hi i have the 2006 honda 400 at rancher and its time for the oil change can i use Shell Rotella(R) T Synthetic in it it has the hidromatic trans and looking for a oil to keep the heat down a little because the eng and trans uses the same oil and i did not get a book with it so when i check the oil do i screw the dip stick in or just put it on the top thred? sorry new to the atv seen is the Shell Rotella(R) T Synthetic just for diesel cars and trucks or would a good Synthetic oil be all right do do what i need Synthetic would be allright with the hondas at trans right?

 

Be aware that "diesel" oils have been reformulated, now that the government has insisted on cat converters for diesels. While the old formulations had a descent anti-wear additive package, the new formulation will have downgrades.

Plus, I'm not a Rotella fan, seeing that it is Group III which has the least desireable chemistry of the three different types of synthetics. My personal preference is ester synthetics (Redline or Maxima Extra), but they are pricey (but so is a rebuild!).

I'll post some links later on oils, so you can read up.

 

What reconranger does not tell you is Rotella is now JASO certified. Not that it made any difference anyway. It's very good oil.

Just go to any big motorcycle website and punch in Rotella and see what comes up.

As you know, it's very good oil.
And as you may not know, the group the base stock comes from is not all there is to the oil game.

To say you have to have the best synthetics or even any synthetic in most quads is pure bovine feces.

9K to 10K lap after lap in a race car engine with conventual oil and it lives just fine. 27K on my GS1100 when I sold it. With a lot of miles on it a 1/4 mile at a time. It put out just a tad more HP than any quad engine.

 

If Rotella has gotten JASO certification, nice move on their part....but mostly all that means is that it doesn't contain enought friction modifiers to make a wet clutch slip...which I think everybody knew already!

And on the other hand, that doesn't mean it has the equivalent of an API SG anti-wear additive package, does it! If they want to do something important, let them get SG certification, which of course they can't do because they now have to formulate for cat converters.

Does anyone need to run high quality synthetic oil??? That's a personal choice. When I buy tires I buy the best ones I can find, when I buy a set of handlebars I get the best ones, when I buy whatever for my quads and bikes I always get the best....so when I buy oil I don't dick around with any second or third class stuff either!

Some oil reading. "Better living through chemistry":

http://www.thumperfaq.com/oil.htm


http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_oil/index.html


http://www.maximausa.com/techn...news/LubeNews2002.pdf


http://www.p1-performance.com/pdf/oildoc.pdf

 

These guys covered the part on the oil, but I don't think anyone answered the other question...

When you check the oil on an ATV, let it idle a few minutes, shut it off for a couple minutes, and read the oil level by setting the dipstick on the threads without screwing it in.

I believe Premium Blue comes in "classic" that is formulated for diesels prior to the 07 emission changes. The later 5.9 Cummins does have a cat, but it doesn't have cooled exhaust gas recirculation, particulate filter, and the crankcase vents directly to the atmosphere... I don't know if Rotella also still markets their previous formula...