Royal Purple Synth. Oil = More HP & Torque?

[Kirby]

The local newspaper had an article in it today which in part talked about Royal Purple Oil. Never heard of it, so I went to RoyalPurple.com.

They claim 1.5% - 3% HP & torque increases, lower emissions (20%), 3% - 5% fuel economy boost, due a proprietary film enhancement additive. There is a very detailed (see the full report link in the right column) controlled study done by NC State for the State of North Carolina. Looks like a valid study. http://www.royalpurple.com/rptech/summary.shtml

They say to break new engines in with manufacturer's oil before switching to Royal Purple.

Anybody use this? Snake oil or the real deal? The Web site has a number of independent reviews that were good. On the web it is about $5 per quart, maybe $1 more than other synthetics. It would pay for itself if the fuel economy gain is true.

 

[jrt67ss350]

I know that there were some people over at the camaros.net discussion board who seemed to really like the Royal Purple oil. I've heard good things about it. Even so, most of those hotrodders that really know their stuff on that board are adamant about using Amsoil.

I'd be interested in knowing if the fuel economy and power increases are true in the real world in an everyday car. Notice that in the NC State study, there are contradicting results - one of the Crown Vic studies showed no increase in fuel economy whatsoever, but another did show an increase. Their test engines showed an increase in fuel economy and power as well as decreased emissions, but realize that these test engines are nothing like a true automobile engine.

Also notice that they never compared the Royal Purple oil with another full synthetic like Mobil 1. I've read articles that show that using a quality full synthetic like Mobil 1 will reduce friction enough to see a few hp gain, lower emissions, and increase fuel economy. I'd be interested in knowing if the gains demonstrated by Royal Purple oils are any different than using an oil like Mobil 1.

 

[Kirby]

Excellent point about the lack of any other synthetic comparison!!

 

[carcus]

Most of the studies were with full Royal Purple synthetics in the trans, gears, and oil. Mobil One works just as well. Oil.....spark plugs, wires....will not give you any HP that you can feel. LS1.COM has alot of info on oil studies. One of the mods there is an expert on the field. Do a search there and you will get alot of info. Royal Purple is also hard to find at local suppliers.

 

[Heezyo2o]

For synthetics, you'd be just as happy with royal purple, redline, motul or amsoil. But for my money I'd get mobil1 as the others seem to be quite pricey.

On another note, if your oil is changed at regular intervals, I believe regular oil is just fine. But that is another topic in itself.

 

[rogelio]

What is the significance of "torque" and how does it relate to hp? I see it all the time, but have no clue what it is.

 

[manuel]

torque:its the force it takes to "turn" something...in a car, the engine produces torque, which moves the crankshaft.
as for HP, http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower2.htm

 

[bmwrocks]

Torque is defined as (force X distance). Hence the units of lb-ft or newton-meters (metric). If you apply a force of 1 lb on a rod 1 foot in length with one end of the rod fixed to a point, you get 1 lb-ft of torque at the rod end where you apply the force.

manuel is right, it is the force it takes to turn something, like your crankshaft turning from the torque exerted on it by your pistons and connecting rods. Actually, the torque of your motor is measured all the way to the wheels as they turn on a dynomometer (many forces applied over many distances all added or subtracted together!!)

Horsepower is just a unit of measure for power. Horsepower can be converted to Watts so think of HP as the amount of energy produced by your motor, like a 100 watt light bulb produces 100 watts of power.

 

[AndrewBall]

how is it even possible for an oil to boost fuel economy? i mean regardless the engine is going to use the same amout of fuel, right?

 

[bmwrocks]

Actually, the better the lubrication, the easier for the parts to move, the more efficient the engine is = better fuel economy.

Although the difference won't be that great, but over long periods of time and large numbers of miles, you could save a few hundred bucks.

Big freakin' deal right?