Lucas Oil Additives

[Rusty 904]

Just changed my oil in my car today... (mobil 1 20W 50), it has only been like 4000 miles since the last oil change but i noticed 2 weeks ago that i burned like 2 quarts so i checked for possible leaks.... there were none..... i drive back and forth often to Daytona Beach thats where i am going to school and the road between home in school (St. road 40) is always empty so i am usually going 110 or so....... The mechanic says driving like this once or twice a week at high speeds for prolong periods of time you will burn oil..... Anyways to retard the oil consumption rate my mechanic a well known BMW specialist told me to add Lucas. It is this thick sticky oil shit that helps lubrication of parts and it also works well for cold starting and shit like that it also is suppose to add life to your engine...( But who really believes all that trash) My question to everyone is what do you all think about this additive? Does anyone run it in there cars? Just wanted to know peoples opinions. I have heard other mechanics also swear by this stuff so i am hoping it is good. Thanks
Josh ( 97 M3 )

[dieselm3]

I have never used it, but Lucas oil stabilizer was recommended to me by a BMW guy who really knows his stuff about a year ago when I was burning a little oil.

[themadhatter]

I've used the fuel additive in my Tahoe and noticed nothing (used two bottle since it has a 30+ gallon tank). maybe the truck didn't need it, I don't know. But nothing good or bad occured.


---

Rusty, welcome to the board - I hope you enjoy the site and it's members, but please refrain from using vulger in your post.

Thanks,
Ron
moderator

[AnthonyS]

My father in law swears by Lucas oil additive. He is a farmer / trucker and puts it in everything from the riding lawn mower, to his Peterbilt and everyone of their cars. I read the label on it last time I was there. It is completely devoid of ingredients. I've heard its good stuff from a few others, but never any real explanation as to why.

[themadhatter]

snake oil? I've heard the same claims but until I see something published about them, I'll keep my money on Techron and Mobil1

[b0rf]

Originally posted by themadhatter
snake oil? I've heard the same claims but until I see something published about them, I'll keep my money on Techron and Mobil1

It's acutally an OIL additive, not a fuel additive.

[themadhatter]

um....B0rf - they also make a fuel additive, that's what I was refering to. I used that figuring at worst it would burn away unlike the oil additive which would be more of PITA to remove.

I didn't want to jump into a new company head first when trying their products.

[b0rf]

Originally posted by themadhatter
um....B0rf - they also make a fuel additive, that's what I was refering to. I used that figuring at worst it would burn away unlike the oil additive which would be more of PITA to remove.

I didn't want to jump into a new company head first when trying their products.

Actually, the fuel additive woudl be more of a PITA to remove. But i understand what you were getting at.

[AnthonyS]

I did go to their site: www.lucasoil.com There was some info, but there were no studies or anything like that. You can get the specs of the stuff by pulling up the product info sheet as a *.pdf file. All I can say is that oil stabilizer is some thick stuff at higher temperatures.

Like I said my father in law swears by it, but I don't see any reason to use it personally.

I'll stick to Mobil1 too.

[Balthazarr]

At Kragen today and saw this demonstration apparatus consisting of 2 banks of a series of meshed plastic/delrin gears.
It had two sides, one lubed with reg oil and the other with 80% oil and 20% Lucas oil stabilizer additive.
Turn the crank on the non-Lucas side and the oil was passed up the gear chain from a small reservoir at the bottom.
Do the same to the other side and a LOT more oil was passed along.
So much that it created a visible membrane between the gears.

Just wondering since this thread began whether anyone here has positive results to report?

[habbie]

Anyways to retard the oil consumption rate my mechanic a well known BMW specialist told me to add Lucas. ( 97 M3 )

who's your bmw specialist? im in daytona too.

[Iron Chef]

2 quarts in 4000 miles? Seems kinda high. I used to burn almost that much and went to the dealer. They told me it was normal. After asking around, it seemed like some engines like to eat oil while others didn't.

[M_Dudey]

does it just thicken the oil? it seems so from the display.

[Balthazarr]

Not sure if it increases viscosity or not.
Seemed to me that it was actually thinner.
I did notice the gears on the Lucas side turned more easily indicating better lubricity.

I need more info myself.

[adsingl]

Go to "bobistheoilguy" site, lots of info. Additives are *usually* not a good idea. Many, like STP, increase viscosity, which isn't all bad if you're losing oil.
You may want to find one of these "extended mileage" oils, where the additives are designed to "re-swell" gaskets (on the inside too, not necessarily a leak). I believe running 110 mph for extended periods would cause most our engines to blow off a quart or two, but if you've seen a recent change (versus it started a month ago, when you started driving to school like this) with the same driving behavior, I'd check it out for the cause.

*edit* the site shown above shows one of the demo gear devices that sounds similar to one of the earlier appends above, can't recall if it says this is a good or meaningless test. Normal disclaimers, don't know Bob, etc.
ADS

[nightkrawler]

you beat me to it, lol. dont use it!!! at least till you read this, http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm . i used it once in my a4 and sure enough, after i read this i pulled the dipstick and examined it and there were bubbles in the oil. changed it immediately, shortly after, something in my top end started ticking, and the car only had 40k on it. if your using synthetic oil, consider this. the oil companys put a lot of time and effort and money into research on developing a good formula for there oil, when you throw in an additive you totally screw that formula up. i know about this lucas crap, and yeah, a lot of small garages swear by it, but after reading that, i'll never use it again. if you really want to use an additive, the only 2 that i have found in the last 10 years that work are rislone and restore. anymore i just change my oil religiously and stay away from the additives. rislone makes a product to stop oil burning i believe. but for the most part, they are all snake oil imo.

[Casebrius]

One demo I saw on the stuff showed it created aeration in several differant types of oils.

[nightkrawler]

you can recreate the experiment right at the display at you auto parts store. you know the little display that is split into 2 sides. one with staright oil, the other side with oil + lucas, and they have the little cranks so you can turn the gears to see the seemingly amazing effect that the lucas has. do this on both sides, first turn the oil side, turn the crank as fast as you can, then do the the same on the lucas side. note the difference in the oil's when they settle to the bottom. you will see the frothy air bubble laden oil on the lucas side. the side with the straight oil has very few bubbles compared to the lucas side. now this is the first lucas version thay came out with. now they have they same product that is formulated to be specifically used with synthetic oils. i havent seen any tests on this yet. but comparing the two visually, the regular lucas is cream colored, and very sticky/viscious, the synthetic version is clear and not as viscious. the one mechanic i know told me he puts the lucas in the microwave for a few seconds to heat it up before he puts it in a car, so it flows easier, its really thick shit. imo, if your car is running fine then just pick a quality oil and change it at regular intervals. if you have a problem, noisey lifter etc. try doing a motor flush to to try and remove varnish and deposits etc. i like seafoam personally. then refill with good oil. if you have an oil burning issue, and want to try an additive. i suggest rislone, or restore. but for the most part, additives dont solve the problem and sometimes can make new ones. if it's a mechanical problem, fix it.

[coolcarlski]

Just changed my oil in my car today... (mobil 1 20W 50), it has only been like 4000 miles since the last oil change but i noticed 2 weeks ago that i burned like 2 quarts so i checked for possible leaks.... there were none..... i drive back and forth often to Daytona Beach thats where i am going to school and the road between home in school (St. road 40) is always empty so i am usually going 110 or so....... The mechanic says driving like this once or twice a week at high speeds for prolong periods of time you will burn oil..... Anyways to retard the oil consumption rate my mechanic a well known BMW specialist told me to add Lucas. It is this thick sticky oil shit that helps lubrication of parts and it also works well for cold starting and shit like that it also is suppose to add life to your engine...( But who really believes all that trash) My question to everyone is what do you all think about this additive? Does anyone run it in there cars? Just wanted to know peoples opinions. I have heard other mechanics also swear by this stuff so i am hoping it is good. Thanks
Josh ( 97 M3 )

20w50 is kinda heavy ,isnt it? I use 5w30 mobil one.

[e36'n]

i would only ever use it to stop your vehicle from smoking....I used it in my corrado with blown seals in the supercharger and within 2 days it completely stopped....good stuff if you need to sell your car and it's in bad shape

[nightkrawler]

yeah, i can see it working for that kind of application. but in the end it's still snake oil and it may temporarily relieve a symptom but in the end you are still going to need to fix the problem. i used to think additives were great and would try any good one on the market. now the more i read on oil formulations, the less i want to change their chemistry, as i said before, they spend a lot of money formulating a good oil, why screw with perfection. plus as im sure everyone knows the single most imporntant maintenence you can do to keep your motor running for a long time is to change the oil religiously every 3k. in that regard, i think keeping clean oil in the car, even if it's not top of the line oil, is most imporntant.

[Balthazarr]

^Every 3K is unnecessary even with dino oil these days.
Suit yourself tho.

My keyoard jut took a dump, dam it. KEYOARD DOE'
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[nightkrawler]

i, personally never let my car go past 3k with conventional. i may slack a bit with synthetic, but even then not much past 3k. in reality, the conventional is still protecting the engine probably past 3k. an easy test of the condition of your oil is to put some oil on your index finger and your thumb. touch them together and slowly pull them apart, look at the oil between your fingers and watch how the bead of oil stretches, trying to hold together. see how far you can pull your fingers apart before the bead breaks. usually good oil will stretch a few millimeters. if the oil is broken down and is bad, it will act more like water and will not stretch and hold together hardly at all. this may seem like at rather primitive test, but it works. getting back to the subject, being that conventional is so cheap. why would you want to leave it in longer than 3k?? if your answer is being concerned about the enviormental implications, then why even use it.

[Casebrius]

It would be interesting to take a sample of oil from 2K, 3K and 5K and have it sent to a lab to see how much break down really does occur. Anything else is pure speculation of whether its still good or not.

[nightkrawler]

good idea, im not saying in any way to leave it in longer than 3k. but my "test" really does work. if you dont believe me, find a car that has gone signifigantly over 3k and due for a change. do the "pinch" test with new oil right out of the quart and the same with the used oil. you will see the difference in the breaking point. as i said, it sounds kind of stupid but it really does show how the oil breaks down. in any case, again, the cost of conventional is so cheap that there is no reason to leave it in longer than the specified amount of time.