Is Amsoil as good as they say?
- Thread starter AaronPaul
- Start date
It's nothing special, just a bunch of Amsoil multi-level marketers all screaming it's the best.
X2, it’s just oil. There’s no reason to think any oil is going to do anything special for you. Welcome to marketing 101 though.
OP
Thank you that’s what I thought but I figured I’d ask the experts
OP
Their gear oil is clear, that fascinates me for what ever reason. Squeeze package is very convenient, valvoline has started doing the same.
0w20 and 5w20 evaporates/burns out less than Mobil 1, i tested it on two oil hungry engines.
As good as they say? That depends who says what, and what supporting material they have.
If you have time this is one of the best discussions I've ever heard about oils. I don't agree with every single little detail and it ain't short but overall for what it is, it's pretty balanced. I also enjoy reading the newsletters from Blackstone Labs.
I had a buddy that was (maybe still is) a licensed amsoil dealer. I ran it for years in my motorcycle thinking it was the bee's knees. I ended up switching to shell and didnt notice anything other than a much heavier wallet.
Must be good stuff. My neighbors 100K Amzoil from day 1 Ram PU drinks it like Koolaid. 
Oh The power of manipulation and advertising.
Oh The power of manipulation and advertising.
They make great oils....but so doesn't just about everyone else! Unless you are pushing the envelope on performance and need some extreme oil, any good synthetic will do just fine.
For engine and diff oils I just buy whatever synthetic is on sale at the local store. Transmission usually gets the good stuff. Amsoil or Redline. I have no good reason why....just makes me feel better I guess.
For engine and diff oils I just buy whatever synthetic is on sale at the local store. Transmission usually gets the good stuff. Amsoil or Redline. I have no good reason why....just makes me feel better I guess.
A lot of answers here and it's clear that nobody understands oil.
If you want the short answer: in your Jeep engine 4-cyl or inline 6 run any API certified oil in the correct weight (5w30 winter, or 10w30 summer). The only caveat I've found is that synthetic does flow better in winter — so I'd recommend that.
Now for the long answer:
All synthetic oil is NOT made the same. All of the major brands except for Amsoil and Mobil 1 are conventional oils (ie. petroleum base stock) that have been filtered so that all of the molecules are closer in size than a normal conventional oil is. By filtering the conventional oil to turn it into a synthetic like that does make the oil much more consistent in how it behaves at temperatures and improves lubricity.
Amsoil and Mobil 1 start with a synthetic base stock that they further blend and add additives to. By starting with a synthetic base stock they are able to physically put more additives into the oil and end up with the same lubricity and further control how the oil behaves at certain temps. What helped me wrap my mind around this best is by comparing typical 2-stroke oil on the store shelf with Amsoil "Saber" 2-stroke oil: it becomes clear that you can physically run Amsoil at a 100:1 mix and receive the same lubricity as typical 2-stroke oil mixed at 50:1.
So now that we understand why Amsoil and Mobil 1 are superior oils, why did I say it doesn't matter in the short answer? Because our engines don't get super hot like highly modified racing engines, they don't rev very high, they have relatively high tolerances which allows oil to flow easily, and they don't have a high internal pressure. After a few years of testing my own Jeep engines I haven't found any benefits to any certain oil even when sending the oil in for analysis.
The best way to test this is to buy a quart of each before your next oil change and leave them outside overnight on a cold night. Pour both into your engine and observe how quickly they flow out of the bottle. Around here a conventional 10w30 will flow like honey and a synthetic 5w30 will flow out smooth and quick. Inside your engine that equals how quickly your engine's moving parts are adequately lubricated which will reduce metal on metal wear.
If you want the short answer: in your Jeep engine 4-cyl or inline 6 run any API certified oil in the correct weight (5w30 winter, or 10w30 summer). The only caveat I've found is that synthetic does flow better in winter — so I'd recommend that.
Now for the long answer:
All synthetic oil is NOT made the same. All of the major brands except for Amsoil and Mobil 1 are conventional oils (ie. petroleum base stock) that have been filtered so that all of the molecules are closer in size than a normal conventional oil is. By filtering the conventional oil to turn it into a synthetic like that does make the oil much more consistent in how it behaves at temperatures and improves lubricity.
Amsoil and Mobil 1 start with a synthetic base stock that they further blend and add additives to. By starting with a synthetic base stock they are able to physically put more additives into the oil and end up with the same lubricity and further control how the oil behaves at certain temps. What helped me wrap my mind around this best is by comparing typical 2-stroke oil on the store shelf with Amsoil "Saber" 2-stroke oil: it becomes clear that you can physically run Amsoil at a 100:1 mix and receive the same lubricity as typical 2-stroke oil mixed at 50:1.
So now that we understand why Amsoil and Mobil 1 are superior oils, why did I say it doesn't matter in the short answer? Because our engines don't get super hot like highly modified racing engines, they don't rev very high, they have relatively high tolerances which allows oil to flow easily, and they don't have a high internal pressure. After a few years of testing my own Jeep engines I haven't found any benefits to any certain oil even when sending the oil in for analysis.
The best way to test this is to buy a quart of each before your next oil change and leave them outside overnight on a cold night. Pour both into your engine and observe how quickly they flow out of the bottle. Around here a conventional 10w30 will flow like honey and a synthetic 5w30 will flow out smooth and quick. Inside your engine that equals how quickly your engine's moving parts are adequately lubricated which will reduce metal on metal wear.
It's good oil, would I seek it out over anything else? Probably not. IMO there is no need unless you plan on stretching your oil changes and doing extended intervals, which isn't really recommended in a vehicle that sees off road like a TJ. Personally I don't see a benefit considering you have to order it through a special network of dealers.
The 4.0L isn't picky about oils. Just keep it full and change it. Just because I was curious I did a few used oil analysis on the 4.0L in my old XJ. The oil with the best wear numbers was plain old Pennzoil 10w30 conventional. Oil technology has come a long way even in the last 5 years. If you go to Bob is The Oil Guy Forums there are all sorts of nuts on there who analyze the oil chemistry. Even the cheap SuperTech you can buy at walmart is pretty good, and it's debate-able if anything more expensive will even produce a better result.
The 4.0L isn't picky about oils. Just keep it full and change it. Just because I was curious I did a few used oil analysis on the 4.0L in my old XJ. The oil with the best wear numbers was plain old Pennzoil 10w30 conventional. Oil technology has come a long way even in the last 5 years. If you go to Bob is The Oil Guy Forums there are all sorts of nuts on there who analyze the oil chemistry. Even the cheap SuperTech you can buy at walmart is pretty good, and it's debate-able if anything more expensive will even produce a better result.
OP
Where do you see this? I'm pretty sure it's just 2 layers and not an MLM: Manufacture and dealers. Unless you have random people reselling on eBay or something they don't have dealers under dealers which is what an MLM is.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
It may not be MLM like some companies but Amsoil signs up dealers are typically nothing more than individuals, couples, etc. who sell to whoever they can including sponsoring new dealers. Most of the comments praising and selling Amsoil seen all over the Internet are those individual dealers. https://www.synthetics117.com/the-amsoil-opportunity/
The worlds largest landfill/sanitation district (L.A. co. Sanitation) many years ago determined that amsoil saved them enough money to use it in their fleet of heavy equipment which ranged from 657E Cat scrapers to Komatsu trash dozers. The tests were done using oil samples and life expectancy results.
IIRC, the final drive, planetary and gearbox results were pretty exceptional. Not just motor oil.
I am not saying one way or another. Just sharing some facts. Their fleet was HUGE!
IIRC, the final drive, planetary and gearbox results were pretty exceptional. Not just motor oil.
I am not saying one way or another. Just sharing some facts. Their fleet was HUGE!
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