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Lucas Oil Stabilizer in Wet Clutch Motor


Blitz
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Just curious if Lucas oil stabilizer is an ok additive with the wet clutches in sport bikes.  I have heard a lot of good things about it and have thought about putting it in my bike.  Seeing as it isn't supposed to create less friction and instead causes the oil to stick to internal parts, I wondered if maybe it would help the clutch plates grip even better and provide less wear.

Any experience with this?

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I've used it before without any issues but if I recall it was with a brand spanking new clutch....it says it's safe for wet clutches on the bottle tho iirc. I have been wondering about that stuff tho...If it's so awesome why don't oil companies add it to their oil? Why don't manufacturers recommend we use it in their engines? Does it really mix in with the oil or does it sit in a lump in the pan? Does it strain the oil pump because it's so thick? I've used it in the past but never noticed any benefit.

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I've used it in everything from diesel truck/RV, daily driver, and a 400 whp turbo car I built.  I've never had an issue. Always seemed to help smooth/quiet valvetrain.  Not sure about using in small motors though.

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Heavy oil additives tend to flow back to the sump slower. They stick around the valve train longer.

Conversely, light oils will flow back quickly, starving the valve train a bit.

They all arrive at the valve train close to the same rate and flow under pressure from the pump.

Just about opposite of what would be expected.

GMC made a oil additive like that, it worked pretty good.

Probably the best of the bunch. Ford has one also, I think.

 

Note: Heavy long chain oil molecules tend to break down quickly. i.e. STP type stuff.

 

So if it's just oil without crazy super slip stuff (like Teflon) it's... oil.

Problem is, most manufacturers no longer have to list ingredients.

The MSDS sheet says Lubricating oils, petroleum, c>25, hydrotreated bright stock-based 60-100%

I would guess it's basically a heavy weight oil. Can't tell without an oil analysis run.

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Good info here guys. 

So Recon Rat, are you saying adding Lucas oil stabilizer has an added benefit, no benefit or worse, could cause damage?  Do you use it (or an alternative) in your bike?

Edited by Blitz
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I'm not big on additives, unless it's near time to tear an engine down. Then I don't care. If chosen carefully, I don't think most quality additives hurt anything. You'll have to judge the quality and justify the cost. I run no additives in any engine. But someday I might. Getting a sticky lifter to free up or get quiet is a pretty common thing to try and do.

 

Perhaps memories of scrapping STP off of wet drive clutch plates has made me cautious... oops

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We're a Lucas Oil product dealer at work and I've used this stuff since its inception. I've run it in everything that takes crankcase oil....all with good results. Never a wet clutch issue one, and I dont exactly baby my equipment either. Some of our heavy hauler customers swear by the stuff every service interval, and to use it in the very machines that make their living says something about it.

Sam, Lucas did try to get other oil mfg's on board with using their product as an additive, but apparently it's sort of taboo in the oil business.....seems the oil guys would rather rely solely on their own recipes to sell their product than to risk potential warrantable failures by inviting other elements to that recipe.

So, Lucas adopted a house branded oil to make their own line that include their additive mixed in. It's pricey, we dont carry it, and I've not used it.....but their additives are good stuff. I use their fuel treatment in the bikes for winter stabilizer/conditioner as well, never an issue.

Edited by Hellmutt
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Yeah, I've done that a time or 2 myself :D

That's what you do all day ;)

  

Plus its cool to come up to the front parts counter and spin the display gears with lucas oil in it.

Yeah I remember the display I played with it at KW & TP when I worked there.

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Thanks Hellmutt.  I think I'll give it a try.  That's what I needed was some firsthand experience.

No problem, and it doesn't really increase viscosity of the oil but does change it's adhesion quality. Seems to almost bond to itself and whatever is carrying it, which basically enables it to coat the metals at a higher rate than oil alone, if that makes sense. Hard to explain as I dont have the vocabulary to elaborate further. The best way to see it work are the little clear housed gear displays that let you spin by hand to compare it to standard oil. The stuff works and does it's job as advertised.

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Yeah, I've seen the display.  That's what caused me to look into it further.  I have played with that display probably 100 times, but never have the balls to put it into a fully functioning engine.....especially with a wet clutch.

 

From what I could see, it doesn't affect the friction.  Just makes it adhere better, like you said.  Which I thought might be even better for a wet clutch.  We'll see here in a couple months, I guess.

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  • 1 year later...

I used it in my old katana. They are known to have loud valvetrains. Just a little bit would shut it up. Never had a problem. I put 50k on it and had 26k when I got it.

GOD BLESS YOU MANGO!!  I have  a 1989 katana and the loud valvetrain is making me paranoid that the bike is going to tear itself apart. I am going to add some Lucas oil stabilizer and pray to the motorcycle gods. Thank you again for posting this comment.

Edited by opelmanz
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  • 1 year later...
  • 3 years later...

I can only attest to my experience with Lucas Oil Stabilizer. I been told good and bad things about the product. The only opinion that actually matters in the end is the opinion of the user. I have used Lucas in my vehicles with positive results. I own a 2001 Honda Shadow Spirit VT750DC with 45K miles. My bike has developed a light clicking noise. I decided to try it in my bike against the advice of other bikers. The product immediately quieted the noise, improved performance and the shifting is as good as when it was new. I used 12 ozs in a 84 oz crankcase capacity. No mechanical issues have been detected and I plan to continue its use. After all is said its up to each individual to use it or not. If you choose not to use it I think you will be missing out.

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