I often get asked about the best oils for performance motors. Which oil is best for new, multi-cam motors? Which is best for pushrod motors? Which oil is best for breaking in a motor? Well, Valvoline has teamed up with the engine building and racing expert Jack Roush to create ROUSH® Motor Oil, the ultimate engine elixir for performance vehicles.

Always the innovator and continually looking for ways to improve engine performance, Jack Roush sat down with the Valvoline technicians and posed a simple question - "What can we do to improve the oil used in high-performance street engines?" The answer led to the development of ROUSH Motor Oil, a line of six new motor oils for performance vehicles old and new.

Although the primary purpose of motor oil is to prevent engine heat and wear (by reducing friction of internal components), there are a number of other vital roles it accomplishes. This includes keeping the engine cool (not just a function of the radiator), protecting engine surfaces and suspending deposits, sludge, dust, dirt and other contaminants so they are removed when used oil is drained, and permitting easier start-up when the key is turned in the ignition. These functions, and others, are often accomplished though the use of additives which, when correctly balanced, are what differentiates a true, high-quality motor oil.

"There is a real science to correctly mixing oil additives and I really relied on the Valvoline technicians and their one hundred years of experience to help blend the ROUSH Motor Oil line. I could tell them something like ‘I want to try and make sure that we can get more horsepower’ and they would know what it takes to accomplish that based on what we are doing in the NASCAR garages. But, it also means that a compromise needed to be made in another additive area, and they did a magnificent job of optimizing the ROUSH Motor Oil blend to truly be the premium brand," Roush said.

For all performance vehicles, Roush felt that a synthetic would be best. In synthetic motor oil, the molecule is completely uniform throughout - there are no variations in molecule size like in conventional oil. And taking a cue from his motorsports experience, Roush knew synthetic oil helps to cool engines better. Roush was also adamant that there be oils specially suited for both newer and older high-performance engines.

Check out the video to see the story behind Roush Motor Oil.




New Vehicles and High RPM Modular Motors
Roush Motor Oil for newer vehicles is a full synthetic blend, engineered for extreme protection and superior performance. These oils feature an advanced additive package for maximized horsepower, heat protection, and longer-lasting zinc/phosphorus anti-wear. These oils are available in three different weight combinations:

• SAE 5W-20
• SAE 5W-30
• SAE 5W-50 The recommended oil for the ROUSH® P-51A™ Mustang.



Flat Tappet and Push-rod Motors
Classic high-performance engines, especially flat tappet or push-rod types, require high levels of zinc/phosphorous for added protection. Valvoline increased the level of zinc for the 10W-30 and 10W-40 grades and used special low-volatility zinc, which helps to maintain higher levels of phosphorous in the oil instead of blowing it out through the catalyst. Advanced additive package for maximized horsepower, heat protection, and longer-lasting zinc/phosphorus anti-wear is also included.

• SAE 10W-30
• SAE 10W-40



Racing and Engine Break-In Oil
The last item that Roush specified was to create an engine Break-In Oil. This conventional SAE 40 weight motor oil has an extremely high zinc and low detergent levels and is designed for dyno or engine break-in uses. There are no additional additives needed when using the ROUSH Break-In oil, which can also be used in racing applications when oil is changed more frequently than in a typical street vehicle.

• BREAK-IN OIL (SAE 40)

All six ROUSH Motor Oil blends are available now through select retailers. For more information, or to find your nearest ROUSH Motor Oil dealer, visit www.ROUSHoil.com.