Best Engine Oil to use for Suzuki King Quad

[jatho]

What is the best engine oil to use for the Suzuki King Quad - also any other tips and tricks I should know before doing an oil change on these bikes 

[kp3004x4]

15/40 of your choice just be sure to run after change at idle then CHK again to make sure it's full

[DayBreakJim]

No tricks, very straight forward. Last time I changed the oil I figured I'd buy the good stuff at $12 a quart. My gf comes out and starts talking to me while I'm pouring in quart after quart. Checking the oil fill window over and over wondering why nothing was showing up. Then after all 3 quarts were emptied I noticed I hadn't put the drain plug back in. They were all emptying into my oil pan just out of sight and mixing with the old oil I had just drained so I couldn't even salvage it. Knew I would do that at least once in my life but I swear never again!

[kp3004x4]

Yes sir gf can do that you especially if they're wearing next to nothing on.  Done somethings the same in the past. You live you learn as grandpa used to say.

[1998Zuki250]

Thanks for the input!!

[Slitzer]

A 10W-40 synthetic oil( YM 2005- )  from known producer, i usally run Motul or Castrol.

[killerklown]

The always popular "best oil" debate...lol

 

[1954JF]

Hello,

 I'm new here. Interesting topic 'motor oils'. I've been riding motorcycles since the 1960's. I've been riding ATV's since they were ATC's in the the 70's and 80's and still own them. I used to buy the expensive oils from Castrol and even Pennzoil Racing oil which claimed superior qualities. Quaker State full synthetic was my choice when they introduced that. But I don't use that in my older ATC's or ATV's. Wet clutches. Now days with high prices I have investigated Super Tech Oils from Walmart. This oil is a collaboration between three major companies. First Warren Oil owns it. But Pennzoil and Exon Mobil produce it with very high quality standards. It's tested and proven a winner at a much better price. What I have always used is still in the charts in my owners manuals and I could upload the chart if interested. 10w-40 which can be used year around, and 20w50 if you have hot summers in your area, or work your machine like I do. These are my first choices. I have never had any engine failures ever. The 1985 Honda Big Red 250ES pulls a log splitter, a trailer stacked full of firewood, a farm harrow section on a sand beach, and has a snow plow for winter. This machine is a testament to Honda back in those days and the fact oil and filter plus air filter equals longevity. There is a wide range on the charts which give an ambient temperature range that each viscosity is suitable for use in. The two I picked cover everything I need weather wise. If I had unusual extremes cold or hot I could choose differently. Example; 10w-40 conventional oils are good from -4 F to 104+ F.  Super Tech All Mileage Synthetic Blend Motor Oil SAE 20W-50, 5 Quarts $17.36 today, not too bad $3.47 a quart. 

I recently purchased a 1998 Suzuki LT-F500F 4x4 Quadrunner that needs some maintenance. This is why I'm here to listen and learn. I have done my own maintenance on many things from lawnmowers and chainsaws to old cars and trucks to newer stuff and never find an end to learning new things. 

 

[1954JF]

On 7/20/2023 at 11:13 PM, kp3004x4 said:

15/40 of your choice just be sure to run after change at idle then CHK again to make sure it's full

Great choice and so is 15w-50 both good until the dead of winter subzero, if you go out then drop that first number a notch. 

[1954JF]

On 7/21/2023 at 9:37 PM, DayBreakJim said:

No tricks, very straight forward. Last time I changed the oil I figured I'd buy the good stuff at $12 a quart. My gf comes out and starts talking to me while I'm pouring in quart after quart. Checking the oil fill window over and over wondering why nothing was showing up. Then after all 3 quarts were emptied I noticed I hadn't put the drain plug back in. They were all emptying into my oil pan just out of sight and mixing with the old oil I had just drained so I couldn't even salvage it. Knew I would do that at least once in my life but I swear never again!

laugh and cry  we all make mistakes sometimes, I mean with the girls. 

[Snick]

Depends on environmental temperatures. Generally I follow the manual and the viscosity that covers the largest range of ambient operating temperatures.

I think 5w30, but maybe 10w40.

Edited September 16, 2024 by Snick

[Chucksta]

So ... there's more than one version of the King Quad. And there's a very important difference. Some, have a thermostatically controlled fan, that blows ( sucks?) air through the oil rad at the front of the bike, some don't. If you got one that doesn't have the fan, either mount one with a switch, ( thermostatic or manual ), or be real careful with high load / low speed stuff in the Winter. Hell of a load, pushing snow at a couple of Miles an hour, with no free air passing over the cooling coils. 

5W-30, or 5W-40.. The 5 is still the same cold viscosity, but the 40 will give a higher temperature tolerance..  Yup.. even in the dead of Winter. I've got an old Honda Foreman, that pushes a 48 inch snow blower in the Winter... The next time I hear the fan running to keep the temp down, won't be the first.

[Gwbarm]

I generally go with the 10w40, but if i lived in the snow belt i would go with 5w40.

[Snick]

This is what I alluded to in my previous comment. This is from my LT250E manual, so it does not apply to your engine, but you get the idea.

[Gwbarm]

👍

[bigfatkahuna]

Soooo to revive the topic... I recently got a 2007 King Quad 450.  I curious if anyone is running Rotella T6 5w 40.  I have a gallon and want to do an oil change.

Anyone have experience with this in a Quad King?

Edited August 10, 2025 by bigfatkahuna

[jen]

Snick's chart is good...Of course there have been several positive reviews of Rotella high sulfur oil.  I love questions about oil...I always want the best for the $.

[bigfatkahuna]

Thanks! I think as far as temperature it should be fine for the weight.

Just wondering if anybody had any long-term experience with it, particularly wanted to make sure there were no clutch issues...

[jen]

great question...cannot wait to hear...I know I buy the Yamaha oil for my 700 SXS...But I am curious if other oils are ok with the clutch???

[Gwbarm]

The Rotella T6 is the synthetic version it will work perfectly fine for the wet clutch. The Rotella T4 is the Dino version it has the higher sulfer Zinc content i usually use it in older engines, there has been controversy as to wheather it works well for the wet clutch, but i know several guys who use it and says it works great.

[jen]

Dino version????

[Gwbarm]

Conventional oil not synthetic. You know from the Dinosaurs!

[jen]

LOL  That's good  I can be Clueless...🤪 sometimes...

[jen]

Yeah i have heard that the wet clutch needs Yamaha's proprietary oils

[Gwbarm]

I do that also, Rotella is a good oil, but the brand specific, i tend to stick with only because it is designed for the machine and isnt that much more expensive., but if you need something quick and off Walmarts shelf i go with either Rotella or Valvoline ATV oil. 

[jen]

I bought 5 gallons of 15 -30 Rotella.   use on everything except Yamaha 700

[bigfatkahuna]

1 hour ago, Gwbarm said:

The Rotella T6 is the synthetic version it will work perfectly fine for the wet clutch. The Rotella T4 is the Dino version it has the higher sulfer Zinc content i usually use it in older engines, there has been controversy as to wheather it works well for the wet clutch, but i know several guys who use it and says it works great.

Thanks for your insight 👍🏻

Not that I expect a big difference, but are either of you using it in a King Quad?

[Chucksta]

So... the 98 (ish ) King Quad that was "free".. LMFAO.. 600 bucks later still hasn't got 10 miles on it.. But anyways.. "Nothing but the best" for my new toy..  Yup!! 20 a Liter (quart) or about 15 a quart USD premium synthetic Amsoil, best money can buy yada, yada, yada. 

Oil and filter change and all is good... for about a week. Then it goes from the odd drop every couple of weeks on the garage floor to piddling out the expensive oil to the point that it needs to be parked over a oil catcher thingy..  Seriously  WTF??

There's a debate that will never be solved about changing an older machine from "Dino" oil to a modern synthetic. One camp says that that if the new oil makes it leak, that it's because the detergents in it just cleaned out the crud that was stopping it from spewing. Another camp says that that the synthetic oil had nothiing to do with it,,.. It was just time.. 

But, no matter what, "Suzi" piddled a hundred bucks worth of oil out on my garage floor, righ after I went to a premium synthetic..

Be careful what you wish for.  

And,  I just can't tell how much I'm looking forward to changing the front trans seal!! 

 

[bigfatkahuna]

🤯 can you tell where your leak is coming from?

 

[Gwbarm]

I agree completely Chucksta the old seals are prone to leak with changing to synthetic, never had one as bad as what you describe but i have never used Amsoil. I got one better i use Mobil 1 in all my cars, suvs etc. My Jeep had about 15000 on it so i decided it was time to switch to Mobile 1 high milage oil to protect the seals from leaking, the first time ever since new it leaked oil and even burned a little, which it has never done, i got that stuff out as soon as i realized what was happening and it has never leaked or burned another drop. Go figure! I wont be using high milage oil again.

I will admit i have used the Rotella T4 in an older Suzuki Eiger 400 and Big Bear 400 and never leaked any, but i have never used the T6.