Hi all, I ordered some oil yesterday for next day delivery so I could give the Multi a service before some weekend fun. I ordered Motul 7100 15w-50 but they have sent me 10w-40! Before I go through the excruciating pain of sending it back before getting the oil I ordered does anyone know if it will do any harm to use 10w-40?
Given Easter is just around the corner, thats a good seasonal choice of adjective! No idea about the oil, but I'm sure someone will be along who knows.
I would be a bit carefull - the DVT uses the oil to actuate the Cam Timing adjustment - I seem to remember this was very sensitive to oil viscocity - from comments published when it was launched in 2015.
10W40 will be more viscous at start up in low ambient (winter) temperatures. 15W50 will less viscous at the same temperature so there is less resistance to pump oil through the system on start up. Similar at high temperatures, 40 will be more viscous than 50 which will suit low tolerance engines, ie high mileage. In the real world, are you likely to cause engine damage in the short term ? Probably not, although long term mileage trials have lead to Ducati to recommend 15W50 today when it used to recommend 10W40 a few years ago. Andy
Just send it back. You can either wait another week to do the oil change, or spend the next week or so checking the internet, and then the following 12 months wondering if your engine will go pop when your giving it the beans (it won't) I can't talk though as I re-used a crush washer when doing mine rather than waiting a few days...
That’s interesting, the way I read that is 10w40 is just as good if not better than 15w50 anyway, they are sending me out some 15w50 so should be hear Saturday
For UK, and most of the time anywhere in Europe, it’s perfectly fine, don’t let the scaremongers put you off. People pay too much attention to that sticker on their engine suggesting that only shell and that weight is right for your bike.
Spoke with someone that worked in the oil industry in the not so distant past...the oil requirements are way past the point of just viscosity, (although tbh I could understand only 1/2 of what he explained ) there are many more factors involved at engine development stage. There would be issues if you were to use 5W30 instead of 15W50, but 10W40 is very similar to 15W50 Probably even better for our relatively cold climate, do not forget the same bike could be sold in south Spain where the average cold starting and peak ambient temperature would be much higher than in UK, the 15W50 would be a better option there.
14w40 should be marginally thinner at both low and high temperatures compared to 15W50. The viscosity should remain the same irrelevant if the oil is hot or cold (within the limits set by the numbers on either side if the W (weight at given temperature) Basically an xWx oil should be as "viscous" at 20C as it is at 80C (x are the lower& higher limits where the oil will keep the same viscosity) Hope it makes sense. Although there is much more than just viscosity when "categorizing" modern oils. I.E. ideal flow rate,(cooling) flash point and so on. I agree with the second part, probably 10w40 is as good (if not better) for our climate compared to 15W50.
There's a bit more to the story. Ducati instructed their dealers that they must now use 15w50 oil in all 1200 multi's If I was to guess, the reason for the shift to 50 weight oil for the Multistrada it would be the use of a catalytic converter. Zinc Dialkyl Dithiophosphate (ZDDP) is a anti-wear additive to motor oils. ZDDP, however, contains phosphorous that has a life-shortening effect on the catalysts used in exhaust emission equipment, first only on cars, but now more recently on motorcycles. So the US Environmental Protection Agency mandated a reduction (from a maximum of 0.12% down to 0.10%) of anti-wear additives containing phosphorous in engine oils. This EPA mandate may be the reason why the Ducati-recommended Shell oils are generally unavailable here in the US. It's important to note that this mandated reduction was only required for the "energy conserving" designated lower (than 50) viscosities. The higher viscosity oils were not required to meet this lowered phosphorus level. Another reason is that shared-sump motorcycle engines tend to sheer (thin out) the oil over time. The EPA has pressured engine manufacturers to extend oil change intervals to reduce the disposal problem of used motor oil. But therein lies a problem. Tests have shown that oil that also lubricates the gearbox in a Ducati looses viscosity quite quickly. The gears in the transmission are the significant factor in cutting the longer oil molecules into shorter pieces that are overall less viscous. In one series of tests, non-synthetic motorcycle-specific oils had lost over 30% of their viscosity at 800 miles, and over 35% at 1,500 miles. It should be noted that the viscosity of synthetic-based oils generally drops more slowly than that of petroleum-based oils in the same engine. This doesn't speak well for 7,500 mile oil change intervals (also encouraged by the EPA). Starting out with a 50 weight oil instead of a 40 weight means that it takes longer to end up with a 20 weight oil, for example.
Does the information in this link help? https://services.totalenergies.uk/motor-oil-viscosity-grades-explained ; or this: https://www.behlingracing.com/choosing-the-right-oil-viscosity/ ; this: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/unite.../engine-oils/engine-oil-viscosity-grades.html ; and this: https://www.castrol.com/en_us/unite...uids/engine-oils/oil-viscosity-explained.html . Tom.
