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 Miller's 20w-50w oil for classic Minis?

 Created by: captain61
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 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 04:12AM
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Thanks for your input. After some research myself, I have come to the same conclusion about Miller's oil for Minis.

 Posted: May 31, 2021 02:16PM
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Millers web site is totally useless, other than saying the oil meets the obsolete SF standard, so it met what people understood necessary in 1980, meaning it has about 600 ppm of Zinc and 500 or so of Phosphorous. Totally unacceptable for a Mini that you care about.

And if your Mini is in good shape, Engine and transmission-wise, it should be using 10W-40 viscosity for better wear protection on each start of the engine.

I go into great detail on this decision in this paper that is a free download (and no advertising): Oil selection for classic Minis

 Posted: May 28, 2021 05:09PM
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Very interesting...and informative BlueDragon! Thank you very much. Cheers!!

 Posted: May 28, 2021 01:59PM
 Edited:  May 28, 2021 01:59PM
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I haven't used Miller's, but as long as it meets the API or Euro (or Japan) certifications for motor oil, it will be fine. On the other hand, IMHO there is no particular brand of oil or type that is noticeably superior other than a synthetic. And if you change your oil every 3-5,000 miles, and don't subject your Mini to high temp high stress conditions (like rally racing in Death Valley or towing a trailer from Amarillo, TX to Denver in summer) then the properties of synthetic are probably wasted too.

High zinc levels are overblown. Think of the zinc like a vitamin - valuable to reduce wear in high load conditions, but like your body, you only need enough. Taking 1,000% of your daily recommended doses of vitamins doesn't do any good, and could cause harm. Same for zinc in oil. If the engine is subject to high stress conditions like racing, it will consume the zinc faster, so high zinc has value there. Also high zinc oil could be valuable for break-in of a new engine.

If one insists that high zinc is necessary, perform an oil analysis. Like a blood test does for your body, it will tell you if you are actually deficient  in zinc. Then you can pick an oil to address it.

DLY
 Posted: May 27, 2021 01:19PM
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Just wondering how many of you use or have used Miller's 20w-50 oil for classic Minis? Would you recommend it? Or do you think other oils are just as  good? Miller's has plenty of ZDDP. Any thoughts?