Husky, Rotella T is not available in OZ it is a US universal oil, ie able to be used in both Diesel and Petrol engines. The best oil that is easily available and also recommended for Motor cycle use is Penrite HPR 15
Below is an extract from another forum and a reply from Shell, enjoy Ollie
I read on US forums that a lot of guys use Shell Rotella T, a synthetic diesel engine oil, in their 4stroke bikes and 2stroke gear boxes, apparently it is as good if not better than bike specific oils but costs a lot less. Has anyone got any thoughts on this?
This is the respose from a tech at shell when queried on Rotella
Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry, and thanks for your interest in Shell products. (and my apologies for the delay in responding)
ROTELLA T SAE 15W-40 and ROTELLA T Synthetic SAE 5W-40 are universal oils, meeting needs of many 4-stroke gasoline as well as most diesel engines. They have performance credentials (API Service Categories SL and CI-4 & CI-4 PLUS) for lubricating both kinds of engines. Consequently, ROTELLA T can be a good choice for four-stroke motorcycle/ATV engines.
It’s best to consult your owner’s manual for recommended oil quality. If your engine manufacturer recommends oil meeting any of these API Service Categories; CF-4, CG-4, CH-4, CI-4 & CI-4 PLUS, and/or SH, SJ, and SL, or any earlier but obsolete category, then ROTELLA T may be a good choice.
ROTELLA T does not contain friction modifiers that are added to many passenger-car-only-oils, and it does not comply with all requirements of ILSAC GF-1, GF-2 and GF-3 (the ILSAC oil specifications are often recommended by many gasoline passenger car engine manufacturers). That can be good for motorcycle/ATV use. Friction modifiers can upset wet clutch operation. And the ILSAC requirements limit phosphorus content. Diesel engines and other engines with highly loaded valve trains, as well as transmissions, need extra (compared to passenger car engines) extreme pressure wear protection, which is provided by an additive that contains phosphorus.
One negative might be where the engine manufacturer recommends oil meeting JASO requirements. Part of the JASO requirement limits ash content to 1.2%. Ash content of ROTELLA T exceeds this limit. Oil ash contributes to combustion chamber and spark plug deposits.
Best Regards,
Greg Raley
Tel: +1 281 544 8621
Email: Gregory.Raley@shell.com
Internet: http://www.shell.com
I went through the same thing about 6 months ago cos all the US guys use Rotella in their Hi po strokers.
I emailed the same thing to Shell australia about 6 months ago. The follwing is what I got from Shell Australia:
1st Reply from Shell Australia:
Rotella T is a Canadian product and will not be coming to Australia. The Australia version is Rimula X 15w-40. Rimula Ultra is a better quality oil because it is synthetic. But it’s API performance grade is not as high. It all depends on what the vehicle’s API spec has too meet.
What are you planning to put the oil into?
2nd Reply from Shell Australia:
For diesel engine performance Rimula X 15w-40 would be equivalent to Rotella T. However Rotella T in a universal oil, suitable for both spark and compression ignition engines, which Rimula X 15w-40 is not.
None of Shell Australia’s high performance diesel oils (Rimula X 15w-40, Rimula Super, Rimula Ultra) are tested for spark ignition performance. As such we would not recommend using them in a motorcycle, regardless of whether they contain friction modifiers.
regards
Shell TAC
3rd Reply from Shell Australia:
I would like to assure you that I have examined the websites that you have forwarded to us. However, little of what is said on these websites applies to Shell products available in Australia. Shell USA has a completely different range of diesel engine oils to those available in Australia.
While we have a Rotella range of oils (Rotella DD+ 40 and Rotella DD+ 50) in Australia, they are suitable for use only in Detroit Diesel 2 stroke engines, and as such cannot be compared to the American Rotella T. Rotella T is a universal (as opposed to diesel specific) engine oil, making it suitable for all types of 4 stroke engine (heavy duty diesel and both motorcycle and passenger car petrol engines.
I would like to reiterate that the high end diesel oils sold by Shell in Australia are all designed solely for diesel engine use and are not designed for, nor tested to meet any kind of petrol engine specification.
To answer your questions directly:
Rimula Premium (which is not sold in Australia) is not the same as Rimula Ultra. Rimula Premium is designed to North American diesel engine oil specifications (set out by Caterpillar, Cummins, Mack etc) , whilst Rimula Ultra (as sold in Australia) is designed to meet European specificiations (set out by Scania, Volvo, Iveco etc). Neither is better than the other, because they are design for different purposes.
In Australia, Shell Rimula oils are used in heavy duty, 4 strokes diesel engine, while Shell Rotella oil are used in 2 stroke diesel engines. Therefore they are not comparable.
Rotella T is not a diesel engine oil, it is a universal engine oil and therefore will be suited to all types of engines. Shell Australia’s high end diesel oils are diesel specific, and we strongly recommend that they are used for this purpose only. You may wish to re-read the note at the bottom of the following link:
http://www.rotella.com/qa/answerresult.php?rowid=81
Please be aware that none of Shell Australia’s diesel engine oil meet the API SL specification and as such may not be up to the challenge.
AFAIK rotella is not imported into Australia. It is a US based oil.
sounds like your onto a good thing, but I am wondering why “The best oil that is easily available and also recommended for Motor cycle use is Penrite HPR 15” who said it and why some many other people and manufacturers bother if thats the case :blink:
