Valvoline vr1-full-synthetic -20w~50

Just got 10 qts for $77 right from their site, free shipping. 25% off and + code SUMMER15 if it still works another 15%. Even at 25 off its a great deal for a great oil imho. I add a 1/2 can of Molly to each oil change. With the high Zinc and Phosphorous anti wear additives this oil seems to work very well in my 996.1 & 996.2. Seems to take heat soak oil stability very well..... https://shop.valvolineglobal.com/pro...w-50?Size=1+QT

That's what I use in 1960's cast iron blocks.

That’s a reasonable price for track session oil. Get 8 sessions and call it good.

Just trying to share with the forum a good deal on a good m96 oil... What I like is, VR1 full synthetic is its not Driven oil at 2 times the cost. IMO, it out preforms Driven DI50. And its a substantial improvement for heat soaked viscosity stability. Just look at the below chart I run it in both my 996.1 & 996.2, seems to work well for me. The specs below look good as it gets for any w50 full synthetic. Seems others also think is "good oil"... The below specs/chart was posted by Slakker few months ago... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#post19919085

Do you have any UOAs for the VR1?

I run Castrol Edge full Synthetic Euro blend 10-40 in both my 996.1 & 991.1 as well as my Audi QS3 MB GLA & Defender

Quotes source posts: 20057995, 20058389

No. Viewed a 60,000mile 996.2 engine completely disassembled that had run Castrol Edge. Measured the bores for out of round/wear. The bores looked perfect, not even 1 scratch/score/nothing. The out of round was at .0027" almost at max spec so they say. But thats a part of the 996 loCo-sil block structure problem. Not an oil problem at all, as no oil can stop the inevitable defective structure/OOR/failure of the 996 block, just a fact of life for us.... The above engine had run Castrol Edge full Synthetic for most of its 60k life. The owner was a skilled tech that kept up on all maintenance and then some....The engine was spotless like I said, not even a hint of bore score, none at 60k miles. Crank and bearings also looked good. Whole engine really looked good, Castrol is good oil... Although imho you should switch to a_ ** - w50 weight for much better oil pressure stability/heat soak, especially in Texas. Most 996 experts & Porsche's current oil recommendation is for a _ ** - w 50 Porsche's current 996 oil recommendation Porsche Classic Oil: 5W-50, some say this oil is really Mobil1 5w-50, idk..?

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There is alot of good oil available in the marketplace. Your post on VR1 has created some curiosity. I am also curious as to how often the owner changed the oil and what he has done with his service history. Fwiw, I have found the 3.6 to be very durable and easy to mitigate the risk of bore scoring. Pretty easy to test as well with a scope and consistent oil tests. The common denominator seems to be with running good oil and keeping it fresh. Frequent oil changes can make up for bad fuel injectors, oxy sensors, etc because the oil is always fresh and provides ample lubrication. High quality and fresh oil seems to make up for alot of suboptimal service and maintenence.

Quotes source post: 20058564

Sorry if I didn't make it clearer. Was responding to Viper 1000 above post about him running Castrol Edge. Made me think of that engine I measured the bores of, since it also ran Castrol Edge full synthetic. I agree, engine oil is the life blood of our m96, and running good oil of the proper weight/type and always keeping it full and clean are important for its well being.

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No worries. Just butting into a conversation. Appreciate the VR1 as well as Castrol comments. Who would have ever thought oil could be "exciting"? 😀

It says it's "not recommended for vehicles with catalytic converters"

I know this post is for the VR1 but I run Motul 300 in both my Audi and VW might as well complete the trinity and run it on my 996.

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All oils with high levels of anti wear additives have to have that disclaimer. Like Driven Racing oils. All the best oils for the m96 have high level of anti wear additives just like VR1 and Driven oils, as do many of the other oils on the above chart that are the best oils for our m96. Will these oils eventually clog your cat..? I've been running many different oils with similar disclaimers, like M1 0-50, VR1 20-50, & Driven oils, and never got a clogged cat in decades of use. Those with black tail pipes full of soot burning excess oil consumption have a lot more to worry about in damage to their cats with any oil, but at that point in their engines life there is a lot more to worry about than the cats. Lake from Driven Racing oils explains it well... You Tube

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Thanks for the tip! I just ordered some. Lake is a riot! He is so passionate, but explains things clearly at a layman's level.

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WalMart carries it in my part of the world. AutoZone claims to as well although I don't find it on the shelf like I do at WalMart.

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Be careful when ordering/buying VR1, as all VR 1 are not the same... The Grey bottle is called VR1 20-50, but is a conventional oil not full synthetic oil. The Black bottle is also called/labeled VR1 20~50, but is FULL SYNTHETIC oil and more expensive and not as available. Lived in many places in USA and never found The Black bottle VR1 20~50, FULL SYNTHETIC oil on the self at Wallymart. Think you can order it from them but its expensive there. Can't get 0~50 Mobil1 racing oil at WM either. Whats your area that carries the black bottle VR1 20~50,, how much does it cost there ? The grey bottle conventional dino oil vr1 is and has been at all Walmarts, but would not recommend it for our m96. Anyhow, that sale price I got of 77$ for 10 quarts Black bottle . was the reason for this thread. IMHO was a great deal, 25% + the extra promo code SUMMER15, right from Valvoline themself + free shipping. So, just to recap, make sure to get the black bottle if going with VR1. And if you find it less expensive somewhere other than Valvoline themselves, like in my link in first post, please post your source on this thread... Black bottle, VR1 20~50, FULL SYNTHETIC oil. Only comes in quart bottles, no 4/5 quart jugs are available that I've ever been able to find. Some oil trivia....VR1 FULL SYNTHETIC racing oil is used by Hendricks MotorSports the winningest team in NASCAR history, with $300,000 engines to protect.

Man, that�s real confusing. They must be doing that on purpose.

Thanks @allcool , $74.97 for 10 quarts, delivered to NC.

Quotes source posts: 20061449, 20055698

I duuno, one comes in black bottle and says 'FULL SYNTHETIC' on it and the other one is a gray bottle. At any rate, I don't think Valvoline is intentionally trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. Thanks for the heads up. I only use that weight VR-1 in the M5 except the non-synthetic version. I still have a case and half of that so I used your link to buy oil for the other cars. Not that anyone cares, but I've been using the VR-1 dino version in the M5 for over 15 years and the engine is still going strong with now over 300,000 miles. Other than a new timing chain and guides, motor is all original.

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I love those engines.... Its to BMW like Mezger is to Porsche. I've used more dino Valvoline VR1 than I can remember, for many many many decades now. Anyone remember these cans... Still have a full one I found last year in the back of one of my shelves. I'm guessing some are going to be confused by the above pic. I do not use dino oil in the 996, just a pic in my garage of a very old can of oil with the 996 in the background.

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In my youth, I was big into air-cooled VWs and Castrol GTX 20w-50 is what all the cool kids used. I'm glad to see I'm not the only sentimental one around here.

Quotes source post: 20061778

I think it’s weird that they’re both named “VR1”. Why not change the name of one of them, like “VR1FS” to signify full synthetic? If allcool hadn’t made it clear, I would have continued to misidentify them. It also doesn’t sit well with me that they only sell the cheaper kind at Walmart, like they’re trying to trick us Walmart shoppers. edit: I’ll add that searching Google for reviews of VR1 was confusing as heck because half the results were discussing the conventional oil. And I’m starting to second-guess the “VR1FS” suggestion, in favor of something like “VR-Super”.