Quote:
Originally Posted by RBN
Something that struck me as interesting was that yesterday I found myself in a bike shop and while I was there I checked out some of the oils available and whilst they made no (or very little) mention of what was actually in them to my surprise around half of them featured the words:
"safe for use in engines with catalytic converters"
Wouldn't that suggest they don't have zddp in them? These were all motorcycle specific oils.
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High (safe) levels of ZDDP don't mean instant plugging of the catalyst.
It takes time, and because auto engines typically go significantly more miles before needing major service the ZDDP limitations are based on 100,000+ mi of use. They are also factoring in oil consumption as the engine nears that mark.
In more limited use, and minimal consumption, there's no harm to the catalyst from high levels of ZDDP.
If you are unsure, most manufacturers will give you the zinc and phosphorus levels in their oil - except Castrol that is. 1200 and over is commonly considered safe for cycle engines, with some cycle oils in the 1500-1700 range. Standard auto oils are held to under 800 ppm.