For the right proportion of zinc in classic car engine oil

Midland Zinc Booster is an additive with a very high concentration of ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphates). The zinc and phosphorous content of engine oil can be individually increased to the desired level. This is interesting in the case of classic cars as their engines suffer from wear if the proportion of zinc in the engine oil is too low.

Zinc and phosphorous were important components of engine oils until the end of the 1980s. The additive enhanced the pressure resistance of the oil, reducing wear on the tappets. It was also increasingly used to protect the oil from oxidation.

But then came the 1990s, accompanied by increasingly stricter regulations regarding exhaust emissions of new vehicles. Automotive manufacturers increasingly installed catalytic converters and, later, particulate filters in their vehicles to achieve the prescribed values. As zinc and phosphorous have a negative impact on these exhaust after-treatment systems, the industry developed engine oils with low levels of ZDDP. The main focus in this respect was on newer vehicles with roller tappets, with the somewhat older vehicles with flat tappets being neglected.

Although API directives indicate that newer specifications are backward compatible, many older vehicles exhibited increased tappet wear with the newer engine oils. To minimise this, Midland Zinc Booster can help a modern oil to achieve the desired zinc and phosphorous content of the 1980s again and protect the engine against wear.

However, more is not better, as an excessively high value leads to an increase in long-term wear and erosion of the steel. Ask your garage about the correct zinc content for the engine oil most suitable for your vehicle. You can also find the respective zinc content of different Midland car engine oils under "Typical properties".

Important: an increased zinc and phosphorous content damages catalytic converters. You should therefore not use Midland Zinc Booster in vehicles with exhaust after-treatment systems such as catalytic converters and/or particulate filter.