• Valvoline VR-1 powers race and street cars.racing car image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
  
  Valvoline's VR-1 motor oil is designed for use in racing, although it can be used in just about any car, truck or sport utility vehicle (SUV). It is designed to stand up to the unique demands of high performance driving in engines that run on either fuel, alcohol or a mix of the two fuels.
  
  

Viscosity Grades

• Valvoline offers VR-1 oil in six different viscosity, or thickness, ratings--30, 40, 50, and 60 weight--as well as two dual-viscosity oils--10W-30 and 20W-50. These six choices can be used in just about every application.
  
  

API Ratings

• Every viscosity rating other than 60 and 10W-30 meet the American Petroleum Institute's (API) newest, as of November of 2010, "SM" rating standard. In addition, every VR-1 oil, other than the 60-weight variant, meets the API SH and CD standards.
  
  

Cold Weather Performance

• VR-1's cold weather performance, as measured by its pour point, varies by the viscosity rating. The least suitable oils for cold weather, the 50 and 60 weight variants, have pour point ratings of 18 degrees below zero Celsius, or 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The 10W-30 oil has a pour point of -33 Celsius, or -27 degrees Fahrenheit, and the other weights fall between these numbers.
  
  

Hot Engine Performance

• Extreme engine heat poses little problem for VR-1 oil, with even the least heat-resistant oil, the 30-weight and 10W-30 variants, having a flash point of 212 degrees Celsius, or 414 degrees Fahrenheit. More heat-resistant oils, such as the 50- and 60-weight versions, can withstand 254 degrees Celsius, or 489 degrees Fahrenheit, before giving off flammable vapors.