Biquetoast wrote:
...It's an additive for additional protection when the oil would otherwise break down....
Sorry for quiting myself. I'll slap myself on the hand later.
The info below is from
www.atis.net/oil_faq.html
. It's prettu much the same stuff that can be read all over the net, but was the first one that came up in Google. On the page they have a chart of zinc content in popular oils. Mine, Rotella, is on the high side, which would explain durability and why I see the sparkles in new AND old oil in the sunlight.
"% zinc is the amount of zinc used as an extreme pressure, anti-wear additive. The zinc is only used when there is actual metal to metal contact in the engine. Hopefully the oil will do its job and this will rarely occur, but if it does, the zinc compounds react with the metal to prevent scuffing and wear. A level of .11% is enough to protect an automobile engine for the extended oil drain interval, under normal use. Those of you with high revving, air cooled motorcycles or turbo charged cars or bikes might want to look at the oils with the higher zinc content. More doesn't give you better protection, it gives you longer protection if the rate of metal to metal contact is abnormally high. High zinc content can lead to deposit formation and plug fouling."