Suzuki Oil vs Rotella T6 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Suzuki Oil vs Rotella T6

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AlexCB500

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Hey everyone,

for roughly the same price i can buy Suzuki Full Synthetic oil or Rotella T6.

I have used Rotella before and in fact that’s what i have in the bike now. What i dont like is that Rotella is 5Wx40 and my bike calls for 10Wx40.

Also, I’m thinking if the price is the same why not use a dedicated Suzuki oil as apposed to smth that is not even advertised as the motorcycle oil.

What do you guys think?
 
Do you have news of a honda powersports closing by any chance?
 
5W / 10W......no difference (in warm temps).
The "W" designates winter weight. 0W would be your friend if you use it in sub zero temps.
 
AlexCB500 said:
Hey everyone,

for roughly the same price i can buy Suzuki Full Synthetic oil or Rotella T6.

I have used Rotella before and in fact that’s what i have in the bike now. What i dont like is that Rotella is 5Wx40 and my bike calls for 10Wx40.

Also, I’m thinking if the price is the same why not use a dedicated Suzuki oil as apposed to smth that is not even advertised as the motorcycle oil.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
"Numbers", will provide you with an accurate answer.
By "numbers", I mean an oil analysis.
Take a sample of each before using (fresh from the container) and then a sample of each after 5000 km.
Send the four samples to an oil lab and the lab will give you a comparison and you can make a decision.
I did this for a Civic Turbo, as these cars were susceptible to petrol pollution in the crank case oil (has since been rectified by Honda MoCo, as an "upgrade", the Company does not term it as a recall)
The oil analysis will not empty your wallet and there is a reputable lab in Calgary that does this.
(I have no business or personal connection with that lab)

"four wheels good, two wheels better"
 
AlexCB500 said:
Hey everyone,

for roughly the same price i can buy Suzuki Full Synthetic oil or Rotella T6.

I have used Rotella before and in fact that’s what i have in the bike now. What i dont like is that Rotella is 5Wx40 and my bike calls for 10Wx40.

Also, I’m thinking if the price is the same why not use a dedicated Suzuki oil as apposed to smth that is not even advertised as the motorcycle oil.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
SSDD. I have never seen oil brand make a hill of beans difference in the engine life of a street bike. When we talk about oil and it's impact on engine life, the secret is change frequency -- not brand of oil. Make sure the oil is spec for your bike and any oil will do. If you want the bike to last, change the oil & filter every 5000km or once a year and the engine will outlast the rest of the bike.

Also, the lower number doesn't mean anything with respect to wear, it only impacts cold starting. The number to the right of the W is the viscosity at operating temp.
 
Chris-CJ said:
"Numbers", will provide you with an accurate answer.
By "numbers", I mean an oil analysis.
Take a sample of each before using (fresh from the container) and then a sample of each after 5000 km.
Send the four samples to an oil lab and the lab will give you a comparison and you can make a decision.
I did this for a Civic Turbo, as these cars were susceptible to petrol pollution in the crank case oil (has since been rectified by Honda MoCo, as an "upgrade", the Company does not term it as a recall)
The oil analysis will not empty your wallet and there is a reputable lab in Calgary that does this.
(I have no business or personal connection with that lab)

"four wheels good, two wheels better"
Click to expand...

Thanks! If the pricing is right, i will try that. More out of curiosity than anything else.
 
Rotella is not the best possible oil for a motorcycle. I use it because it is good enough and is usually much cheaper than "real" moto oil. If Suzuki synthetic is the same price somewhere, I would use that no question. Also, where is it that cheap so I can go get some
 
I've also decided to use 5W instead of 10W, thanks to riding around spring and fall when temperatures are closer to 0 deg C. My car takes 0W-20.
As long as it's synthetic, 5W-40 and 10W-40 should behave the same at operating temperature (hot) for the duration between oil changes. The worst of the engine wear is when cold, I have no problem lowering the winter value of my oil and would never increase it.
 
Long time ago I thought it was produced by Castrol, does it mysteriously spec out the same today?
 
Just so you know: The "W" in 10W40 DOES NOT mean winter, or cold or anything like that. It means "weight". You have to be old enough to remember oil before we got multi-viscosity oils. Regular 30 oil is 30W, hot or cold it is 30 weight.

Mad Mike said:
Also, the lower number doesn't mean anything with respect to wear, it only impacts cold starting.
Click to expand...
The fact is the majority of wear on the bottom end of a healthy ICE is at start up. The WORST thing you can do to a gas motor is start it.

You will notice that recently we can buy 5w... or 0w... oils, oils with a lower first number... but only in last 5-7 years. The lower viscosity oil is to get cleaner starts, less emissions in the first minute or two after you start the motor.
To use these lower viscosity motors the manufacturers have had to close the bearing clearances on the crankshaft. There used to as much as 0.004" clearance, now they're down to about 0.0015".
It is not about ambient temperature, but ALL about bearing clearances.

... wait... what's that?
I hear the peanut gallery mumbling about the manual calling for more viscous (you will notice I did not say thicker oil, I said more viscous oil. There is a HUGE difference) oil when it is extremely cold.
When it is extremely cold the metal shrinks/contracts... making the bearing clearances larger... allowing for a more viscous oil to be used.
 
Plus, motors at one time were machined to much less accurate tolerances, cylinder bores were honed steel, we actually had to break them in.

Not aluminum blocks with accurate holes formed in them, coated with a 40 micron thick nickel based stuff.
 
Why isn't oil priming a thing on most vehicles? How I see it if you had a way to cycle oil before you even start it, the time of the most wear is reduced.
 
You can still 'sort of' prime the engine with oil. Start the car and wait 30 seconds to a minute before driving away. Engines have an oil pump, so it doesn't take long to coat the surfaces.
 
The W stands for weight but that's a misnomer too. With multi-weight, the actual weight is neither of those numbers without the additives.
Some manufacturers' use "winter" in their publications now. It's easier to remember that the first number is the cold viscosity, even if cold is basically anything under 100C.
 
KWDRZ said:
Why isn't oil priming a thing on most vehicles? How I see it if you had a way to cycle oil before you even start it, the time of the most wear is reduced.
Click to expand...
Cold starting may be the hardest thing on an engine, but in the great scheme of things cold starts won't have a meaningful impact on the life of a modern engine. Has anybody familiar with teardowns seen or heard of a modern engine being damaged or noticeably worn by too many cold starts?

Modern engines, fuels, filters and lubricants combine to make them last a very long time if they are serviced properly. If you change O&F on schedule, keep fuel and valve train adjusted, and ensure your cooling system is working at spec you should be able to ride the s(*& out of any modern street MC for 100K miles or more -- a well maintained motor should be the last thing you will need to overhaul on a motorcycle.

Things to worry about: Spec oil and filter on 5K or 12 mo intervals. Service valve, fuel, and cooling systems -- keep them in spec.
Things not to worry about: Too many cold starts, the brand of oil you use.
 
KWDRZ said:
Why isn't oil priming a thing on most vehicles? How I see it if you had a way to cycle oil before you even start it, the time of the most wear is reduced.
Click to expand...
Pressurize the oil pump just in advance of the motor turning.
Not a bad idea at all, but your pump can't be the primary pump it would have to be electric and in addition to the mechanical pump.
and you are going to have to sell people on the extra cost.
 
KWDRZ said:
Why isn't oil priming a thing on most vehicles? How I see it if you had a way to cycle oil before you even start it, the time of the most wear is reduced.
Click to expand...
A car or motorcycle engine does not need priming under normal operation - the parts vulnerable to wear are typically designed to last through 100,000 cold starts. If you change oil on time, the corrosion control and thin film protection additives will protect until the oil pump pressurize the engine.
 
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