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Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts? (Read 103 times)
Mike Barnett
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Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
01/23/20 at 11:55:24
 
I'm asking because I have a lot of GN4 at home, for my Shadow 750... my wife has an '06 S40, and I've been perusing (going crazy) reading up on oil and ZDDP.  As near as I can tell, the GN4 should have around1000 ppm, which isn't enough, but it looks like 2.5 OZ of Redline should bring it to around 1350.  At that point am I ok using the GN4?  Oh, and any opinions about whether or not I should add Redline to my Shadow oil?

Newbies are a pain, aren't we?
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stewmills
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #1 - 01/23/20 at 12:50:04
 
very loaded question.

If you change your oil regularly just get some Rotella T4 off the shelf at wally world and call it a day.  They changed up the formulas on us in recent years and the old school of thought was we needed to add some redline, but then there was wonder if adding redline led to clutch slippage ling term.  The current T4 is sufficient as is.  It is all I run and never a problem. I change my oil about twice a year.  Per Shell: The 15W-40 Rotella T with Triple Protection oil has approximately 1200 ppm of zinc and 1100 ppm phosphorus at the time of manufacture.

If you like to run your bike for a year or two before you touch the oil splurge for the T6...

The biggest issue in oils is friction modifiers...they will cause slipping in the wet clutch we have.

Get ready for a barrage of responses and opinions  Grin Grin Grin
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #2 - 01/23/20 at 13:31:20
 
The main problem is with modifiers like MOLY they tend to make wet clutches slip ,Honda GN4 states a level of 50 , Rotella  t-4 ,T 6 has Zero, and can be found on the shelves of almost any parts store or Walmart in USA at reasonable prices. Care should be taken when adding Zddp as adding to much (levels higher than about 1600-1800 ppm ) can cause damage to your motor.  (more isn't always better). I agree with Stewmills , just use Rotella and forget using an additive ,I have for the last 40,000 miles /24 yrs and my bike is still running strong.
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justin_o_guy2
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #3 - 01/23/20 at 16:05:50
 
Who givzacrap what oil is on the shelf?
Engines cost a lot.
Put the oil in that
Will protect your engine.

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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #4 - 01/24/20 at 04:54:03
 
When you say you have "a lot" of GN4 oil....how much is that?

I think selling it to a Honda owner wold be a good idea - or you could use it in your lawn mower.

The Rotella T oils will work far better in the Savage.

I need to update the Oil Thread and remove the advice to add ZDDP, as it really is not recommended anymore.  Once the Redline ZDDP is opened, the bottle gets a pink sludge on the bottom of the bottle, and the only way to get it back into solution is to heat the bottle up in boiling water and shake the bottle - too much of a pain in the neck.  Also the current Rotella formulas don't need extra ZDDP.
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Mike Barnett
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #5 - 01/24/20 at 05:31:56
 
I've got a couple gallons of GN4 and a new bottle of Redline that I apparently don't need... ahh well, I've blown money on stuff before (such as the Elio I have a $1000 non-refundable deposit on).  So it looks like my best choice is to use Rotella, either T4 15W40 or T6 - if I use T6 do I use 5W40 or 15W40?

I'm tempted to go the synthetic route, for two reasons... my wife's S40 won't get nearly the monthly mileage on it my Shadow does, and I think synthetic may be slightly more stable long term.  Also, I used to have a Honda Reflex scooter, which used standard auto oil - I found that, for some unknown reason, I went thru less oil when I used synthetic.  I think I must have been burning a tiny amount of oil as I never found a drip.

Note - cost isn't the issue here - protecting the motors on our bikes is, whether it would have been adding stuff to the GN4 or using Rotella.  As for the Redline, maybe I'll research adding it to the oil in my high mileage Honda Ridgeline Wink
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #6 - 01/24/20 at 06:55:59
 
Mike  t-6 is 5w40  ,the advantage is with full synthetic the oil when cold is thinner and warms to operating temperature faster (90% of wear occurs at startup)  ,and lasts longer between oil changes.
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #7 - 01/24/20 at 07:07:04
 
batman wrote on 01/24/20 at 06:55:59:
Mike  t-6 is 5w40  ,the advantage is with full synthetic the oil when cold is thinner and warms to operating temperature faster (90% of wear occurs at startup)  ,and lasts longer between oil changes.



I know they say that, and start ups are dry, however start ups are also cold, usually you have bigger clearances when cold, so things binding up and galling etc doesn't happen till it all gets hot. Then of course the high revs cause the crank bearings to swell due to centrifugal force and if it breaks the oil film its pretty much gonna gall the bearing and adios. Ofcourse other crap like rod stretch, valve float etc also are worsened by heat and speed.
I've seen of cases where a tight valve guide binds up when cold but that may be the only cold related failure mode I have seen in reality on a low performance engine like these.
So heat and rpm usually kill these, the cold and lack of rpm protects it to an extent oil really isn't even needed for those fractions of a second.

Cool.
Srinath.
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stewmills
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #8 - 01/24/20 at 10:02:12
 
Mike Barnett wrote on 01/24/20 at 05:31:56:
So it looks like my best choice is to use Rotella, either T4 15W40 or T6 - if I use T6 do I use 5W40 or 15W40?


Depends on where you live and how cold it is when you start up, but I think more here use 15w40.  I live in AL and occasionally ride in ~50-60 degree weather and only use 15w40. Never had an issue with starting with the thicker 15w40 in those temps. How 5 vs 15 impacts start-up wear, etc...well that is above my pay grade.
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2008 | 152/52.5–Air Mix 3/4 | RT6 w/Redline | Seat Lift w/Sheepskin | Speedo Rattle | Rear Pulley Shim | 140/90-15 Rear | Kaw Front Pulley | Relocated Rear Signals

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Mike Barnett
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #9 - 01/24/20 at 10:09:26
 
batman wrote on 01/24/20 at 06:55:59:
Mike  t-6 is 5w40  ,the advantage is with full synthetic the oil when cold is thinner and warms to operating temperature faster (90% of wear occurs at startup)  ,and lasts longer between oil changes.


Oil is such a slippery topic Smiley  I've seen T6 in both 5W40 and 15W40.  My gut feeling is to agree with you that the motor will get lubricant a tiny bit faster with 5W40, but I also (I'm old) remember the days when there was concern over viscosity issues when the spread between lower and upper numbers was too great (5W50 comes to mind...).  On the other hand, I know how thick cold 20W50 is on a 32 degree day, so I can definitely see a benefit to the thinner oil.

Part of me is missing the days of straight 30W!!!
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #10 - 01/24/20 at 11:58:01
 
Mike Barnett wrote on 01/24/20 at 10:09:26:
Part of me is missing the days of straight 30W!!!

I remember pouring in a quart of that stuff... I'm not missing it.
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Mike Barnett
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Re: Honda GN4 oil with Redline added - thoughts?
Reply #11 - 01/25/20 at 16:53:39
 
We went with the T4 for both bikes.
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