Royal Purple XPR 5W-40 racing engine oil

(Image/OnAllCylinders)

LAS VEGAS, NV — Outdoor temperatures swing, and when they do, oil viscosity changes with them.

Precision-built race engines don’t like when their oil—their very lifeblood—is imprecise, and these engines tend to protest inconsistent oil thickness by offering less-than-ideal performance (and race-day losses).

Royal Purple—a long-time leader in performance motor oils and specialty lubricants—launched a 5W-40 and 5W-50 synthetic motor oil for its XPR® (Extreme Performance Racing) line at the 2017 SEMA Show, which will replace the XPR 10W-40 and XPR 20W-50 oils in its product offering.

These new racing oil formulations are all about precision and consistency (and race-day wins).

These new 5W race viscosities will typically increase horsepower by 4 to 5 percent over the formulations they’re replacing in the same engine, said Chris Barker, Royal Purple’s manager of technical services in an interview at SEMA.

“Consistent oil is what the engine wants to function optimally,” Barker said. “It frees up parasitic loss. The overall result of these new oils is we’ve made a more-efficient oil that offers more power and better protection.”

Royal Purple’s XPR motor oil is formulated specifically for dedicated competition race vehicles. Royal Purple’s HPS motor oil line is receiving a similar upgrade that offers more stability and less oxidation.

An emerging problem with some late-model performance cars—most specifically in turbocharged, direct-injection applications—is an increasing amount of low-speed pre-ignition.

Detergents in engine oil may be contributing to the detonation problem that can cause total engine failure, so companies like Royal Purple are developing new formulas that eliminate the LSPI-contributing ingredients.

Tackling these types of engine issues from the chemistry side, as well as achieving continuous improvement of both performance and protection, is what keeps Royal Purple pushing innovation and product testing in lubrication science and, ultimately, automotive performance.

The Royal Purple team is confident they are continuing to set the standard for high performance motor oil performance with the new 5W racing oil formulations in the XPR line.

“This is the best protection and performance that can be had,” Barker said.