10W60 oil

Originally Posted by Cuore_Sportivo_155

There's no such thing as a multigrade oil which is too thin when cold....

Thats interesting ,so why does the the figure vary anything from 0 to 20? Are you saying that an older type diesel engine that asks for a 15/40 is better off with a 10/40?

What about helium in tyres - less unsprung weight?

Originally Posted by alfafamily

Thats interesting ,so why does the the figure vary anything from 0 to 20? Are you saying that an older type diesel engine that asks for a 15/40 is better off with a 10/40?

THe 0-20 are arbitrary numbers, assigned to an oil after testing to see which norm it meets. A 10w-40 flows better at low temperatures than a 15w-40, a 5w-40 flows better still... 0w-40 is essentially the same as 5w-40, only the pour point is lower. All these oils will flow roughly the same at operating temps, but the "thinner when cold will start protecting the engine much earlier"

so yes, a 10w-40 is superior to a 15w-40. Don't forget that the viscosity and quality of oils mantioned in the user manual is the minimum required. That doesn't mean you can't do better.

Originally Posted by Paul Dennis

At the pressures and temperatures tyres work at the variation in pressure with temperature must be pretty much the same for nitrogen and air filled tyres since the gas behaves more or less ideally. I'm not sure what the advantages of nitrogen are.....may be very low water content

It is the water content.
Nitrogen is dry, so 0% water, so the rate of pressure rise with heat is always constant and a known variable.
Air always contains a % of water vapour so the rate of pressure rise with heat isn't a known constant.
On a road car it makes no difference at all.
And unless you are running a low single seater it makes little difference to a race car either.

Remember that air is 78% Nitrogen anyway.

Originally Posted by David C

Remember that air is 78% Nitrogen anyway.

And rubber is more permeable to other gasses in air then nitrogen, so if you wait long enough, the nitrogen content will rise...

you'd be surprised how many people I see coming in the workshop with the cheapest tyres available, yet they payed extra for nitrogen in them.... makes my job easier, don't have to inflate them then

Going back to the oil issue, my local indie says the only reason Alfa ever specified 10W60 in any of their engines was to cut consumption - however, it's what was in my GT when it was new so it's what I continue to use.

Picked the car up from service on Tuesday and thought something was clunking around in the boot. Turned out to be a tin of Selenia Racing which they'd left there for me as there was a drop left. At least I know they actually used it!!!

What would be the best bet for the Brera then, the same selenia oil 10w60...? Do you recon it would be good for the147's too...?

Use whatever the manual recommends.

Originally Posted by Mr_Caine

Use whatever the manual recommends.

I have Selenia 10w60 in my T Spark - good stuff!

Exactly if the manual says use 10w-60 put that in your car, if it says 10w-40 put that in. The 60 part is important for hot climates or high temperatures, the GTA is not a cool engine so could warrant this, although I personally believe for normal road use a 10w-40 would be fine, track use absolutely need the higher grade oil.

Well I drive my car as if its on the track...well, usually!! I have 5W40 in the 147 now, loves it.

Originally Posted by alfafamily

On the subject of oil, which crops up on here all the time, I have my own thoughts. Ask anyone outside of Alfa circles and it is very unusual to find someone who has heard of Selenia oil, ask virtually anyone, car fanatic or not, what do Castrol make and they will tell you.

So, its only natural to query, why on earth are Alfa telling me to use an expensive,hard to get product, from a company that no one has ever heard of, instead of an oil recommended by a world renowned company, with a history as long as the motor car itself, being sold in every town and city in the country for less money.

It makes no sense to me,I've used Castrol for over 12 years now, before that I used Silkolene (now Fuchs).

Totally agree. Alfa and some Alfa fans declare the virtues of Selenia but its not better or worse than any other. I use Agip 10/60 as thats what my mechanic sells. If he didn't, I'd be more than happy with Castrol, Mobil or whoever else is selling the black stuff.

selena and pirelli are blth italian

its economics more than anything els

Fiat Parts and Alfa Romeo Parts from Shop4Parts sells Selenia Racing 10W/60 at a reasonable price, 5l is less than 4l of Castrol Edge. 10W/60.

The new skyline runs a mix of air and nitrogen in its tyres (a la F1 cars). You can only get a tyre replaced/inflated at the dealer (probably why they did it!)

[quote=Cuore_Sportivo_155;1219550]klike you said, + less oxidation of the rubber (the tyre ages better). QUOTE]

...so what about the oxygen on the outside of the tyre?

Or can you get a nitrogen dump system to flush your wheelarches with N2?


My understanding was that N2 was preferred for safety reasons as it won't support combustion whereas with compressed air you have a big supply of oxidiser.

...back on topic:

I feed mine Miller's CFS 10W60 which is about 15% cheaper than Selenia (if you can find it).

Originally Posted by Dfens

...back on topic:

I feed mine Miller's CFS 10W60 which is about 15% cheaper than Selenia (if you can find it).

Not a good choice as it is only ACEA A2-96 B3-98. The manufacturer states a specification of A3 B3. I personally use Silkolene ProS 10W50 which i think is the best oil for this engine and the use that i do.

Engine...which one?

Originally Posted by newalfisti

Not a good choice as it is only ACEA A2-96 B3-98. The manufacturer states a specification of A3 B3. I personally use Silkolene ProS 10W50 which i think is the best oil for this engine and the use that i do.

Originally Posted by Astro

What would be the best bet for the Brera then, the same selenia oil 10w60...?

No, the Brera engines use 5w40 Synthetic.
Std spec is Selenia StAR

Hey thanks Dave...

I tend to read the API SJ (or whatever) indications as to suitability although I've no idea what API specification Selenia Racing as recommended in the user manual is.