Why shouldnt you just add a zinc additive to a bottle of oil?
If you are considering increasing the ZDDP in your current brand by adding a zinc additive, DONT! Chances are you do not know what type of base oil you are using and just adding zinc without knowledge of the main ingredients could compromise whatever wear protection qualities your base product already offers. Moreover, the desired wear protection properties are due only to the characteristics of the ZDDP molecule and not to Zn or P in the oil in other forms. This would mean that if a particular motor oil mentions it contains Zn alone or P alone, the ZDDP molecule is not present in that motor oil. You need to have zinc and phosphate they go hand in hand. The zinc phosphate is mainly for anti-wear, so when you limit the phosphate you limit zinc as well. When all is said and done, its better not to try being a petro engineer the results of a mistaken formulation are too costly.
