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My Review of RS-R's Ran Up Oil Additive

Joined
18 November 2010
Messages
1,057
Location
Pasadena, CA
Disclosure
In the interest of full transparency, I want to state that I have no financial interest in the review of this product, nor was I compensated in any way other than:

1. A free 300 ml bottle of Ran Up
2. Free dyno testing
3. Free lunch at In-N-Out

Background
Ran Up contains a powder that was developed originally as a dry lubricant for the robotic arms that work on the space shuttles while in space. Liquid lubricants do not work because of the extreme temperatures found in outer space. RS-R collaborated with the company that made the powder and created the liquid delivery system that is now Ran Up.

The Test
On Tuesday, October 16, 2012 I drove my 1991 Acura NSX with 53,000 miles down to RS-R’s facility in Santa Ana, CA. I had just changed the oil (Red Line 5w30) the night before. As to my car, here is the modification list:

• Cantrell AIS (air intake scoop), OEM air box, K&N panel-type filter
• Comptech headers
• OEM NA2 (‘97+) exhaust system
• Prospeed RDX injector swap
• Prospeed Stage 3 ECU

After meeting with the staff (Josh, Ben, and Jon) and taking a tour of the shop, we strapped the car on the Superflow chassis dynomameter. After warming up the car, Ben made 3 baseline runs. The 2nd best pull of the 3 “baseline” runs read 251.6 peak wHP and 197.7 peak wTQ. Please refer to the image “Baseline Dyno”.

(As a point of reference, I tested my car at Bisimoto Engineering (Ontario, CA) in January 2012 on a Dynapack dynomameter and the best peak numbers there were 264.0 wHP and 209.2 wTQ.)

We then poured a bottle of the RS-R Ran Up into the engine, and Ben broke in the Ran Up by “driving” the car on the dyno at various speeds for about 30 minutes to simulate a real world break-in process. We then let the car cool down while we went to lunch.

After lunch, we came back and put the car through the same warm up procedure before making our 3 “after” runs. The 2nd best pull of the 3 “after” runs read 256.9 peak wHP and 201.4 peak wTQ. These numbers represent a 5.3 wHP (2.1%) and 3.7 wTQ (1.9%) gains over baseline. In addition, and more importantly, the total area under the curve was greater with the Ran Up. Please refer to the image “Comparison”.

Driving Impressions
Knowing that I was going to test this product, I paid close attention (more so than usual) as to the overall “behavior” of the car on the way to RS-R. The first thing I noticed was that the engine now makes a slight whine at the lower RPMs, similar to a centrifugal-type supercharger. As to the driving the car, the car is now significantly more “rev-happy”, both in speed and quality/smoothness of throttle response. Two other comparisons I can make is that it is like when you upgrade to a lighter flywheel and/or when you significantly lighten the valvetrain. The bottom line is that it is pretty easy to feel that the engine is not working as hard.

Summary
At a retail price of $50, this is an absolutely tremendous value with respect to the dollar cost per horsepower (roughly $10). For those of us that love our cars (and are probably running a high-quality synthetic oil anyways), this is the proverbial icing on the cake. Less friction internally means more power, less wear, and better gas mileage (provided your right foot doesn’t become heavier).
 

Attachments

  • Baseline Dyno.pdf
    Baseline Dyno.pdf
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  • Comparison Dyno.jpg
    Comparison Dyno.jpg
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It probably should be noted that those not running Prospeeds RDX injector/ECU upgrade may not see the same results since those are quite noticable upgrades according to those users. Also is this something you add every oil change? Results seem good and I may be on board.
 
It probably should be noted that those not running Prospeeds RDX injector/ECU upgrade may not see the same results since those are quite noticable upgrades according to those users. Also is this something you add every oil change? Results seem good and I may be on board.

The 2% increase is pretty consistent with what RS-R has found, no matter the application (Japanese, domestic, NA, FI, rotary, diesel). Their Formula Drift car went from 820 wHP to 842 wHP with just the Ran Up. :eek:

And yes, they recommend that you add it with every oil change. Since I only change the oil in the NSX once a year, it's not that bad. For my daily driver, it might have to be every other oil change.
 
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For sale everywhere? I have always heard don't add additives to fuel... But this is to oil so maybe it's different...?
 
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I love following your threads, L_RAO, as you work towards 300hp they're all interesting, but I'm a bit skeptical on this one.

What happens when you don't drive the car for a few months? Powder buildup/drying? There are many reports of this stuff quieting down the engine, but I'd still be worried about long term usage.
 
I love following your threads, L_RAO, as you work towards 300hp they're all interesting, but I'm a bit skeptical on this one.

What happens when you don't drive the car for a few months? Powder buildup/drying? There are many reports of this stuff quieting down the engine, but I'd still be worried about long term usage.
Just to play devil's advocate polymers/additives have allowed oil performance to improve so much. Such is the case with today's multi-weight synthetic oils.

Audax's suggestion is a good one. I'd be curious to know what the before and after (say after 3000-5000 miles) oil composition looks like. The product works but I wonder how long before it breaks down. Actually, perhaps Blackstone already has data on this. I'll bet someone has already sent them a sample.

I'm skeptical too, but I feel ok about giving this a try. My NSX doesn't get driven much so my oil changes tend to be time based or abuse based (such as track days) not mileage based. It's the costs that makes me think twice.
 
I don't know, since I drive and will be driving the car at least once a week.

I know that RS-R has done extensive testing with respect to "gunk" buildup, and there is none. This is unlike the old Lubrilon (Slick 50) that left Teflon in all the engine passages. The only issue is that since it is a particle in suspension, the effects do seem to "fade away". Hence the suggestion of a bottle with every oil change.

I love following your threads, L_RAO, as you work towards 300hp they're all interesting, but I'm a bit skeptical on this one.

What happens when you don't drive the car for a few months? Powder buildup/drying? There are many reports of this stuff quieting down the engine, but I'd still be worried about long term usage.
 
Just to play devil's advocate polymers/additives have allowed oil performance to improve so much. Such is the case with today's multi-weight synthetic oils.

Audax's suggestion is a good one. I'd be curious to know what the before and after (say after 3000-5000 miles) oil composition looks like. The product works but I wonder how long before it breaks down. Actually, perhaps Blackstone already has data on this. I'll bet someone has already sent them a sample.

I'm skeptical too, but I feel ok about giving this a try. My NSX doesn't get driven much so my oil changes tend to be time based or abuse based (such as track days) not mileage based. It's the costs that makes me think twice.

I just sent in the "old" oil that I ran for about 5000 miles to Blackstone. I'll post those results. Unfortunately, I won't send in my current oil (with the Ran Up) for another 5000 miles - so maybe in a year I'll have an update.
 
hmm interesting...

wonder if there is any benefit adding it into a supercharger?

definitely interested in this stuff
 
I think RYU is going to go in to RS-R and test it specifically on his supercharger. If it behaves in an SC the same way it does in an engine, the SC should run cooler and maybe spool up a bit faster.

RYU - get your session scheduled!

hmm interesting...

wonder if there is any benefit adding it into a supercharger?

definitely interested in this stuff
 
I think RYU is going to go in to RS-R and test it specifically on his supercharger. If it behaves in an SC the same way it does in an engine, the SC should run cooler and maybe spool up a bit faster.

RYU - get your session scheduled!
I was going to go in after I get all my EMS goodies installed but it's probably more useful for the majority of the CTSC community for me to on in with the stock CTSC tune. I'll schedule something asap.
 
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[MENTION=20915]RYU[/MENTION] did you ever try it in the supercharger? Are there any adverse effects to use this with E85? As in chemical reactions with E85 blow by mixing in the oil over time.


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It's been in my autorotor since day 1. I peak at 8psi and stabilizes at 7.1-7.3 psi at wot. From what others testify, they are at 6psi.

I don't use e85.
 
sorry... 6psi is for Whipples. I just looked up a few threads.. most Autorotor guys experience 6.5-7.1psi. I'd say conservatively the ran-up helps the blower by about .25-.5 psi but I can't explain why mine peaks at 8psi.. probably because of my meth/water cooling.
 
sorry... 6psi is for Whipples. I just looked up a few threads.. most Autorotor guys experience 6.5-7.1psi. I'd say conservatively the ran-up helps the blower by about .25-.5 psi but I can't explain why mine peaks at 8psi.. probably because of my meth/water cooling.

How much do you add to your Autorotor setup? I have a Whipple, and would love to add some just to keep the chatter down at idle.
 
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