what oil to use for track driving?

[CL65 Captain]

Trackpedia: What are the most common mistakes racers/drivers make regarding oil?

Royal Purple: Using a heaver oil than necessary thinking more viscosity equates to better protection. Just because you are taking the car to the track does not mean that you need to use a 20w50 oil. If the engine have been running 5w30 then that's what you need to run at the track. Viscosity is simply resistance to flow; it does not directly correlate to the film thickness of a given oil. Using an oil which is too viscous can actually increase engine oil temperature due to fluid friction. As well, even though the gauge may indicate increased oil pressure, this does not mean increased wear protection. In most cases it means the opposite as the too-viscous oil may be starving components with tight clearences (cam bearings, rod/ main bearings, etc.). If you strongly feel you need added protection for track days, it's time to change your oil brand, not the vis.

New Question of the Month for April:
Trackpedia: I have heard various differing opinions on the difference between 5w30 and 5w50 oils. I was under the impression that if I wanted good startup flow and high RPM protection I would want to expand the range between the first number and the second number. Is this true?

Royal Purple: It's somewhat of a double-edged sword. Depending on engine clearances, a 50W at operating temp may give you added protection, but in our opinion the cons of wide span multi-vis oils outweigh the pros for most applications. To turn a 5W at 40C to a 50W at 100C takes quite a bit of VI improvers (polymer) which tend to decrease the oil's shear stability. Additionally, as we discussed last month, unless and engine has been specifically built loose to accommodate a 50W, engine oils temps may increase and shear stability decrease even further both of which will reduce oil life due to a ramped rate of oxidation and viscosity loss. Additionally, the higher operating temp viscosity will rob horsepower and/or fuel economy in tighter engines.

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

I run 11qts of oil in my car. Changing the oil before, during, or after a track event is going to be one expensive proposition.

With 8-10-12 quart oiling systems it starts to add up. I bet I spent almost a grand on fluids last year. I don't have to tell you that Speed is expensive.

If that's the prudent thing to do, I may just skip track days altogether.

To that point; decide what is prudent for yourself.

For me, I change my fluids incrementally on a schedule that makes sense for my real-world usage. Maybe I even do more than I need to but I recognize that you can't have a mission critical machine without doing due maintenance either.

If I have full weekend ahead of me I'll go through and change everything. If it's just another DE day and I'm running maybe an afternoon session or two on the Friday before or something I'll bring what I have and call it good.

The thing to take away is that track usage and street usage have very little in common (well, unless you are a really slow driver) LOL. Thus, the maintenance schedules are obviously always going to be incomparable.

In tracking/racing their is no parallel with street driving.... when you are at WOT for hours on end high performance engines ingests huge volumes of air. The bigger / more modified the engine the greater the induction requirements. Some race engines can evacuate all the air out of a 12X12X12 room in a few seconds.

Further, race tracks are very dirty environments. Any contaminates that aren't caught by the filter end up in the engine oil. The faster you are, the longer you are on throttle, and the higher the rate. The more cars on course, the dirtier the air, the higher the rate. Etc...

To me, maintenance is very much common sense. Don't put your car on track for 16 hours a month, then drive it 3500 miles... and swear by the factory service schedule. At the other extreme, if someones a novice and it's their first year out I doubt it matters either; when it comes to oil just have some.

 

[Hrant]

I will call for the question again; can we have some factual information pretty please? I think we will all be better served by sharing oil analysis data with the different track uses, oil viscosities, brands ........

Henry, if I recall, you do have an oil cooler, baffle and Accusump. But not sure if you added SC/turbo. For all practical purposes since you have mixed use (track and street right?) stay with the 10W/30 during moderate to colder ambient temp seasons. I don't think it gets cold enough in your area to go to 5W. If you are SC/turbo, you may want to consider 10W/40 especially during hot days (80+F ambient at the track), and get higher octane. That is what Shad is recommending. As for brand of oil, I know some leave sludge; so far, I have not had any problems with Mobil 1 and Motul has been used twice now.

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

I will call for the question again; can we have some factual information pretty please? I think we will all be better served by sharing oil analysis data with the different track uses, oil viscosities, brands ........

Henry, if I recall, you do have

Before you start an OA program and collect data, don't you need a justification and to have specific objective or problem that you are trying to solve?

Given the wide range / disparity in operating environments, engine modifications, drivers, usage, sample techniques, test labs, maintenance, etc.... among owners on nsxprime; I frankly don't see how sharing oil analysis data accomplishes anything.

If you want to know how products compare, the proper place to get those results is from a test lab under controlled conditions.

 

[nsxhk]

I thought for sure the 'forum nazi' will rear its ugly head on me and tell me to use the damn search..... :wink:

My car is still NA with sos cams, baffled pan, the usual exhaust mods and on street tires. And yes, I have a home-made oil cooler with oil temp gauge. I purchased the accusump but haven't installed it yet(trying to find a better place than the trunk). My X is basically a weekend warrior with occasional track fun.

So I guess 20w50 is definitely overkill for my application.

Thx so much for all the valuable comments. I knew I came to the right place

Henry.

 

[Hrant]

Before you start an OA program and collect data, don't you need a justification and to have specific objective or problem that you are trying to solve?


Not necessarily. I started the OA back when it had only a few thousand miles and when I started tracking just to keep an eye on the internal wears and catch anything before it got worse. So I have a historical reference/benchmark and consider the OA as maintenance.

Given the wide range / disparity in operating environments, engine modifications, drivers, usage, sample techniques, test labs, maintenance, etc.... among owners on nsxprime; I frankly don't see how sharing oil analysis data accomplishes anything.

This is precisely why when I give a point of view and that is all we are doing here with recommendations, I state as many of the potential variables as I have data on.

If you want to know how products compare, the proper place to get those results is from a test lab under controlled conditions.

Lab controlled analysis is fine, but since there are quite a few who use Blackstone labs - and a few years ago I had to inform them to keep to sets of data one for 3.0L and one for 3.2L specifically for the NSX (not CL or TL), comparing data from their lab would at least reduce one variable. YMMV.

Henry, yes 20W/50 would be overkill, and changing your oil every 3K or 6mos should be fine :wink:

 

[nsxnut]

I agree with John.

What problem are you trying to address?

Shad has recommended a slightly thicker oil for your application.
You live in nor-cal It get's hot out in the summer at the tracks we run at (100+) & we run forced induction.
This is not true for everyone.

As for when to change the oil. Look at it. feel it.

When I change my oil I write the date and millage on the filter.
When you tech the car before an event. Look at the filter and check the oil.

Changing the oil out mid day @ a track event is ludicrous.

Later,
Don

 

[Hrant]

NSXNUT ....... let me spoon feed this for you :tongue:

With oil analysis you are checking if one of the wear elements/particles that otherwise shouldn't be there under normal driving conditions now is showing up; or in case you track your car, the frequency of the wear using track conditions over time so you can take preventative measures earlier. Now to even get more elementary, do your fingers detect if titanium has started to show in your oil - it just did in my very last analysis 1/1000!? How about if the iron wear went up from 4/1000 to 14/1000, or lead from 1/000 to 8/1000, or antifreeze was found in your oil? Not that they all did but just mentioning a few ...... What about the viscosity breakdown? I am still concerned that with different oil brands and now weight, I am at the lower end of the range - and this irrespective of how many track were done per oil change interval. I surely would like to know what others are seeing to see if this is normal or there is a better oil; Motul seem to show slight improvement but still not in the middle range.

Such analysis helped us save our inherited Buick because at 36.5K miles we found anti-freeze! GM paid for the warranty work even after the 36K mile limit because we had proof that an engine with only 36K miles should not have anti-freeze in it from failed gaskets.

By the way, next time you go to Driving Ambition, check the rack of Motul displays. Shad is also using Blackstone labs ....... :biggrin:

 

[Ponyboy]

To that point; decide what is prudent for yourself.

I was being facetious, Johnny Boy.:tongue:

I've usually just changed out my oil before each track event (which when I was tracking was about once a month) along with making sure critical bolts were torqued. I think that's good enough for me.

Wonder what the cost of buying a whole barrel of Motul would be...hmph.

 

[stuntman]

I would suggest Mobil 1 Synthetic 0W40. Should be good for cold or hot start up, track/street, NA/FI, pretty much any application. We run it in our Grand Am racecars and it has seen 300*F for 2 of a 2.5hour race. Motor was fine (not that I recommend this or that yours will survive under these conditions, but M1 is the benchmark for a reason).

0.02




From another site:

just remember guys when buying synthetics check the back of the bottle. an oil with the a High Temperature High Shear # greater than 3.5 is considered an A3 oil.

ACEA A1/B1 Oil intended for use in gasoline and car + light van diesel engines specifically designed to be capable of using low friction low viscosity oils with a High temperature / High shear rate viscosity of 2.6 to 3.5 mPa.s. These oils may be unsuitable for use in some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.

ACEA A3/B3 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline and car + light van diesel engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for year-round use of low viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine manufacturer.


ACEA A3 oils (good):

Amsoil 3000
5w30

Amsoil European Formula
5w40

BMW HP Synthetic:
5w-30,

Castrol Syntec:
0w-30
15w-50

Mobil 1:
0w-40

Motul 8100
5w40

Motul 6100
15w50
10w40

Royal Purple
5w40



ACEA A1 oils (okay, but not up to the task):

Castrol Syntec:
5w-30
10w-30

Mobil1:
0w-30
5w-30
10w-30

 

[nsxnut]

NSXNUT ....... let me spoon feed this for you :tongue:

With oil analysis you are checking if one of the wear elements/particles that otherwise shouldn't be there under normal driving conditions now is showing up; or in case you track your car, the frequency of the wear using track conditions over time so you can take preventative measures earlier. Now to even get more elementary, do your fingers detect if titanium has started to show in your oil - it just did in my very last analysis 1/1000!? How about if the iron wear went up from 4/1000 to 14/1000, or lead from 1/000 to 8/1000, or antifreeze was found in your oil? Not that they all did but just mentioning a few ...... What about the viscosity breakdown? I am still concerned that with different oil brands and now weight, I am at the lower end of the range - and this irrespective of how many track were done per oil change interval. I surely would like to know what others are seeing to see if this is normal or there is a better oil; Motul seem to show slight improvement but still not in the middle range.

Such analysis helped us save our inherited Buick because at 36.5K miles we found anti-freeze! GM paid for the warranty work even after the 36K mile limit because we had proof that an engine with only 36K miles should not have anti-freeze in it from failed gaskets.

By the way, next time you go to Driving Ambition, check the rack of Motul displays. Shad is also using Blackstone labs ....... :biggrin:

Ok so what problem is he solving? That is my point.
You are doing this for a specific reason. I don't disagree.

When I check the oil I will look at it. I know Shad does. I suspect you do as well?

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

My X is basically a weekend warrior with occasional track fun.

That is key. So you mostly street drive it, or are at least are driving it to and from the track regularly. In that instance I would second a 0 or 5W 40 weight with a wider operating range.

During the winter, particularly for general street/track where I am doing a lot of driving to and from I also use the M1 0W40 in my S2K and 350Z. You can get it at Wall Mart too which is nice.

So I guess 20w50 is definitely overkill for my application.

Yes. It would be hard on start-up. Rob's recommendation comes in the context that he had a fully built high boost 700hp grand-am race car.

It would not be well suited for general street use (particularly short trips), or even driving to the track to and from a few DE sessions for the vast majority. Put it another way, unless you are seeing 160C or otherwise sustained high temps on your oil temp gauge, I wouldn't worry about 50 and 60 weight lube. The reality is if you are, then its going to be a band-aid because what you really need is an effective radiator and/or oil cooler, as all oil will begin to break down quickly at high extreme temperatures.

Thx so much for all the valuable comments. I knew I came to the right place
Henry.

Engine oil tech is only as complicated as you make it. If you want to do things the scientific way.... read the product data sheet. The key fact is that viscosity changes with temperature. Mineral oils follow behavior of Newtonian fluids. Every oil has a product data sheet which has two numbers listed- the viscosity in centiStokes at a specific temperature. Using that data, you can plug the numbers into a calculator and plot the viscosity at a given operating temperature.

For the average enthusiast getting started, they probably don't even need to go this far. They just need to read the brochure:


M1 10W30 Product Link
cSt @ 100º C 10.0 [John] Perfect for 212F. My experience has been pan temps around 140-145C are common, however.

Mobil 1 10W-30 exceeds warranty requirements for gasoline engines where an API certified oil is specified. It meets:

[John] You stopped caring about the warranty when you went on track.


The Mobil 1® lineup includes a 10W-30 grade -- the viscosity so popular amongst Do-it-Yourselfers.

[John] So now we know what your neighbor is using in his Mini Cooper S for club drives. Hmmm.


It provides excellent all season protection in a wide variety of vehicles.

[John] All-Season is a keyword. Like all-season tires... :biggrin:


Mobil 1 10W-30 is general purpose engine oil for all types of vehicles where a 10W-30 viscosity is recommended.

[John] General Purpose. Another keyword.


This oil is uniquely designed to provide unsurpassed levels of performance, cleaning power and engine protection, while meeting the demanding OEM ILSAC GF-4 fuel economy standards.

[John] Which I also don't care about.




M1 0W40 Product Link
cSt @ 100º C 14

Mobil 1 0W-40's wide viscosity range provides unsurpassed levels of protection and an overall smooth driving experience. Mobil 1 0W-40 keeps engines starting in Arctic-extreme cold,

[John] So is it 20 below where you start your car?


and it cleans deposits, sludge and varnish often formed in high temperature operating conditions.

[John] Could be a race track. Now we are getting somewhere.



15W50 Product Link
cSt @ 100º C 18.1

Back by popular demand, Mobil 1® 15W-50's high viscosity provides outstanding performance in high-revving, high-temperature conditions.

[John] Excellent!!

Mobil 1 15W-50 is formulated with SuperSyn, an extra-high viscosity synthetic fluid, plus extra anti-wear additive to provide extra protection for severe service applications such as towing, hauling and racing. Mobil 1 15W-50 is recommended for high performance vehicles including turbocharged and supercharged engines where a thicker oil film is desired.

[John] Good for Rob, good for John, good for a class 4 tow rig.


Mobil 1 15W-50 is also recommended for older valve train designs

[John] Not an NSX.

that may benefit from a higher level of anti-wear normally not required for newer generation vehicles. Mobil 1 15W-50 will also provide better anti-wear protection for higher valve spring tensions in certain racing engines.

[John] You don't have a racing engine.



Other references:

Mobil1 EP Blends Product Link
Mobil 1 Racing Oils Product FAQ

 

[Hrant]

Well John, I think we are getting somewhere now :wink:

Per the link you provided for the M1 10W/30, they report: cSt @ 100º C 10.0

What has your readings been? As I noted above, mine have come in the range of 9.4-9.8. The Motul 8100 10W/40 was at 11.78; the analysis of the next sample should come any day now. The Flashpoint is 435F and mine has come in consistently at 415.

And Don, yes I look at the oil too, but unlike you, I am either wearing a tie or white gloves at the time :tongue:

 

[NSXDreamer2]

I really don't want to comment on how "hard" I drive my car, as I really have no idea! :tongue: I would say I'm fairly easy, hypermiling my nsx whenever it's possible. On track: when I got behind traffic, first couple laps of the day, first and last lap...etc.

I used 10w/30 mobil 1, I wouldn't say I have any oil related issue. oh, since I drive so little, I just going by how dirty the oil looks on my dipstick. BTW, on my first couple years of owning my nsx, I went by 6000 miles changing interval... Again, my engine didn't blow up yet, and it still feel like the same nor it's ever getting slower. (judging by lap times, even though I've been upgrading other go-fast parts continously.)

I had done an oil change after first session for Jackson's nsx. (He forgot to change oil that's overdue, HA) I'm actually surprised of myself not making a mess at the track, unlike when I do that in my garage. Besides cost and the potential hazard, changing oil at the track also a logistic/clean up nightmare. I'll only do if it's absolutely necessary.

Now with Henry, I believed he should use Shad's recommendation; or even 50w, as Hong Kong is very humid and hot place. I can't even imagine how 'warm' it will get at the track. (probably easily 120+). Oh, and depends on the size of your accusump, the 3qt. could be fit at the rear fender area. (I haven't done it, but I know it's been done by many others.)

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

Well John, I think we are getting somewhere now :wink:

Per the link you provided for the M1 10W/30, they report: cSt @ 100º C 10.0

What has your readings been? As I noted above, mine have come in the range of 9.4-9.8. The Motul 8100 10W/40 was at 11.78; the analysis of the next sample should come any day now.

Umm. John in ITE class with the #71 car did not yet achieve the commercial sponsorship funding necessary start an effective OA program.

In fact, instead my team manager already allocated those funds toward new Hoosiers and rotors.

LOL.

 

[nsxotic911]

NSXNUT ....... let me spoon feed this for you :tongue:

With oil analysis you are checking if one of the wear elements/particles that otherwise shouldn't be there under normal driving conditions now is showing up; or in case you track your car, the frequency of the wear using track conditions over time so you can take preventative measures earlier. Now to even get more elementary, do your fingers detect if titanium has started to show in your oil - it just did in my very last analysis 1/1000!? How about if the iron wear went up from 4/1000 to 14/1000, or lead from 1/000 to 8/1000, or antifreeze was found in your oil? Not that they all did but just mentioning a few ...... What about the viscosity breakdown? I am still concerned that with different oil brands and now weight, I am at the lower end of the range - and this irrespective of how many track were done per oil change interval. I surely would like to know what others are seeing to see if this is normal or there is a better oil; Motul seem to show slight improvement but still not in the middle range.

Such analysis helped us save our inherited Buick because at 36.5K miles we found anti-freeze! GM paid for the warranty work even after the 36K mile limit because we had proof that an engine with only 36K miles should not have anti-freeze in it from failed gaskets.

By the way, next time you go to Driving Ambition, check the rack of Motul displays. Shad is also using Blackstone labs ....... :biggrin:

BINGO!
It's all speculation and BS until you do an oil sample.

 

[john@johnhudakracing]

BINGO!
It's all speculation and BS until you do an oil sample.

Paul, as your friend I have to say that I think you are the grand master of speculation and BS. You can yell at me later for that public comment. :biggrin:

The scenario hrant gave was one in which through preventative maintenance, they were able to detect a problem early and address it. If you would like to start a thread on the merits of conducting routine oil analysis, I think you should go and do that.

The bottom line here is that I fail to see how it has anything what-so-ever to do with Henry's very straight-forward question: what weight oil is suitable for street/track use.

This is a very simple question asked and answered hundreds of times a day successfully. I don't care to speak for Shad, but I am willing to bet if I walked into his shop and asked him to sell me some engine oil for a track day he could do that, and it wouldn't take 42 posts and lab results.

In summary, I think you've made your point here clear. While Billy's recommendation of 0W40 is good enough for grand-am; no one's opinion on engine oil will probably be good enough to meet the stringent needs of slownsxt's high boost aggressive street campaign.

Point taken. I really wouldn't have expected anything other.

 

[CL65 Captain]

I just called President Obama and asked him what oil I should run in the NSX for 30% street and 70% track. He told me that you can't go wrong with Royal Purple.

 

[CL65 Captain]

Recommendations : I am currently running Mobil 1 10w30 (factory spec weight).

The car sees 75% track time (20 min HPDE sessions run hard) and 25% street time.

I am wondering if I should run 10W30 Red Line Oil or move up to a 10w40 or 15w50 since the car is only in use from April-Nov and most of the time is on the track.

Thanks

Jim

Jim,

Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your NSX the 10W30 would be a good choice, I wouldn't see a need or an advantage to going to a higher viscosity. The 10W30 would offer extremely good protection and performance, one advantage of the product is it allows the use of a lower viscosity with the advantages it offers without sacrificing protection.

Regards, Dave
Red Line Oil

 

[stuntman]

Ask them what transmission fluid they recommend for your application and for street use.

 

[nsxotic911]

Paul, as your friend I have to say that I think you are the grand master of speculation and BS. You can yell at me later for that public comment. :biggrin:

The scenario hrant gave was one in which through preventative maintenance, they were able to detect a problem early and address it. If you would like to start a thread on the merits of conducting routine oil analysis, I think you should go and do that.

The bottom line here is that I fail to see how it has anything what-so-ever to do with Henry's very straight-forward question: what weight oil is suitable for street/track use.

This is a very simple question asked and answered hundreds of times a day successfully. I don't care to speak for Shad, but I am willing to bet if I walked into his shop and asked him to sell me some engine oil for a track day he could do that, and it wouldn't take 42 posts and lab results.

In summary, I think you've made your point here clear. While Billy's recommendation of 0W40 is good enough for grand-am; no one's opinion on engine oil will probably be good enough to meet the stringent needs of slownsxt's high boost aggressive street campaign.

Point taken. I really wouldn't have expected anything other.

You've performed zero or very little oil analysis so I fail to understand why this makes you a better tribologist than I.

Asking what weight oil to use is like asking what the best intake is to get the most horesepower and provides the best filtration. In both cases, the true answer is, "it depends," and without scientific analysis, as you say, it's all conjecture and hypothesis. I'll even add "bullshit" to that. To get a true sense of the effects of the intake, you need a dyno + additional analysis on the filtration. To get a true sense of the oil, you need an quantitive, scientific analysis. Many applicatiosn are "good enough" but this person is trying to determine the most optimal oil for his application and since there are so many variables in determining that, there's no way to provide a non-bs answer without performing some real analysis...

My guess is that the answer is too simple, not nuanced enough, and takes away from the sparkle of Jedi track-master aura know it all which is why you are irritated by it.

..PS: I'm in a bad mood today

 

[austrian type-R]

I do not understand why there is so much to dicuss about oil for track use and this on each car forum LOL.

There is only ONE brand which all Motorsport-People in Europe are running. Castrol 10W60 and nothing else. No one runs oil like 0w30 or 5w30 on the track. I am sure there are other good brands too, like Valvoline 10w60, etc. But Castrol is the brand which you see everywhere here.

 

[CL65 Captain]

I do not understand why there is so much to dicuss about oil for track use and this on each car forum LOL.

There is only ONE brand which all Motorsport-People in Europe are running. Castrol 10W60 and nothing else. No one runs oil like 0w30 or 5w30 on the track. I am sure there are other good brands too, like Valvoline 10w60, etc. But Castrol is the brand which you see everywhere here.

Oil companies run different formulations for different markets. I don't know why, but they do. As well, different weights are made from different base stocks and even under the same name some are good and some are just OK. For example Mobil 1 10w30 vs Mobil 1 0w40. I am now reading that the 0w40 is made from a different base stock (better) than their 10w30.

The problem is figuring out the marketing from the science.

And Paul, I hate to say it but I agree with you on something.... Oil Analysis is the best way to figure out how often and how well an oil is doing. However, that doesn't mean changing the oil 2x times a day at the track or even before and after every event. I think that means run a couple of events and get the analysis done.

I just had a chat with Terry Dyson, who recommended running a month (1500 miles including 4 weekends of track days) and then sending the oil to see how it was doing and going form there. He said he wasn't a big fan of Mobil 1 and recommended trying RLI (maybe because he does consulting work for them ).

 

[nsxotic911]

Oil companies run different formulations for different markets. I don't know why, but they do. As well, different weights are made from different base stocks and even under the same name some are good and some are just OK. For example Mobil 1 10w30 vs Mobil 1 0w40. I am now reading that the 0w40 is made from a different base stock (better) than their 10w30.

The problem is figuring out the marketing from the science.

And Paul, I hate to say it but I agree with you on something.... Oil Analysis is the best way to figure out how often and how well an oil is doing. However, that doesn't mean changing the oil 2x times a day at the track or even before and after every event. I think that means run a couple of events and get the analysis done.

I just had a chat with Terry Dyson, who recommended running a month (1500 miles including 4 weekends of track days) and then sending the oil to see how it was doing and going form there. He said he wasn't a big fan of Mobil 1 and recommended trying RLI (maybe because he does consulting work for them ).

You HATE to agree with me? Why would you hate to agree with me, I thought we see eye to eye on everything. :biggrin:

..Isn't Terry cool? I'm NOT saying change oil twice a day, I'm just saying it may... not hurt

Yeah, Terry isn't very fond of Mobil 1, and he's got me on RLI. I've had superior results with it though. See my Supercharger oil results in a different post, looks spotless.

I'd love to see results on Castrol 10W-60, even though it's ridiculously expensive.. I may shoot Terry an email.

 

[CL65 Captain]

..Isn't Terry cool?

Well, he's also an airline pilot, so of course he is.

I'm NOT saying change oil twice a day, I'm just saying it may... not hurt

Well neither would changing the spark plugs, or radiator fluid, etc but neither are necessary.

The job of oil is to do three things: lubricate and prevent wear, cool the engine, suspend and carry away byproducts of the combustion process.
It is mainly the third that determines when to change the oil. Even tracking the car very hard does not accelerate this process 10x.

Thus Terry's advice was to get a couple events and 1500 miles of street driving on the oil and seeing whether I can longer or shorter. He said that after looking at the sample, you may be able to go 8 events before changing the oil or the results will show 4 is too many. No way of knowing until taking a look at the sample.