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I saw a comment which said if you run with no oil this would make a car sound and feel more revy and lively etc(though it wouldn't last very long). Is this true?
Personally when I've been low on oil and then added oil I've noticed the oil has improved the sound, revyness and liveliness, not the lack of it, though I could be mistaken. This is particularly when hitting vtec.

If it's true that no oil makes a car sound and feel more lively, revy etc, would thinner oil also do this and conversely would thicker oils make it feel less revy and more sluggish?

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  • running low on oil will cause more rapid wear due to bubbles getting into the oil feed
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Oct 21, 2018 at 11:57

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This is absolutely true. Putting aside the fact of imminent destruction of the engine running without oil, it takes power to push the oil through the system. Thicker oil takes more power and thinner less. This is one of the key reasons manufacturers started using lower viscosity oil (ie: it seems 0W-20 viscosity is very common these days, whereas 10W-30 was the oil of the 70's-80's). The less restriction in the oil system, the more reclaimed horsepower/torque and the more peppy your engine would feel. Again, it wouldn't last long without oil, but it would feel peppier while it did.

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