I give up....why do you want an oil thicker than 15W-40?

Thicker doesn't improve the lubricating qualities.

These things are notorious for Not oiling the top end well.
On the first start, how long will it take to get oil up to the cam?
Once it's warmed up, it's fifty weight,,
Do whatever, but,
I don't see how it is gonna run longer.
I sure don't see why that is gonna save a penny.
I think you'll spend more and see problems.
Why argue with success? We have some high mileage, never opened, engines.

How long have you been riding?
How many miles?
How many years until you see 130,000 miles?
If someone could show you an oil that was good enough to accomplish that And it was relatively inexpensive, would you be interested?

I don't know the answer to your question. I stopped shopping oil years ago. I found something that works and is affordable and easily accessible. So I stopped thinking about possible alternatives.YMMV..

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 07/19/16 at 12:01:43:



I've been riding for about 5 years now and have 14000 miles on the clock. I am very interested in the oil you run. Is it t1 or t6?

I don't know what you mean by "start up damage".  Multi-grade oils (5W-50, 10W-40, 15W-40, 20W-50,etc.) aren't going to cause any damage just because one has a lower "W" rating than another one does.  It is currently summer and the temperatures are hot....the W rating really isn't in effect until the temperatures get very cold.

I run Rotella T, 15W-40.  I sit on my bike, turn on the key, start it up, use the throttle to keep the rpm up about twice the normal idle speed for about 15 seconds to get the oil moving around, then I let it idle down, click it in gear and I ride off.  I don't use a lot of throttle for about 4-5 minutes while the bike is getting warm.  My engine doesn't need the choke in warm weather to start.....so I don't have to bother with that until the weather drops down to around 50, and I seldom ride when it is that cold.

If you want to run a conventional oil in the summer....Rotella T 15W-40 is a good oil, and you can also use 10W-40.  You can run 20W-50 if you want - but there really isn't any benefit from running oil that thick that I can see - maybe if you spent hours on the interstate or did a lot of parades where the engine might get pretty hot.

If you want to run a synthetic oil.....pick one that has a 40 or 50 rating, and don't worry that the oil is 5W or 10W or 15W or 20W...those don't mean anything when you are riding in the summer.  Rotella T 5W-40 is a good oil and very affordable, and work just fine in the Savage.

The 5W or 10W or 15W rating is an indicator of how the oil responds when the outside temperature is cold.  So the lower the number the easier it is to get your engine started in cold weather.  You seem to be confusing this with the oil being "thinner" at warm temperatures - which is not necessarily true....you need to pay attention to the 30/40/50 number when considering how the oil performs when the engine is hot.

Suzuki recommends this, and there are no 5W ratings in this chart because it does not consider "synthetic" oils....only conventional petroleum based oils. (It is fine to run synthetic 5W-40 oil in the Savage....they just didn't include it in their chart).

 

It seems like we beat this dead horse at least once a week.

ROTELLA    Is The Only Correct Answer!

Kenny G

@Dave,

You see what I mean? Now imagine if after some time when the meta oil thread is full of links and the occasional excellent post from somewhere, and they lift all that good stuff and place it in it's own special thread in the tech section and never again will a thread like this be necessary, you'll just have to refer them to the tech section and they can keep reading until they are mentally satiated.