Does Royal Purple Have Zinc [Explained]

If you have a classic car, you’d want an engine oil that has a good quantity of Zinc in it. And Royal Purple is one of the most famous brands in the market. So, it’d make sense to use it if it has the required amount of Zinc. So, does Royal Purple have Zinc?

does royal purple have zinc

According to Royal Purple itself, all their engine oils contain Zinc Dialkyl Dithiophosphate or ZZDP. But the maximum amount of Zinc isn’t too high in all oils due to the API restrictions on carbon emissions.

If you have a flat tappet camshaft engine, you’d need an oil high in Zinc. The two ideal options that Royal Purple provides for this purpose are the HPS oil and the XPR oils. Keep on reading to find out more about their composition.

What Are The Types Of Royal Purple Oil?

Before I get into the Zinc content of a few specific Royal Purple oils, you’ll be better off knowing about all the different Royal Purple oils available in the market. Let’s quickly go over the different types of Royal Purple oils and their use cases at a glance.

Kudos to Royal Purple for setting names that make it easy for the user to identify the right oil for them. The most common oil types produced by Royal Purple are API, HMX, HPS, and XPR.

Besides them, there are oils for dirt bikes and motorcycles. But they’re not relevant for this discussion today. So, let’s look at each of the five oils that I’ve talked about.

01. API Certified Oil

It’s the most common type of Royal Purple you’ll come across. This oil meets the API requirements and it’s perfect for use in modern vehicles. It’s a synthetic oil and there are additives to prolong the engine life.

You won’t have to worry about making your car warranty void if you use this type of oil. The common variants that this oil is available in are 0W20, 0W40, 5W20, 5W30, 5S40, 10W30, 10W40, 15W40, 20W50.

02. HMX Oil

The Royal Purple HMX oil is short for High Mileage oil. It’s the right oil for cars that have been on the road for more than 75,000 miles. It’s available in viscosities 5W20, 5W30 and 10W30.

RP HMX oil

There’s a good amount of Zinc and Phosphorus in this type of oil. So, it can be used in flat-tatted cam engines. On top of that, the oil is also known to reduce the oil consumption of the engine and bring the hardened parts back to life.

03. HPS Oil

The API certified oil is ideal for use in modern gasoline engines. But due to the restriction in using ZDDP, they don’t have enough of it to protect the old engines. That’s why there’s a need for the Royal Purple HPS oil.

RP HPS oil

HPS is short for High Performace Street Oil. This oil is specially made for high-performance and modified engines. ZDDP is available in sufficient quantity to keep your engine protected from wearing out.

Feel free to use this oil for older engines that no longer have a warranty. Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlec additive is used in this oil. So, it’s highly effective in reducing friction and protecting the engine. 

04. XPR Oil

XPR is the perfect racing oil for use cases like NASCAR, NHRA, etc. XPR is short for Extreme Performace Racing. So, this oil is ideal for racing.

RP XPR oil

There’s a high amount of ZDDP used in this oil to protect the engine from wearing out. Moreover, there are additives to ensure superior performance. There are many variants of this oil as the racing use cases can differ a lot.

The most common viscosities of the Royal Purple XPR oil are 0W5, 0W10, 5W20, 5W30, 10W40, and 20W50. I’ll talk about the Zinc content of these oils in more detail in the next section of this guide.

Does Royal Purple Have Zinc [Fully Explained]

If you need engine oil for regular use, API SN-licensed oils would do the job for you. There’s no need to get an oil high in Zinc. But for flat tappet camshafts and high-performance engines, you need an oil that’s rich in ZDDP.

The Royal Purple HPS and XPR oils are perfect for this purpose. They have a much higher concentration of Zinc and Phosphorus compared to the regular Royal Purple engine oils. Now, let’s take a look at each of them individually and learn more about their content.

Royal Purple HPS Oil Zinc Content

The Royal Purple High-Performance Sreet oil is commonly used for older engines with flat tappet cams. It’s available in many variants. The most popular ones are 10W30, 10W40, 20W50, 5W20, and 5W30.

royal purple HPS oil

The different oils have a similar amount of ZDDP. But as the Royal Purple HPS 10W30 oil is widely used, let’s look at its Zinc content. This synthetic oil has nearly 1800 PPM Zinc and 1350 PPM Phosphorus in it. By averaging it out, you can say that it has about 1500 PPM ZDDP.

Royal Purple says about the HPS oil, “Royal Purple HPS oils are fortified with a high level of zinc/phosphorus anti-wear additive and a generous dose of Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlec additive technology. These unique formulations enable HPS oils to outperform leading synthetic and conventional lubricants in both gasoline and diesel engines.”

The other oils in this category have Zinc in similar quantities as the 10W30 one. However, a little variance is normal. You can contact Royal Purple about the composition of a specific oil if you want to learn more about it.

Royal Purple API Certified Motor Oil Zinc Content

There are many restrictions on using Zinc in the API certified motor oils. Zinc has been slowly phased out through each standard since the 1980s. That’s not entirely a bad thing as modern engines don’t have such a high demand for Zinc as the classic cars.

The amount of Zinc used is one of the major points of differences between Royal Purple HPS vs regular motor oil. Besides, there are other standard tests done on the regular oil as they have to meet the requirements of modern cars.

Most Royal Purple regular motor oils that are API certified will be capped at 800 PPM ZDDP maximum. If they had more ZDDP, they wouldn’t have passed the API tests. But the good thing is that there’s still a lot of Zinc in Royal Purple motor oils. It’s just under the maximum requirement.

For example, the Royal Purple Synthetic 5W30 motor oil has nearly 850 PPM Zinc and 730 PPM Phosphorus. That puts the total concentration of ZDDP just a little under 800 PPM.

Besides ZDDP, Molybdenum, Titanium, and Boron are used in this oil. The quantities are 67, 33, and 235 PPM respectively. There’s also nearly 1210 PPM Calcium and 760 PPM Magnesium in this oil. So, those are the major additives and detergents used in regular Royal Purple oil.

Royal Purple XPR Oil Zinc Content

The Royal Purple XPR is designed for racing and it has a sufficient amount of Zinc in it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to protect the engine of race cars.

royal purple HPS oil

The total amount of ZDDP is around 1300 PPM. If you’re looking for a further breakdown of Zinc and Phosphorus, there’s nearly 1420 PPM of Zinc and 1300 PPM of Phosphorus.

Does Royal Purple HMX Oil Have Zinc?

The Royal Purple HMX oil is recommended for four-cycle gasoline engines with 120,000 km on them or more. The main benefits promised by Royal Purple on using this oil are minimizing engine wear, revitalizing hardened seals, and restoring last performance.

royal purple HMX oil

Unfortunately, I haven’t found a data sheet that tells about the exact Zinc content in the Royal Purple HMX oil. But it’s safe to say that there’s a good quantity of Zinc in it.

How can I be so sure of it? That’s because Royal Purple itself claims it. The exact phrase used by Royal Purple is “Fortified with Zinc/Phosphorus anti-wear additive”.

So, you can rest assured that there’s sufficient Zinc in this oil. Besides, you’ll also get increased LSPI protection and more oxidation stability with this oil. It also does a great job of protecting against corrosion.

Does Royal Purple Engine Break In Oil Have Zinc?

Besides the Royal Purple oils I talked about so far, there’s also a Royal Purple engine break-in oil. The API-licensed motor oils don’t offer enough protection for the newly built performance engines. That’s where an oil like the Royal Purple engine break-in oil comes into action.

It’s formulated to give superior wear protection to the newly built and rebuilt engines. So, the break-in period can also be shorter. This oil is particularly useful for engines that utilize flat tappet camshafts and lifters.

You should use the break-in engine oil for a minimum of 500-1000 miles. But if you want, you can also use it for up to 3,000 miles. Then, switch to a regular oil that has a good quantity of Zinc in it.

Speaking of Zinc, let’s talk about the Zinc content in this engine break-in oil. Once again, I haven’t found a data sheet revealing the exact amount of Zinc in it. But Royal Purple claims to use elevated levels of Zinc and Phosphorus anti-wear additive for increased wear protection.

When you think about it, that makes sense. It’s obvious that an engine break-in oil will have an extremely high quantity of Zinc. I don’t know the exact amount of Zinc in this oi. But I’d be willing to bet that it has the most ZDDP content out of all the Royal Purple oils.

Keep in mind that this oil passes the SJ performance requirements. The mineral base stocks used in this oil lubricant the parts well and ensure quick seating of the pistons.

So, you don’t need to use any additives with this oil. This Royal Purple oil is a great choice if you’re in the market for an engine break-in oil. Once the break-in period passes, you can switch to the Royal Purple HPS oil if it fits the needs of your vehicle.

FAQs:

Can you use Royal Purple HPS oil in diesel engines?

Yes, the HPS oils are meant to be used in diesel engines and also the modified ones for more performance. Make sure you pick the oil of the right viscosity according to the requirements of your engine.

Should you use any additive with Royal Purple motor oil?

Royal Purple itself strongly recommends against using additives with the oil. The oil is made up of the right balance of detergents, additives, anti-foam agents, and corrosion inhibitors. Using an additive could mess that up.

What is the Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlac technology?

It’s an additive designed by Royal Purple that sets them apart from the others. Due to this additive, the Royal Purple oils don’t break down during high heat like regular oils.

What is the difference between Royal Purple API-certified oils and XPR racing oil?

The API-certified oil has to comply with API and ILSAC specifications. But the XPR oil doesn’t have to comply with those regulations. The sole focus of XPR oils is on enhancing racing performance.

Conclusion

Does Royal Purple have Zinc? By now, you should have a clear idea about it after reading this guide. I’ve gone through all the common Royal Purple oils and talked about their Zinc content.

Even though the data sheets aren’t available for the oils, you get the idea that Royal Purple is a big believer in adding Zinc to oil. So, it can be a top choice if you’re looking for an oil with a high quantity of Zinc. I also have a guide about Shell Rotella Zinc content.

About John M

John contributed as a technical head at an automobile company just 2 years after his post-graduation in Automobile Engineering. He loves to lead a free life, so he left his job & started blogging. Now, he does research on every automotive problem, part & product and seeks a better solution & best products & shares his findings with his readers to help them as well as to minimize their struggle.

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