Shock VS Diff Oil

[bc24fl]

I swear, this is an honest question.

Does anyone know what's the difference between shock and diff oils? I'm a$$uming it's only the viscosity / thickness of the oil. Is that it?

Has anyone tried something from an auto parts store that works well? Normal car oil is much lighter than rc oil but I suspect a thicker oil may work just as well.

Any ideas?

[badassrevo]

r/c "oil" is silicone. not oil. much more consistant and lasts longer. When I was a kid I tried everything my dad had in the garage. I did not have much of a budget then.

[bc24fl]

I guess it would be safe to say shock and diff oil only differ on thickness.

[Mr Fusion]

correct.

[adrictan]

My LHS owner has been in the business for over 20yrs. She says back in the old days, many people use SINGER All Purpose Oil for their diffs.
http://www.singerco.com/accessories/notions.html

[BBFBCAP]

I use dextron 2 automatic transmission fluid in my shocks! LOL...

[bc24fl]

For you guys who use an alternative to silicone, is it strictly because of cost or do you think it's better?

[YDBD]

IMO silicon is much friendly to o-rings than any petroleum products and doesn't smell too bad, not that I'm sniffin my oyls. I run royal purple synthetic in the dune buggy but not going to put it in any of my RC cars.

The only reasons I can think of running other oils is $$ and that automotive oils viscosity is based on SAE measurements. What standards are for RC silicon oils I would imagine are established by each manufacturer, or the original manufacturer and relabled by the company.

I guess that's why it's best to run Caster Oils all around, of course I haven't ordered them yet.