REFLECTOR: Oil Type

[Tom]

John,

Maybe it's viscosity or less friction...or perhaps magic?

Larry Coen

Lighter, thinner fluids will tend to carry heat away better. Unfortunately, with oils, the excess heat can
break down a lower viscosity oil. Again, multis do not maintain their high end viscosity throughout the life of the oil.
Synthetics are a great solution to this as they can be both thin and stand up well 
to excess heat. Unfortunately they do not scrub lead very well and can not be used with leaded fuels. You can compromise 
this to some degree with a mix of oil (semi-synthetics), but the best oils to stand up to heat, long term are straight 
weights. Tom