RE: Biodegradeable Oil

[MailAdministratorNYC <Admin@nyc.mitsui.com>]

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	William Elliott
[SMTP:CN=William.Elliott/OU=Corporate/O=MEI#064#MMS%lngw@wtgw.corp.mei.com]
	Sent:	Wednesday, August 12, 1998 3:15 PM
	To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
	Subject:	re: Biodegradeable Oil

	<<No disrespect to our Green Friends in Europe, but no one over
there as
	mentioned using any biodegradeable oil, so I can only guess that
either
	cost killed these oils, or, they did not offer sufficient protection
to the
	engine, in which case, the engine would end up polluting worse than
if
	it ran dino or synth.

	Anybody know different?>>

	I'm not sure... and it's been a long time since anybody's discussed
it, but 
	I'll take a stab.

	My understanding is that a lot of pre-war oil in Europe was
soy-based and
	that Castrol got its name from the "caster oil".  That's why the
smell of 
	early British race cars is sometimes referred to; they were burning
vegetable 
	oil!

	The part I do know for sure:  This stuff is still available today as
Castrol  
	"R". 
	I think it's only modern application is motorcycle shock oil.  I was
told to 
	use 
	it in lever shocks on a MG I used to autocross.  It significantly
stiffened up 
	the shocks, but looked stock. 

	Why did it die?  I assume oil got cheaper to produce and was refined
	to the point that it was very superior in performance.

	Bill Elliott