I use Rislone ZDDP Supplement with Mobil 1 Synthetic to get my zinc levels up to mid 1300s.

There are a couple of points that I believe are worthy of consideration.

First, comparing stock applications to hotter builds is not apples to apples. Hotter cams have faster ramp rates, higher lifts, and require more valve spring pressure to control. So, an oil or lifter that would give excellent long term service in a stock application, might not fare so well in an application with the above added stresses.

Second, Bob The Oil Guy cautions against adding any additives to your oil. He has found that not all combinations work well together. Some can actually offset others.

For flat tappets, particularly in hot rod applications, having the right oil is critical. But as mentioned before, even the best oil can only do so much. Quality of the cam core, the particular quality of the grind and of course the quality of the lifters have all come into question for years now. And let's not forget that roller lifters have had their own share of problems on the street.

Personally, on a number of different forums, I read many, many guys who have run the Valvoline VR-1 with no problems. And that has been my experience with both my wedges and my Hemis. It just seems hard to justify spending more money on oil with the many years of success by many guys with the Valvoline. The price and ease of access FOR MOST GUYS is the only reason that it leads my list of oils that others have ran too with good results.

Just my

There are different types of cam cores out there as well as lifter manufactures and the quality is not all equal anymore. Many of these bigger cam companies have been bought and sold and the guys who used to do it right have retired, or were forced out during mergers.

On the Speed-Talk website you can read all sorts of good info about cam cores (P55) oil additives, where good lifters come from etc..

People are having even low lift RV type cam and lifters fail and not just the race level parts so it's a problem for everyone to be wary of.

I like the idea of the hardened foot on the GM taxi cab lifters in the one video I posted. Other companies should offer that as an option.

Seems like everyone has a different opinion as to what to use and not use. For many years now I have been using Rotilla T 15W 40 with STP. My SFT cam has been in this engine and others since 2008. It’s still good.

The cams he had go flat were also Comp Cams, they are not the quality they used to be since being bought out several years back. the motors were broke in with single springs as well

VR-1 here, but I have the EDM lifters. No issues, but if the lifters don’t spin while turning it over by hand. I figure out why and fix it.

VR1 10-w30 for me. I tried last few changes running it with one quart of 20w-50 for a witch’s brew I call 13w-35.

I’ll note the Valvoline website says modern oils have other additives and they do not think a lack of zddp is an issue for flat tappets. I’m not chancing it.

SFT in my 528 Hemi, I run 20W50 VR1 and sometimes cut it by half with cheap oil from Dollar General or whatever is cheapest. For stock engines with weak valvesprings, I just straight up run the cheapest oil I can find in the preferred weight.

I saw on a few threads on other online hot rod forums where a few engine builders have started dissembling and inspecting the new flat tappet lifters before they were installing them. The report is that many have come in without the springs inside, or had the plunger in cocked so it couldn't move, or the fill port plugged up or sticky so it couldn't pump up with oil. Apparently, they have come across enough poorly assembled liters to warrant dissembling and inspection of each one before installing them.

I have no idea if that is factual or not, just passing info I've read on. In the grand scheme of things, it makes more sense having lifter assembly issues then it does having intermittent issues with oil break down on one cam lobe or an individual cam lobe hardness issue.

In this day and age, I think I would take the time to dissemble the lifters and have a look see at all the lifters I was putting against a new cam. I'd only have to see one poorly assembled lifter to make it always worth the time to check them. Its a pain, but given the number of cam/lifter failures going on these days, an once of prevention might be the difference between being happy and not being happy.

I never used to hear about spinning lifters in the past (and I've built a few engines) but so far have yet to have a problem with a flat cam besides 1 fuel pump lobe on a /6...... But I didn't know that spinning an over by hand would be enough for the lifters to spin in their bores....
I'm about to do a cam swap in a plain old 318 with hydraulic lifters using a melling cam and MP lifters from 25-30 years ago.

Hughes Engines website has a really good few pages of cam and lifter installations, decreeing cams and such, use to think it was overkill but I ran a lot of his cams and never ever had any problems when using his instructions. These were all pretty aggressive cams and edm solid lifters. He was a big preacher of spinning the cam with a ratchet and making dang sure all the lifters turned. Very good articles, his oiling system instructions were a mere couple of paragraphs not in the oiling systems article but in the stroker assembly article iirc.

All flat tappet lifters ‘roll’ around the cam, do it slide. Cam turns on outside of lifter not center.

Problem with VR 1 is I don't see it on the shelf anywhere locally.
I ordered my last batch via Amazon

I use Valvoline VR1 conventional oil in my flat tappet motors. The only reason they don't have rollers in them is they're old and I haven't had a reason to go into them.

Welcome to old cars 101.

I drive a 51 Plymouth, almost nothing is off the shelf for it anymore.

Yep, I mark each lifter edge with a sharpy towards the center of the valley. Go on my way setting lash and see where the lines are after. A Hyd cam you won’t have the “true” force on the lifter because of no oil pressure. But it is close enough.

I buy all my oil and filters from Amazon. The prices are right, delivered to my door in a couple days and I get to avoid that dump known as Walmart.

My local NAPA has the VR1 for me in a day or two.

Joe

I use the Driven oil as recommend by my machine shop -Rhyne Racing- No additive used
Mopar 590 flat tapped cam. Had the intake off last year the cam looks perfect. Keith

https://drivenracingoil.com/i-30497837-xp4-15w-50-conventional-racing-oil.html

I use Driven break in oil, then switch to their high zinc Hot Rod oil. No additives, no problems.