Porsche classic engine oil for 996

Has anyone tried/used the new porsche classic engine oil 5w50 for the 996? Porsche always till now reccommended mobil 1 0w40 for the 996 but went for 5w50 in their own oil ( edited following the comment below)

I just put this in the car at my last oil chance in May. Coupled with the change in viscosity recommendation, I figured why not. I am also a sucker. No detectable performance changes, at least for me. The oil pressure seems normal, although I've read posts about guys seeing higher pressures. The cans are inconvenient in that with the flat top, I spilled more oil than usual filling it up. The can itself is kinda cool. Like I said, I'm a sucker. When I change it again in November, I'll try and remember to return to this thread and post the oil analysis.

Interesting. I wonder what are the actual changes in the oil, aside from weight. Perhaps a new additive mix to help slow down bore scoring?

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These cans do not have a flat top. I used the porsche classic engine oil 10w50 for my 1988 924S and its like this

I run this and it is on the Porsche 996 approved oil list. My car runs so much better with a 5W-40.

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996 Classic Oil is 5W50 not 5W40 https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/SKU5W50OIL.html

Has anyone done a voa/uoa on this oil? I'd be interested in what those results are.

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indeed ! my mistake

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Well that'll make things easier for next time. I am an idiot.

Based on my warm climate (Sacramento) and Porsche now recommending 5-50 oil, my oil pressure issues in turns and reviewing oil specs for A40 oils vs dt40 and others, I decided to use Motul Sport 5-50 in my car. Oil pressure is better at temp and pressure in turns doesn’t drop as quickly. Car runs fine. that said, I am certain that the heavier oil is compensating for worn rod bearings ( low oil pressure). I have been through the entire oil system and cannot find a root cause for low oil pressure in normal street driving turns (either direction). I have also read everything I have seen from Jake and Baz (Hartech in England). They have different theories for the cause of bore scoring. What Baz had to say convinced me to try an oil with better film strength to reduce piston skirt to Salinger contact on the right bank.

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This has been used before but I can't help it...It probably is ok oil. *Credit goes to a creative friend

If you want to use a 5w50. use the Mobil 5w50 probably it is more or less the same as the Porsche classic oil in a hot climate or summer even a 10w cold viscosity is fine. The higher high temp w50 viscosity helps to compensate for hotter running and optimal lubrication at the hotspots the 996 engine has.

I just bought Mobil 5w50 for sale a Napa Auto parts. $65 for 10 quarts and a napa gold filter. The oil has the Porsche A40 certification. Going to see what differences I notice when I change the oil tomorrow. Its the first time im using Mobil oil.

I have been using Mobil 1 0w40 for over 15 years in my 996. Now porsche comes with this new engine oil 5w50. When i do my next annual oil service in november i will use this new porsche oil and feedback, meanwhile surely others here will use it....

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It's just another way Porsche gets into your pocketbook. There are plenty of great oils out there for these cars. You need to select an oil that has significant ZDDP/Moly anti-wear additives.

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That's the reason why I use DT40. I have no idea what the PO was running, but it wasn't the oil that Jake suggested he use: (PO included all the paperwork from Jake)

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Porsche selling 5W-50 for 996s strong evidence that's best for our engines. Oil pressure and fuel economy both went up a bit, and it just feels like engine is running in butter. Can't wait to drive Daddy's car

Noted.

Changed the oil today to Mobil 1 5w50. Engine feels smoother but then again that could happen with any oil change. Will see if I get better gas mileage.

Not sure, but I think LN and/or Jake get something out of promotion of DT oils. Think about it, do a Google search. Mobile 1 was recommended, no longer.

The mobil 5w50 has a good additive package. why a higher viscous oil should get better gas mileage? I would suggest just the opposite. Or even impossible to detect with normal driving conditions as they are subject to many variables. Working the error margin and statistical no meaning.

It would be very interesting to compare the specificatons data of porsche classic 5w50 vs mobil 1 5w50.... anyone ???

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There are many members on here that have posted excellent UOAs for DT40. The reason I use and recommend Driven, DT40 and DI40 specifically, as we worked closely with Driven during the development of their oils for Porsche applications. The used oil analysis does not lie. Test it for yourself. And yes, I do sell Driven products. However, with free shipping, we only make a few dollars on a case and sometimes we lose money depending on where it gets shipped. I look at it as a courtesy to our customers to offer what we believe is the best oil for the application. M1 0w40 used to be good many years ago. It's now just a marginal oil designed for optimal fuel economy designed to meet the min requirements of the A40 spec. M1 5w50 is far better for sure. The M1 0w40 ESP (C40) is a far superior oil to the A40 M1. If you are a die hard M1 0w40 user, just use the ESP formula instead. But without regular used oil analysis for any oil in your engine for how you drive, recommendations are unsubstantiated opinions.

It took me too long to post this, but I did VOAs of M1 5W50 FS2 and Porsche Classic 5W50. I used WIX and Blackstone for both for oil comparisons to allow for differences in lab methodologies. Classic:

Thanks for putting this up. I'd wondered about the Porsche v. Mobil 1. I've got a while yet but I'll reference when the time comes and I'll likely go with Mobil 5w50 (hope it goes on sale by year end). Interesting how formulations ppm's favor either heavy Zinc or Moly but not both. I'm running Liqui Moly now but, despite the name, they favor Zinc. If LM comes out with a 5w50 I'd consider it too.

I�m a retired tribologist, used to formulate oils, etc. The Porsche Classic oil is a lot more viscous than the Mobil 1 0w40. 1. 70 percent of the wear happens at startup. A 0w is your friend, I drive mine once or twice a week so I love to see that pressure indicator come up right away at start up. You don�t want pressure you want flow , you have to create full film lubrication no metal to metal contact. The only reason to use a thicker oil is to compensate for wear. How many high mileage oils are there in the market? I was at Valvoline when we developed max life, first oil for high mileage engines, originally defined as 75,000 miles. The DT 40 oil does not has Porsche formal approval. I�m running Mobil 0w40, I spoke with Mobil at technical 3rd level a tribologist like mysel, the European 0w40 has a 12.9 TBn, (liquid moly below 8), Mobil 0W has between 2100 to 2200 ppm zinc phosphorus that�s good. The Porsche classic oil has even more zinc phosphorus than that. Also running a thicker oil, higher internal temp, more friction between oil molecules, reduced horsepower, reduced fuel economy. Now I don�t track my car but every drive after everything is up to temp I take it triple digits. Now if Jake builds you an engine he knows the tolerances and if he says you need a 50W oil or even a 60W oil you should use what he says. In my professional opinion the Porsche classic oil is a bandaid to cover the problem of some of this engines with higher wear, engines on cars that are put away for months and then started for 6 months and then put back up again. My car doesn�t uses any oil to speak up but if it would use a bit that wouldn�t be bad because by adding new oil you are adding additives. Additives get consumed with use, my car has now 97,000 miles. Would be real useful if somebody gets the TBn of DT 40 and the Porsche classic, I�m pretty sure the Mobil 5W50 has about 13, by looking at the analysis the chemical composition looks almost exact as the 0W40. By the way my wife�s amg also runs this oil. I also decided to use Mobil 1 because out of 42 documented service records 41 of them at a Porsche dealership so we know what oil this car has seen thru all of his life.

Watching this thread. My '03 was running Motul 5W40 until last fall, when it was switched to M1 0W40 (European). Car is used about once a week, stored winters, 60K miles. Doesn't burn any oil. I think the car is noisier at cold start with 0W40, but that is purely subjective. Considering going back to 5W40 or 5W50 next oil change...

I ran M1 0-40 for 3 years and switched to Motul 5-40; haven�t noticed really much difference at all in the cold start rattle, oil pressure differences, etc. Engine (99 3.4) behaves the same way to me (no difference)

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I�ll bet whatever money. Give me the motul 5w40, against the Mobil one 0w40, remember 70 percent of of the wear happens at startup. The exact same engine with Mobil one will last longer. If we test this in a control environment with same engine and the only variable is oil. I used to formulate motor oils I know what I�m running on my engine.

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If you�d read post #24, you wouldn�t be guessing. Wix test says Classic base number 9.4 and M1FSx2 11.3.

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if you listen to Jake for an ailing engine he recommends the Valvoline Cummins engine oil, that�s a Diesel engine oil with a lot of dispersancy and detergency. That is what makes up your TBN. Anyway, this reinforces my point that Mobil one European at an average 12.9 has a lot more dispersants and detergents anyway, I�ll never put liquid moly on my car, every one is welcome to use what they want. If you have a heart ❤️ issue you go to a cardiologist, if you need a lubrication recommendation make sure you talk to a tribologist, fare and square I�m not selling anything but I do have $50 k in Valvoline stocks and another $50 in XOM. Also one last comment not necessarily because an oil has a higher TBn it means that it lasts longer, you need to understand additive depletion rate which varies by formulations.

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Unfortunately the dozens of used oil analysis reports posted to Rennlist over many years showing a reduction of wear metals when switching away from M1 0w40 to Motul or some other 5w40 is enough to warranty not using M1 0w40. It is well known that M1 0w40 is formulated at the bottom end of the viscosity range for a 40wt (great for fuel economy) and shears out of grade to a 30W very fast. These alone are reasons enough to use other oils. That's not to say Mobil can't make a good oil. Their ESP and now C40 version is much better even though it has significantly less detergency and has a higher HTHS viscosity to boot. Before I am attacked for being someone with commercial interests, I may not be a tribologist, but I have spent a lot of time researching the topic (I purchased and read every SAE whitepaper on oils going back to the 40s), have carried out extensive testing (with Jake), I am married to a Chemical Engineer (whom I rely on for her technical expertise), and I'm good friends with a certified lubrication specialist and tribologist. I, along with a few select people (again Jake and Lake Speed Jr.), were the ones to figure out that the reduction of ZDDP was the reason for camshaft and lifter failures in the early 2000s. In fact, I used to lecture on the subject across the country, so I know a little about oils.

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Ok, then the next question is: what oil and weight? Does anybody have the most recent list of oils approved by Porsche? Anybody running 10W__? If so, why? What are the differences between a 5W40 and 5W50? Why would one be chosen over the other?

I really don't care what oil Porsche recommends. I'll stick with what Jake & Charles recommend...DT40 for daily driving and XP9 for track use.

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Unless you're in the Arctic Circle, a 5w40 should be appropriate for most watercooled Porsche engines. A 5w50 does provide slightly higher HTHS viscosity, but with the larger spread between the 5 and 50 (in 5w50) requires additional viscosity modifiers which means the oil will shear out of grade, which we know from others who have run and shared their UOAs and the oil ends up a 40wt (which is still better than M1 0w40 for sure). 5w50 M1 has always been hard to find, hence why many don't run it. The thicker oil will reduce fuel economy, but who cares about that :-) 10w40 will work too - we run Driven BR, HR, and XP9 in these engines all without any issues and they are all 10w40, however we're not running these oils anywhere near freezing temps where cold start would be a real concern. In fact, many used to run 15w50 or 20w50 in their early 986/996 engines. Only time I've seen it being an issue was if it was cold out where you'd have an engine that would not start and also had no compression. The lifters would pump up and hold all the valves open. Once you swapped in a lighter viscosity, the lifters would bleed down and function properly and restore operation of the engine. Many still run a 15w50 in hotter climates, especially on track (including Driven's XP6).

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As my car is parked for the winter (typically only driven above 50 degrees F), I am considering 10W40 for the next oil change. Any reason not to?

I don�t see anything wrong with 10W at 50F. As long as the oil meets the need, that viscosity should be fine. Not sure if there�s a 10wXX that�s on the Porsche approved list; not everyone cares about that, but many do.

I ran 15-50 only for track days. Then went back to 0w or 5w for year round oil because I sometimes drive in the freezing cold winter (between -5F and 10F).

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no offense Charles. My cls number 449 in 1998, at that point there was only 9 certified Spanish speaking tribologist. Ask your friend what number is his cert. anyway for me 0W40 has between 2100 to 2200 ppm zinc phosphorus. I like the high TBN 12.9. Yes I know is a light 40 weight oil. As someone that took care of 2 million dollar engines in mining applications in the biggest Cooper mine in the world Antofagasta Chile. I�m fine running this on my car. Since the car sits for sometimes 5 days I want the fastest flow at startup. ask your tribologist friend 70 percent of wear happens at startup. As long as I don�t have low oil pressure I�m fine with higher flow instead of higher oil pressure. The add pack on 0w40 is the same chemistry as 5w50. Regarding the used oil analysis labs, who monitors them, how new and up to snuff is their equipment, how many samples do they do per day. How frequently do the recalibrate their equipment. If you build me an engine and give me the technical reasons why you want me to run a specific oil I�ll go with it, like blue print and tolerances, etc. I�m not tracking my car. My car doesn�t sit for 6 months. Anyway whatever oil you recommend do you know if they formulate by component or they buy add packs, do they use PAO with a touch of Esther for seal swell and additive solubility, or they use group 3 and call it synthetic, remember I also worked for Conoco excell paralubs. Do the buy from ethyl, lubrizol, paramins,??? Also, I cannot tell how other people take care of their cars but I�m an addict. Also have your friend or yourself ever got a product approved y an European OEM, I have many, so I ain�t using a product that has not been formally approved. A little secret, I got a MOS2 top threat from some of my former colleagues, this is not commercially sold. I was just telling people what I use and why I use it. Anyway I don�t work no more. I�m currently in south Padre Island with my family for a week. If my engine goes I can definitely afford it. I may even have one of the shops in Europe build me a blue print one. Anyway at Dadys happy hour cold beer 75 cents oysters, waiting on my boudin and jambalaya. Currently

Louis, What oil would you run in your car if your were (1) just street driving in a 4 season state without a lot of driving in the winter, and (2) street and track driving in the warm weather months?

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so I probably use two different oils with about same chemical composition. Cold 0w40, maybe 5W40. If you use let�s say Mobil then on hot months and you are going to track it and beat it up then the 5W50. If you are going to run some other brand as long as the chemistry is the same or similar. I would just adjust the viscosity. I�m not that familiar with the driven oils but if they have two separate oils where one has a better pour point and ccs, I would use that one for the winter cold and then the other one for warmer track use. It�s completely possible to formulate a 40w oil where one almost is as thin as a 30w oil and the other formulation is almost a 50w oil. Make sure the chemical composition (additive chemistry is real similar). To be fair, I honestly don�t know what you guys call track use. Do you run three 30 minute heats, do you spend 3 Hours on the track. Do you just do 5 laps and then drive the car home. How hot does the oil gets and how hot is the coolant temp?? Some people that haven�t had any issues have told me that they change the oil after every track day. I was in the industry, I used to work for DuPont. Remember slick 50. Based on my knowledge there are a lot of snake oils additives out there. I remember a QM1 presentation they drain all the oil out of the car and then ran the engine dry until it seize, I screw them up by using a GL5 gear oil in the engine with extreme pressure additives, till this day they don�t know what I used. Same crap with the roller bearing tell them you have a mystery garage formulated oil, then run gear oil and the bearing is not going to seize.

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Hard to imagine how a thicker oil could yield better mpg�.perhaps if you had a ton of blowby.

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you�ll get the better mileage with the oil that has a lower viscosity, friction modified oils can provide similar benefits. Also with this higher visc engine is going to run hotter. Now if you have oil consumption blowby bore scoring then the higher vis would help you some.

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Does anyone happen to have, or can point me to, a VOA for the European, Porsche approved, M1 5w40 FS2? I'm curious if the additive PPM's are about the same as the 5w50. I'm guessing they probably are.