Best oil for drag racing: mineral or synthetic?

The best drag racing oil for your Mustang 5.0 or other high performance car should be the one that protects your expensive racing parts. Without proper lubrication, your pride and joy will soon melt into a heap of smoking rubble. Before the debut of synthetic oils, most racing oils were high viscosity (thick) mineral-based oils.

Today’s fully synthetic oils provide much better protection, along with higher performance due to lower drag / friction resistance. They have the ability to withstand much higher temperatures than old school mineral oils. The best synthetic oils do all of this with a lower viscosity, which increases engine power and torque production.

Wear on engine parts is significantly reduced with synthetic oils, saving a race car owner money. The bearings last longer, expanding the number of quarter-mile passes you can run before they need to be replaced. You also notice less scuffing on the cylinder walls of an engine that runs on synthetic oil.

Transmissions and rear parts can also last much longer with the increased lubrication provided by synthetic fluids. Heat is enemy number one in an automatic transmission. Especially on a racing car equipped with a transmission brake. Keeping your race car on the starting line with the throttle wide open against the transmission brake causes a tremendous increase in transmission temperature. The much higher heat handling capacity of synthetic transmission fluid prevents breakdown of the fluid. When liquid breaks down from excessive heat, lubrication leaks out the window.

The high shock loads of full throttle starts are also very harsh on the rear ends. Combine that with sticky racing slicks or drag radials and you have a recipe for disaster. Again, high-quality synthetics are the way to go here for longer life from your high-value gear set.

Simply changing all the fluids in your car to a fully synthetic oil will improve performance on the track and save enough money over the course of the racing season to easily offset the higher upfront cost. Take advantage of modern chemistry and buy the best oil for your drag racing machine today.