Differences Between Street Oils and Racing Oils

By Bryce Smith

The oils detailed in this comparison do not represent a single oil. They are fictional based on averages
of several different oils in that category. The specifications in this comparison should be used for
educational purposes only.

Specification...................................Street Oil..................Race Oil

Oil grade (SAE J300).......................10w-30......................10w-30

Total Base Number............................8.9.............................1.4

Kinematic Viscosity @ 100*C..........10.6 cSt.....................11.9 cSt
Kinematic Viscosity @ 40*C............67.1 cSt.....................69.7 cSt
Viscosity Index..................................147............................168
NOACK/Volatility.............................12.5%........................8.5%
HTHS @ 150*C................................3.0 cP.........................3.5 cP

The following results are listed in parts per million (ppm).

Calcium..............................................2250..........................330
Magnesium.........................................10..............................0
Phosphorus.........................................675............................1100
Zinc.....................................................790............................1200
Molybdenum.......................................78..............................1540
Silicon.................................................15..............................40
Boron..................................................120............................45

To break this down, let's start from the top.

Total Base Number (TBN) – This is the closest thing you will get to a measurement of the oil's
expected lifespan. The higher the TBN, the more the oil can withstand oxidation and contamination,
and longer the oil can last. It's based on the oil's detergency. Street oils have a much higher TBN as
they must deal with everyday driving conditions including cold starts, stop and go traffic, and bad
weather. Dedicated racing oils are not designed to be used for 3,000 miles. They are meant to be
changed after a specific amount of passes at the drag strip or so many laps around an oval or road
course. Their primary purpose is engine protection in racing conditions rather than everyday driving
protection. Therefore, they have a much lower TBN.

Kinematic Viscosity @ 100C – This specification is based on the SAE J300 guidelines for oil grades.
This is a measurement of how easily the oil flows, at 100*C (212*F), under just the force of gravity.
SAE sets guidelines for this specification which gets classified in oil grades.

xx-20 grade..........5.6 – 9.2 cSt

xx-30 grade..........9.3 – 12.4 cSt
xx-40 grade..........12.5 – 16.2 cSt
xx-50 grade..........16.3 – 21.8 cSt
Both of the oils in our example above are classified as 30 grade oils since both of their kinematic
viscosities @ 100*C fall between 9.3 and 12.4 cSt. Street oils tend to stay on the lower end of this
specification due to fuel economy and pumpability concerns. Race oils are more concern with
providing a thicker oil film and tend to spec in the higher end of this specification.

Kinematic Viscosity @ 40*C – This specification is a measurement similar to the kinematic viscosity
@ 100*C just measured at a lower temperature. This allows you to see how much the oil thins out as
temperature increases.

Viscosity Index – The viscosity index is a calculated number that tells how much an oil changes
viscosity with changes in temperature. The higher the viscosity index, the less the change.

NOACK/Volatility – This is a measurement of how quickly the oil evaporates. Much like water turns
to steam, oil also evaporates at high temperatures. API restricts oils to a maximum of 15% for this
specification.

High Temp, High Shear (HTHS) – This is the closest measurement you'll find to a true oil film
thickness of the oil. It's usually tested at 150*C (302*F) and under extreme pressure. This
specification depicts closely what happens with oil in the rod and main bearings. The results are
heavily influenced by the quality of the base oil and the entire formula's ability to resist shear. API sets
guidelines for the oil grades for this specification.

xx-20 grade..........2.6 cP or higher

xx-30 grade..........2.9 cP or higher
xx-40 grade..........3.5 cP or higher (15w-40.....3.7 cP or higher)
xx-50 grade..........3.7 cP or higher

API requires the minimum be met for the specification, but they do not set a maximum. As a result,
some oils end up having an HTHS rating as good as grades above them. This is seen in the example at
the beginning of this article. Since HTHS has an impact on fuel economy, street oils trend closer to the
minimum spec for their grade while race oils move for higher protection.

Calcium and Magnesium – These additives are your detergents, typically in the form overbased
calcium sulfonate and magnesium sulfonate. These additives provide the bulk of the oil's total base
number. A higher level of these additives typically means a higher TBN. In line with the TBN, street
oils prefer a higher amount of these additives for acid neutralization and oxidation inhibition.
Dedicated race oils are far less concerned with this aspect so the levels are kept very low as these oils
only need enough TBN boost to keep the oil alive for the short use.

Phosphorus and Zinc – These additives primarily come from the compound zinc
dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) and form the bulk of the oil's anti-wear package. Higher levels of
ZDDP are advised for older engines with flat tappet camshafts. API restricts modern SN oils to
between 600-800 ppm of phosphorus. However, note that there are around 50 different kinds of ZDDP
depending on the pairing of the alkyl groups. An oil that uses ZDDP with long chained, primary alkyl
groups will not be as effective against wear as an oil that uses ZDDP with short chained, secondary
alkyl groups. Race oils tend to use short chained, secondary ZDDP more so than primary since
maximum protection is their concern. Be aware though that more is not always better when it comes to
ZDDP. Levels in excess of 1800 ppm are known to be corrosive. Zinc usually trends higher than
phosphorus, but phosphorus can sometimes be higher if formulated with additional phosphates.
Molybdenum – This additive has multiple roles. It's primary job is friction reduction, but it also acts
as an anti-oxidant, extreme pressure additive, and anti-wear additive. There's several different
molybdenum compounds in engine oils with varying levels of effectiveness. The oldest form is
molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) which is a very fine powder (0.1-0.5 micron) held in colloidal
suspension in the oil. It fell out of favor in the late 90s. The most common type used today is
molybdenum dialkyldithiocarbamate (MoDTC). Unlike MoS2, MoDTC is oil soluble and also more
effective a reducing friction so much lower levels are required for a desired result. Some oils use a
branched version of this compound colloquially called “tri-nuclear moly”. Organo-molybdenum
compounds are also used in some higher end boutique oils. As you may expect, race engines are
constantly fighting friction so race oils tend to be loaded with this additive.

Silicon – This additive acts as an anti-foaming agent. Not much to be said about it other than race oils
tend to have more of it to prevent frothing at high load and rpm. This is another case where more is not
always better as levels in excess of 50 ppm can do the inverse of its purpose and actually cause
frothing.

Boron – This additive is formulated in the oil either as an extreme pressure additive, and very mild
detergent, in the form of borates, or in the form of boric acid as a capping agent for ashless dispersants.
Usually lower levels under 60 ppm indicate boric acid capping while higher levels over 100 ppm
indicate additional borates.

This article is not all inclusive. There's much more details about many of these specs, but that's for
another article(s). Hopefully this article can give an overview of each specification and the major
additives. Other, less common, additives such as titanium, vanadium, and sodium are more outside the
spectrum of this article's comparison, and therefore have been left out.

Thanks for reading, and god bless.

Bryce Smith