a major brand as there's very little difference from one major brand to another. Everybody has their preferences, and you can debate this topic for weeks, but no one major brand is heads and heals above any other. I've never seen a debate where anyone can prove it otherwise and it's been debated to death as long as I've been on the net.

Synthetic doesn't actually cause leaks, but it will find even the slightest imperfection in a gasket or seal 'cause it flows better. The leak would eventually show up anyway, it'll just show up sooner with synthetic.

Using snythetic oil in electra glide

I ride a 2001 Electra Glide,with 46,123 miles on the speedo.I've alway's used Amsoil 20-50 in the crankcase,amsoil 75-90 in the transmission,and amsoil 20-50 in my primary.This oil is super you can ride a parade on the hottest of Louisana day's and you don't have to shut your bike down to let it cool.It's just that good

i have been using amsoil in my 03 fxdx since the 1000 mile service. have 31000 miles on it now. 20/50 in all three. engine runs smoother, more power, and cooler. on a 75-80 degree day i can put bare fingers on the rocker box for 5-6 seconds before it gets to hot to keep them there. with dyno oil i couldn't do that for more than 3-4 seconds. it's not as precise as a thermometer but gives me an indication that it runs cooler.some reports i have read say that the engine runs up to 20 degrees cooler with synthetic oils. next oil change i will try 20/50 in engine, 10/40 in primary, and 75/110 in trany. there are many threads on here and most sites about the syn vs dyno debate.