Is It Safe To Mix Different Motorcycle Oil Brands?- (Ultimate Guide)

Your motorcycle crankshaft rotates at 10,000 to 15,000 RPM. Just imagine the frictional force between the components without lubrication. The components cannot survive for a minute without engine oil.

Many popular brands, like Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, Mobil, Total, etc., provide different types of synthetic motor oil and lubricants that mitigate the frictional force between moving components and keep the engine cool.

So, can you mix two different oil brands in a motorcycle? If the viscosity and additives of the two motor oil brands are the same, then there is no harm in mixing them together to use in a car. However, it’s not advisable to mix different brands of oils if you’re using them on your motorcycle because your motorcycle shares the same cabinet for the engine and wet clutch system.

A minor change in frictional characteristics will cause power loss, and you’ll get lesser MPG.

Is It Okay To Top Up Engine Oil With Different Brands?

You can top up your can with a motor oil of any brand if the viscosity and additives are the same. However, mixing different oil brands in a motorcycle is not advisable because it has a wet clutch system.

A motorcycle engine oil should be of balanced characteristics for smoother power transmission to drive trains.

If the frictional characteristic increases, the moving parts will wear and tear. If the frictional characteristic decreases, the wet clutch system will not transmit the power to its full capacity, and the motorcycle’s fuel economy will decrease.

So, when changing your motorcycle engine oil, empty it completely and fill a good brand of motorcycle oil with specified viscosity. Never mix two different brands of oil in your motorcycle.

Also Read: Can Motorcycle Use Car Engine Oil?

Can You Mix Two Different Type Of Synthetic Oil?

Although the two synthetic oil brands’ color and visual characteristics are the same, additives could be different.

If you mix them together, the mixture may become less stable and not provide sufficient lubrication to your engine parts.

Mixing the synthetic oil of two brands is not recommended, even if the viscosity is the same. Change it after 200 to 500 miles if you’ve mixed them already.

What Happens If You Mix Two Different Brands of Oil in Motorcycles?

If you mix two different oil brands in your motorcycle, fuel economy will decrease, and you’ll get lesser MPG. It happens because the frictional characteristics change after mixing the oil, creating power loss during transmission from the wet clutch to the drivetrain.

Can You Mix Different Brands Of 5W30 Oil?

The answer is pretty straightforward. There is no short-term impact on mixing different brands of 5W30. However, it’s not recommended to do so because the additives and viscosity index improver could be different, which may not keep the mixture stable in the long run.

If you’re using 5W30 synthetic oil in your motorcycle, avoid mixing it with conventional oil, even if the viscosity index is the same.

Can You Mix Different Brands Of Fully Synthetic Oil?

Synthetic oil is considered the best oil for engine protection and performance. It’s because the fully synthetic oil doesn’t lose its stability at higher temperatures.

You can not mix fully synthetic oil of different viscosity. If the viscosity rating index is the same, then there is no harm in mixing the different brands of fully synthetic motor oil.

But it’s not recommended in the long run. Mix it only if you have no other option left. Because each brand uses different viscosity index improver polymers, these polymers react over time and affect the oil stability.

Can You Mix Castrol With Pennzoil?

Castrol and Pennzoil are the two most popular synthetic oil brands in the USA. That’s why lots of people wanted to know whether they could mix Castrol with Pennzoil.

The answer isn’t straightforward because both brands have different viscosity index polymers and additives. So, these polymers chemically react over time and reduce the effectiveness of lubrication.

However, mixing Castrol with Pennzoil has no short-term harm if both are fully synthetic and have the same viscosity index. But it’s not recommended for the long run.

Conclusion

There is a lot of chemical science involved in engine oil manufacturing. Synthetic oil manufacturers use Olefin copolymers and Polymethacrylate as viscosity index improvers. As long as both brands have the same additives and viscosity index, there is no harm in mixing them together. You can mix different oil brands in an emergency and change it after 200 to 500 miles.