Matching Conditions

I’ve put this newsletter topic off for too long. Or perhaps; perfect timing. The track day season is upon us.

I used to use Motul 300V motorcycle engine oil for two reasons. One, it has a reputation in the sportbike industry as the best. And two, Lake Speed Jr. said it’s the best oil for motorcycles and the oil Joe Gibbs used for their motocross team during a phone conversation several years ago.

Lake Speed Jr. is the son of NASCAR driver Lake Speed Sr. Junior formulated lubricants for Joe Gibbs Racing and other professional teams to win the Daytona 500 and numerous NASCAR Championships. He holds multiple certifications from the Society of Tribologists & Lubrication Engineers. He knows what he is talking about. “Science, not speculation”, is his motto.

We, Lake Speed Jr. and I, later found through oil analysis, there’s one caveat. 300V doesn’t work well with pump gas. The esters (a synthetic base oil) in 300V hold onto the fuel and won’t let it evaporate, unless you are using a race gas that has higher Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). RVP is a measure of a fuel’s volatility; basically, how easily it vaporizes. If your oil won’t let the fuel evaporate, you have fuel dilution. Fuel dilution lowers the viscosity of your oil. I have a newsletter on fuel dilution.

We need to match the conditions with our equipment. Racing oil works best with race gas. A dump truck can lap around a race track, however it’s really not suitable equipment for the condition. Like the dump truck, Motul must be assuming that since you are buying race oil, you must be buying race gas as well. I’m not switching to race gas. I would need to get my ecu tuned for that fuel and race fuel isn’t as easy to find as, on-every-corner pump gas. So, I will switch to a non-ester oil, Yamalube HP (Hi-Performance). Not to be confused with Yamalube GP, which is ester based. During that phone conversation with Lake Speed Jr., he said Yamalube HP is a good 2nd place to Motul’s 300V.

In my Fuel Dilution newsletter I quoted Lake as saying, “It is the oil temperature that evaporates the fuel out of the oil.” Since that newsletter I have learned that 250 degrees Fahrenheit evaporates most of the fuel in oil. I need to clarify with him, but I am assuming he is referencing non-ester oils.

Reference Points:

• Newsletter #12, “Let’s Paint Everything Black” was the start of using Gmail as an editor, which does an excellent job. Newsletters from #12 onward have already been edited and I will provide an update if I have one.

• Most Alex Hormozi quotes work for everyone, even if you aren’t an entrepreneur. This one is excellent and leaves you with only one option: “You’re either gonna do the work, or you’re gonna sit around wishing you’d done the work.” -Alex Hormozi

• Track Time’s first event of the year is May 16th. However, since it’s only one day and wasn’t included in the season’s pass. I will not be attending. My first track day event of the year is going to be May 25th & 26th.

• One of my goals to achieve before May 25th was to be 200 lbs. However, I am already there. The other goal I am still working on.