Lucas Response To Zinc Additive

Longgone said

I`ve read that a minimum of 1100ppm is enough to protect most cams/lifters. It`s also important to have a little phosphorus in the blend as well. I`ve just been using Valvoline VR-1 which is formulated for use with flat tappet cams. I like Lucas products but I would be less than impressed with a tech that tells you to "defiantly" use "Zink" in your engine. Although I know what he`s trying to say, it just seems very unprofessional. The math is also weird, 5200ppm, and if you were to add a pint of this to your engine wouldn`t you only add 4.5 quarts of oil to your engine? Oh well, I like the idea of using oil that is already mixed.

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You are correct - 1200 ppm of zinc and actually 1300 ppm of phosphorus is about the perfect blend from the research I did some time back. Anything much above 1600 ppm is a waste and at some point becomes detrimental to the bearing surfaces - especially during break in. While we are at dispelling myths lets add another one. Roller cam set ups still need / benefit from zinc in the oil.. They are a bit less forgiving once the engine is broke in - with zinc, but still benefit from the zinc. Most roller cam motors (I'm not talking the modern motors) also tend to have high lift cams, high pressure springs and these really do need oil containing zinc. Ask any of the manufacturers of these components what they want to see you use for their cams, rockers, etc.. If you are going to spend the money to build an old motor, why skimp on the oil?