A big THANKS to Jim Comstock for evaluating oils that will work best in our Norton Commandos! Jim has spent a lot of time testing these oils. Click here to visit the Access Norton "Oil Tests" thread.
Donate to Jim for his hard work testing these oils:
The oil testing is done with a set load at 220 degrees for the first 30 minutes. This stresses the oil under high shear conditions and gives a good indication of the heat produced by friction.
Then the oil temp is raised to 320 degrees and the load is increased until a scar is produced on the follower. The test stops at this point and data is collected.
The red trace is follower pressure.
The black trace is follower temperature. The difference between the follower temp and the target oil temp is a good indication of heat from friction.
The green trace is friction.
The violet trace is cooling fan cycles. When it is high, the fan is on and it shows oil temp. When it is low then the oil is at the target temperature.
For use in a moderately tuned street performance Norton I would suggest a minimum load capacity of 150 lbs. Low friction is a plus, particularly in warm climates.
Heat from friction is on a 0 to 10 scale. The lower the number -the better the result.
A detailed description of what Total Heat from Friction is, how it is derived and that lower values are desired:
The term total heat from friction refers to a unitless value that describes the overall heat generated during an oil test and is derived using the following inputs:
1) follower temperature.
2) oil temperature.
3) cooling fan run time.
Separate calculations are performed to characterize:
1) heat generated during the steady-state phase of the test, i.e., from 10-25 minute run time with fixed load, and referred to as heat from viscous friction
2) heat generated during the latter phase of the test, i.e., as load increases continually from 30 minutes to test conclusion, and is referred to as heat from high pressure shear.
These 2 separate values are then weighted appropriately and combined to obtain the total heat from friction value.
Lower total heat from friction values are desirable and will make for a cooler operating engine.
The high heat from friction oils would be best used in moderate or cool climates.
There are a few ways to browse the Norton Commando Oil data. The same data is available in each section, but laid out differently and more detailed in some areas. (Please note this page is not designed for mobile devices).
