Carpokes Porsche Forum

There are few topics with an almost certain polarizing effect in less polite forums than oil recommendations.......but so far searching hadn't landed what I was hoping for, so here goes;

What are folks running for oil in the 8v 2.5L? Car has 71,500 miles currently and the last oil change was done by previous owner's mechanic so I am unclear what is currently in there, other than it was fresh when I received the car. But I will probably hit ~3K miles mid Summer so I wanted to get ahead of things.

I know Pelican has the oil change kit with Liqui Moly MOS2 Antifriction - 10W-40 Semi-Synthetic and a Hengst filter, but didn't know if there is an overwhelming reason to use something else.

I read about trying to ensure a higher ZDDP (Zinc) content for the flat lobed camshafts etc. but......

Any reason to choose one filter over another?

(forgive me I also live in the 997 world where oil choice is like choosing a religion)

River19 wrote: Thu May 28, 2026 3:53 pm There are few topics with an almost certain polarizing effect in less polite forums than oil recommendations.......but so far searching hadn't landed what I was hoping for, so here goes;

What are folks running for oil in the 8v 2.5L? Car has 71,500 miles currently and the last oil change was done by previous owner's mechanic so I am unclear what is currently in there, other than it was fresh when I received the car. But I will probably hit ~3K miles mid Summer so I wanted to get ahead of things.

I know Pelican has the oil change kit with Liqui Moly MOS2 Antifriction - 10W-40 Semi-Synthetic and a Hengst filter, but didn't know if there is an overwhelming reason to use something else.

I read about trying to ensure a higher ZDDP (Zinc) content for the flat lobed camshafts etc. but......

Any reason to choose one filter over another?

(forgive me I also live in the 997 world where oil choice is like choosing a religion)

I’ve been looking into this myself. I’m currently in the break in process on my rebuilt turbo engine. I’ve got one more 500 mile oil change before I can start using regular oil. Like you said though this will get a lot of opinions but from all my research seems to me like a lot of 944 owners use Valvoline VR1.

I run Liqui Moly 10W40 MoS2 in multiple cars. I swear by it for any older engine. It holds up very well, quiets the motor, is comparable in price.

spacecad3t wrote: Thu May 28, 2026 6:34 pm I run Liqui Moly 10W40 MoS2 in multiple cars. I swear by it for any older engine. It holds up very well, quiets the motor, is comparable in price.

That and the Valvoline are both high zinc so get the Carpokes seal or approval. I've been using Motul's new classic 20-50 lately for the same reason (which also has Molybdmenum in it...).

I double-up my cars so I don't have to buy 5 different oils. The 944 shares with the E36 M3, which means Millers CFS 5w-40. In a perfect world I'd give the 944 something a bit heavier, but mine's not a turbo, and I live in Ireland (ie: it never gets hot here), so, :shrug:.

(The Euro E36 M3 is an early VANOS implementation which tends to be a bit cranky about oil types/weights.)

Using Liqui-Moly MOS2 10w40 since before it was cool

The only hard part is it's hard to see the level in the jug

I do have a story...

When I first bought my car in 2008, it only had 69k US miles but it was consuming quite a lot oil. I understood Valvoline VR1 20w50 was the way to go, so I used that for the first few oil changes. Then a conversation led me to try something different to see if the oil consumption would change. I went with Liqui-Moly 10w60. Problem solved itself almost instantly.

I used the 10w60 for years, barely consuming 1 litre between changes. After many, many miles, I noticed something else now: oil pressure was starting to get lower and lower and lower. A couple of super cold winters and I started feeling uneasy about this super thick oil.

Fast forward to about 2018 or so. I switched to the LM 10w40 and today it consumes the least amount of oil ever--sometimes not even 1 litre between changes. I am much older and drive less on the turbo so maybe that's it lol.. though I do a few long highway trips here and there in addition to the daily grind. Today, on very hot days in stop-and-go traffic, oil pressure at idle is around 1.5 on the dash. I regret using 10w60 for a few years.. but this low oil pressure could also be due to the high mileage, estimated at minimum 250k US miles (the odometer stopped a long time ago and I never bothered to fix it).

Anyway.. the LM 10w40 is great & available locally for a very reasonable cost. Try it

Yeah somewhat similar story. I also ran 20w50 in a few cars that made me uneasy about running it during the winter. They had oil leaks or consumption issues. The LM 10w40 improved both. It didnt stop the leaks, but I think I read the zinc helps swell the seals a little more, slowing them down?

spacecad3t wrote: Fri May 29, 2026 9:01 am I think I read the zinc helps swell the seals a little more, slowing them down?

Yeah not so sure about that

Valvoline VR1 20w50 for my S2.

danmartinic wrote: Fri May 29, 2026 9:21 am

spacecad3t wrote: Fri May 29, 2026 9:01 am I think I read the zinc helps swell the seals a little more, slowing them down?

Yeah not so sure about that

lol I figured it was some crack pot idea...