[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by JSH

I use 0W40 and hit redline say 10 times/day, and it uses one qt. every few weeks.

Does that oil consumption come with the Hennessy package?

Sheesh that’s a lot of oil to burn in 3 weeks, unless your putting thousands of miles on in 3 weeks.

[Evansa22]

Originally Posted by JSH

I use 0W40 and hit redline say 10 times/day, and it uses one qt. every few weeks.

Does that end up in your catch can? Or is it disappearing somewhere else?

[JSH]

Yep, a light zero-weight oil, +-75 redline shifts/week, ambient temps 70-90F, higher engine and piston temps, boost increase from 9 to 14psi. It all adds up to greater oil consumption, which is no biggie. Peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by JSH

Yep, a light zero-weight oil, +-75 redline shifts/week, ambient temps 70-90F, higher engine and piston temps, boost increase from 9 to 14psi. It all adds up to greater oil consumption, which is no biggie. Peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

That does not seem normal no matter how high the boost, temps, etc, there may be a problem that will get worse over time and reduce the life of your motor. You should have it checked.

With a properly built engine, I dont think temps should be unusually high. When I run my ZLE on track for several days in a row, 90-100 F temps in CA, it burns zero oil.

911 Turbo runs up to 25+ PSI boost making big power, and they don't run hot or burn oil. That kind of oil consumption is a sign you may not be making power efficiently. Combustion is escaping past rings, instead of pushing the pistons. Did the Hennessey ppl tell you it's normal for all their builds?

[JSH]

It's not a Hennessy issue lol

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by JSH

It's not a Hennessy issue lol

Do you circuit track this ZLE a lot? If yes can you share your experience with tracking on cool to warm days?

I'm considering mods in the future and curious how highly modded ZLEs perform in terms of engine and oil temps during HPDE sessions on warm days.

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by JSH

It's not a Hennessy issue lol

I just spoke with John over at Hennessy. The HPE850 package does indeed come with excessive oil consumption as part of the package. He says that’s why their HPE850 build comes with a case of free oil. It’s also rated that if you go with the excessive oil consumption option it will increase horsepower by 50rwhp.

[ZX-10R]

Originally Posted by JSH

Yep, a light zero-weight oil

0W-40 is not "light", the "zero" is more of a marketing gimmick - if you look up cold and hot (measured) viscosity, it's significantly higher than 5W-30

You should not be seeing more than 1/2 quart of oil consumption every 5k miles with a healthy engine and street use (I don't)

[JSH]

I went back and checked my records. It uses a quart every 1000 miles or so at the previously stated levels of performance. Also HPE might use more generous clearances than does Chevrolet. greater clearances can make greater power

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by JSH

I went back and checked my records. It uses a quart every 1000 miles or so at the previously stated levels of performance. Also HPE might use more generous clearances than does Chevrolet. greater clearances can make greater power

What clearances? Hennessy didn’t rebuild your short block, they only touched your top end. No clearances were changed.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by JSH

Yep, a light zero-weight oil, +-75 redline shifts/week, ambient temps 70-90F, higher engine and piston temps, boost increase from 9 to 14psi. It all adds up to greater oil consumption, which is no biggie. Peanuts in the grand scheme of things.

FYI...

0w40 Mobil1 is higher viscosity at low (and high) temps than their 5w30.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by JSH

I went back and checked my records. It uses a quart every 1000 miles or so at the previously stated levels of performance. Also HPE might use more generous clearances than does Chevrolet. greater clearances can make greater power

Some sport compact engine builders use looser tolerances on engines with forged pistons using aluminum alloys that expand once fully warm, but when properly built the fitted rings will accommodate that and prevent any oil consumption.

Also, as someone else pointed out, you didn't have your short block built so that doesnt apply.

With a modern build using state of the art parts and machining techniques, a forged block should be built with tight tolerances using alloys that don't over-expand, and I assume HPE is state of the art--they claim they are.

OEM 800+ HP cars like Demon, Bugatti, F 812, Koenigsegg etc dont burn oil due to loose piston tolerances. Neither should an HPE ZL1.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

Also, as someone else pointed out, you didn't have your short block built so that doesnt apply.

Yea, you guys are right. I forgot there are no moving parts in the heads and valve train such that "clearances" between the adjoining surfaces are even relevant.

I mean, my new parts such as valves, valve stem guides/seals aren't oiled so they're not relevant, and of course, CAP just did new FII SC/head spacers but there's no oil on or near them, so no worries, and then there's

Back to OP's question:

If it's a garage queen, as so many here are, that you putt-around in on weekends at or below the speed limit, it shouldn't use any oil between changes. On the other hand, if it's been modified and spends a lot of time at red line, it will likely use oil. Oh, and a lot of fuel too.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

FYI...

0w40 Mobil1 is higher viscosity at low (and high) temps than their 5w30.

Yea, I had forgotten that CAP filled it with 5W30, but I've got a garage shelf full of 0W40 ESP, so I'm using that when it runs low. Not sure I'll ever use up the whole case.