Hey guys,
I have used Castrol 20w-50 for several years. I always change the oil after 9-12 1/4 mile passes. The car is not a daily driver and is driven to the track and back (20miles each direction). I usually race once a month.

I switched to Mobil 1 15w-50 and have 15 passes on the car. The oil is still a honey color. How many passes can I get out of the Mobile 1 before I need an oil change?

Your help is appreciated!
Danny

Do you have fuel contamination problems? I can't see that you're severely taxing the oil making a few passes down the quarter. We run our road racer well over 1000 hard miles on an oil change with no problems at all.

Part of the problem with a drag car is that the oil doesn't stay at operating temperature for very long. As a result, hydrocarbon and other contaminents that reach the oil never really burn off. Many factors can contribute to oil contamnination including ring seal, air/fuel mixture, air filteration, etc... If at all possible, avoid running the engine for short periods of time and shutting it off before the water/oil reach operating temperatures. Personally I change my oil AND filter every 20-25 passes. I've been using this service interval for the last three year. When I tore the engine down over the winter the bearings all looked new.

HTH...

I change my engine oil every other race ~ 10-15 passes. Tranny and Rearend oil once a year

Sorry to jump in like this, but would you guys do anything special to help deal with contamination issues? Since I changed cams I have been making sure I let the water and oil come up to full temp when driving, but beyond that?
Forgot to add I switched to synthetic after the cam change.


Matt

I change mine right before the begining of the season.

Thanks for the info, I feel better running the more expensive Mobil 1 oil for a longer period of time. I would hate to dump perfectly good oil.

On another note: How often do you change your spark plugs? I usually change mine every 20 passes or so. Is this necessary?
Danny

Originally posted by djgaleana:

On another note: How often do you change your spark plugs? I usually change mine every 20 passes or so. Is this necessary?
Danny I don't think so. As long as the engine is making power, the plugs are doing their job. I check them regularly and as long as they look good I run them. I carry an extra set just in case. If they are not fouling and you're not detonating the engine, plugs will last for quite a while. I have two years on the NGKs I'm using.

I change the plugs every 2 races as well (along with the oil)

The problem becomes when tuning, the rings that you see on the plugs stay there, and after 10-15 passes, it is hard to see where the new ring is.