Royal Purple Oil & Gear Lube

[Nacho Boat]

Has anyone looked at the various "articles" on Boattest website?
http://www.boattest.com/products/Product-test.aspx?id=27

One test they did showed a 10% improvement in Fuel Economy.

So, I was considering putting Royal Purple in my Merc 5.0 MPI and BIII outdrive.

1. So, first question - Anyone have a recent experience with Royal Purple? Worth the additional cost?:huh:

2. Second - What weight would you put in your engine? The Boat Test used 10W-30, but Merc says to use 25W-40.

I am sure that oil has been debated many times before, but I am certainly interested in hearing what everyone has to say with regards to my questions. Thanks!

 

[SR Tech]

I use Royal purple in all of my motors and transmissions that I personally own.

I noticed a difference in my car, especially the tranny and shifting. not that it applies to boats in any way. The big deciding factor here is the price... $21 a quart for the gear lube, the merc high performance is around $16/qt right now.

Motor- 25w-40
Sterndrive- 75w-90

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Has anyone looked at the various "articles" on Boattest website?
http://www.boattest.com/products/Product-test.aspx?id=27

One test they did showed a 10% improvement in Fuel Economy.

So, I was considering putting Royal Purple in my Merc 5.0 MPI and BIII outdrive.

1. So, first question - Anyone have a recent experience with Royal Purple? Worth the additional cost?:huh:

2. Second - What weight would you put in your engine? The Boat Test used 10W-30, but Merc says to use 25W-40.

I am sure that oil has been debated many times before, but I am certainly interested in hearing what everyone has to say with regards to my questions. Thanks!

Royal Purple makes a 25W40... if that is what your manual says, use that only. Laymans terms: The first number indicates the lowest viscosity the oil will operate at low startup engine temp. On boats, we cruise at higher than car RPM's most of the time and need oil that remains in the high viscosity area. 10W25 in older engines was a standard by some engine manufacturers but no longer the case with newer boat engines... So use what the manual says...

You could use a SAE 40 too...

 

[sbw1]

How would you ever verify a mileage improvement claim in a boat? The conditions you operate in are almost never the same-------following sea, no sea, warm weather, cold, lots of boat traffic, no traffic..............

There are lots of claims about one product being better, but we've never had a mechainical failure related to oil or fluids. All we do is follow the service intervals in the manuals, use the recommended products and make sure the boat is propped correctly and operated with common sense. Today's boats are nearly indestructible when maintained and run in this fashion.

 

[Nacho Boat]

How would you ever verify a mileage improvement claim in a boat? The conditions you operate in are almost never the same-------following sea, no sea, warm weather, cold, lots of boat traffic, no traffic..............

Follow the link above, the Boat Test article is very interesting as it showed that not only did Royal Purple improve fuel economy, but it raised max RPM at WOT and decreased engine noise.

 

[Lazy Daze]

There was a lengthy thread on here a month or so ago about this exact test. I couldn't seem to find it with the search, though.

Anyways, if I read the article correctly, the other oil was dino oil. So, it's more of a comparison between regular oil and synthetic. The article makes it sound like the improvement is because of Royal Purple, when in reality it may simply be due to the difference between regular and synthetic.

It's an interesting test, but only burned through 10 gallons of gas per trial. I don't doubt that synthetics can offer some improvement, but I'd prefer to see a lengthier test. Then, of course, you have to figure out if the fuel efficiency gain is worth the premium you pay for the synthetics. That'll depend on how much you use the boat.

 

[Nacho Boat]

The interesting thing about the Boat Test experiment was that they used 10W-30 oil. I have not seen any boat motor that recommends this weight motor oil.

 

[trit21]

What would using this purple crap....oh sorry being PC I should have said stuff.....do to the warranty from Mercury?

 

[fc3]

A friend runs Royal Purple in his Konrad drives 800hp Innovation Marine engines. It's the lubricant recommended by Konrad, He lost a gear this spring and when he inspected the drive, he found a lot of wear. Inspecting the other drive, there was a lot of wear there too. Sent both drives back for rebuilding and all of the gears showed significant wear.

Lesson learned: It's a good lubricant, but it isn't perfect and despite claims nothing prevents wear.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[katricol]

Lazy is right...the test is only meaningful if it was between 2 or more synthetic oils l; like merc vs. purple js

 

[thebig4-0]

I use Royal purple in all of my motors and transmissions that I personally own.

I noticed a difference in my car, especially the tranny and shifting. not that it applies to boats in any way. The big deciding factor here is the price... $21 a quart for the gear lube, the merc high performance is around $16/qt right now.

Motor- 25w-40
Sterndrive- 75w-90

I was someone who always ran Amsoil Synthetic in all of my vehicles, including my Excursion Diesel that requires 16 litres of oil every time I change it. I started to look into things pretty closely because a good friend of mine gave me the "truth" about oils and lubricants. This guy is a former engineer in the petroleum industry who also has managed fleets of large diesel trucks, but I am a cynic and did my own homework based on his advice.

I have seen several reports, various 3rd-party analysis, that all showed Royal Purple to be dead last in performance over a broad cross-section of lubricants, both synthetic and mineral. No matter who did the report, the one thing that was consistent was Royal Purple was dead last. They sell it at the local performance shop, but I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Beware of marketing hype - that goes for "Amsoil" as well - Amsoil is one that does a huge amount of marketing, for instance, but it is all hype to get you to spend way too much on their product. My friend's point was that all oils begin from the same basic stock, and the only variable is the additive package.

Go with a good synthetic or mineral oil, change it at regular intervals, and pay attention to the viscosity ratings suggested for your engine. I have twin 454 Merc's in my new boat and will run Mobil 1 15/50 synthetic in it, according to the advice of my engineer friend. His take on things is that Mercruiser suggests the 25/40 blended mineral oil so it is hard to match up for people who do not understand how the ratings work. You end up paying way too much for their brand because you are afraid to vary from their recommendations. You'll never hear "10W30" from a manufacturer! 15W50 synthetic will give better performance than 25W40, especially in a synthetic, and I just got a great deal from the local AutoZone with a Mobil 1 filter (free with the oil) paying $6.99 a quart.

I run 15W50 Synthetic in my 1987 260HP (5.7L) Mercruiser and it purred like a kitten - I noticed a difference over the 25/40 mineral oil from Mercruiser, but the "Penzoil Platinum" I used was every bit as good as the "Amsoil" I used on it previously, but at a fraction of the cost! (The guy at the marine supply swore that "Amsoil is the ONLY thing I'd run in your boat!". Turns out he was an Amsoil dealer. Go figure?!

I do pull the oil in the fall, replace it with a cheap mineral oil for the winter season, then pull it out in the spring and replace it with the synthetic. If you leave used oil in over winter it could be damaging because the impurities in your engine turn to acid in the oil (sulphuric, etc.). It is best to put a cheap mineral oil in, run it less than a minute to coat everything, then turn it off until you change it in the spring.

I hope this helps. I have definitely done my howework on this one. Don't buy into the hype! (Final notes #1 - Make sure if the first number on your oil viscosity is less than the rated requirement that you let it warm up before taking off. For instance, the 15W oil I use should be warmer than the 25W rated oil to work properly, but I always warm up the engines while I do my checks prior to leaving. Otherwise, use a 20W50 which is also easy to find, just to give a better cold performance. #2 - it's all about the hydraulic wedge that a good oil makes between the metal parts of the engine to keep them from physically touching while they move - just like the planing of your hull in the water - that hydraulic wedge saves you lots of money!)

-gb

 

[capt-n-kev]

Unless you have "flow-scan" it wood be real hard to see any difference.
A quart of "duralube" in your oil would most likely do the same thing.

 

[capt-n-kev]

I was someone who always ran Amsoil Synthetic in all of my vehicles, including my Excursion Diesel that requires 16 litres of oil every time I change it. I started to look into things pretty closely because a good friend of mine gave me the "truth" about oils and lubricants. This guy is a former engineer in the petroleum industry who also has managed fleets of large diesel trucks, but I am a cynic and did my own homework based on his advice.

I have seen several reports, various 3rd-party analysis, that all showed Royal Purple to be dead last in performance over a broad cross-section of lubricants, both synthetic and mineral. No matter who did the report, the one thing that was consistent was Royal Purple was dead last. They sell it at the local performance shop, but I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Beware of marketing hype - that goes for "Amsoil" as well - Amsoil is one that does a huge amount of marketing, for instance, but it is all hype to get you to spend way too much on their product. My friend's point was that all oils begin from the same basic stock, and the only variable is the additive package.

Go with a good synthetic or mineral oil, change it at regular intervals, and pay attention to the viscosity ratings suggested for your engine. I have twin 454 Merc's in my new boat and will run Mobil 1 15/50 synthetic in it, according to the advice of my engineer friend. His take on things is that Mercruiser suggests the 25/40 blended mineral oil so it is hard to match up for people who do not understand how the ratings work. You end up paying way too much for their brand because you are afraid to vary from their recommendations. You'll never hear "10W30" from a manufacturer! 15W50 synthetic will give better performance than 25W40, especially in a synthetic, and I just got a great deal from the local AutoZone with a Mobil 1 filter (free with the oil) paying $6.99 a quart.

I run 15W50 Synthetic in my 1987 260HP (5.7L) Mercruiser and it purred like a kitten - I noticed a difference over the 25/40 mineral oil from Mercruiser, but the "Penzoil Platinum" I used was every bit as good as the "Amsoil" I used on it previously, but at a fraction of the cost! (The guy at the marine supply swore that "Amsoil is the ONLY thing I'd run in your boat!". Turns out he was an Amsoil dealer. Go figure?!

I do pull the oil in the fall, replace it with a cheap mineral oil for the winter season, then pull it out in the spring and replace it with the synthetic. If you leave used oil in over winter it could be damaging because the impurities in your engine turn to acid in the oil (sulphuric, etc.). It is best to put a cheap mineral oil in, run it less than a minute to coat everything, then turn it off until you change it in the spring.

I hope this helps. I have definitely done my howework on this one. Don't buy into the hype! (Final notes #1 - Make sure if the first number on your oil viscosity is less than the rated requirement that you let it warm up before taking off. For instance, the 15W oil I use should be warmer than the 25W rated oil to work properly, but I always warm up the engines while I do my checks prior to leaving. Otherwise, use a 20W50 which is also easy to find, just to give a better cold performance. #2 - it's all about the hydraulic wedge that a good oil makes between the metal parts of the engine to keep them from physically touching while they move - just like the planing of your hull in the water - that hydraulic wedge saves you lots of money!)

-gb

My next door neighbor runs a large taxi cab co. here in Detroit.
they have tested every oil on the market and have found that there cabs lasted just as long on the cheapest "Fleet Oil" as they did on the $7:00 Syn. oil. :smt021

 

[subieguy]

My next door neighbor runs a large taxi cab co. here in Detroit.
they have tested every oil on the market and have found that there cabs lasted just as long on the cheapest "Fleet Oil" as they did on the $7:00 Syn. oil. :smt021

Most of the engine wear happens the first few seconds you start a cold engine. Thats because a cold engine is most likely poorly lubricated. i.e. oil has not yet reached all the nooks... A taxicab runs almost the entire day fully warmed up...yes taxi's gains more miles than our boats and private cars - but the way we use them are totally different. Also, taxicabs are driven daily. Our boats are not driven the same way (a huge majority at least). This is not a fair comparison. The best comparison to a boat engine is an airplane engine (as far as service duty...lubrication).

Sorry i had to revive this old thread.