SEMA 2015: Driven’s New Break-In And Limited-Slip Gear Oils

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In addition to its many advanced high performance oils and lubricants, the team at Driven Racing Oils has a pair of new products featured, including the BR-20 Engine Break-In Oil and Synthetic 75W-140 Limited Slip Gear Oil. We caught up with Driven’s Lake Speed Jr., who is a certifiable encyclopedia of oil and lubricant technology, to guide us through these two new products and discuss best uses.

IMG_3319Driven’s new BR-20 Break-In Oil, according to Speed, has a conventional, high-zinc 5W-20 viscosity grade. As he explains, “your 4.6-liter Ford Modular, your Honda and Toyota engines, are all spec’ing 0W-20 or 5W-20, and if you’re not touching the bottom end of the engine or changing the bearing clearances, the idea of putting a 20W-50 in there is just wrong. This is especially the case if you’ve rebuilt the engine and you’ve put new cams or fresh rings in it — you need to have lubrication on the needles, the followers, the roller bearings. The worst thing you can do for needle bearings is to use dirty oil.”

As Speed goes on to explain, if you use a regular synthetic oil on these vital valvetrain components that lack the proper additives, you’re going to have more wear metals that can lead to damage. As well, if you attempt to lubricate the parts by doing a simple oil change, it will leave more dirty oil in the engine for longer, doing even more damage. By using a high-zinc oil that reduces the amount of wear, and using it for shorter intervals, you effectively clean it out, and the engine is broken in and clear of contaminants.

IMG_3323Zinc, at its core, prevents wear, but it also presents cooling attributes, along with power transfer in hydraulic systems. The Phosphate Glass Film element of Zinc covers all of the parts to prevent the parts and pieces from wearing; you instead have a zinc-to-zinc contact point between the metals.

Driven’s Synthetic 75W-140 Limited Slip Gear Oil, meanwhile, is intended for the serious track racers, who are putting a lot of load on the drivetrain.

“The more contact patch you have, and the more grip, the more horsepower and torque that engine makes, the greater the load and stress on all of the contact points in the drivetrain,” Speed said. “This Gear Oil gives you the extra viscosity to give you more cushion … especially the road racers that are hitting rumble strips, as you now have shock load protection.”

This gear oil already has a limited slip modifier in it, so Speed says you’re not messing with the chemistry, as it already has the additive to ensure the limited-slip is working correctly. This product, he says, will work with Torsen, cone-type, and plate-type differentials.

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About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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