Is Amsoil as good as they say?

I use AMSOIL in my Indian motorcycle as well as my LJ, is it better? No idea, but one can purchase it straight from AMSOIL and it may be worth while to spend the coin to be a "gold"customer, depends on how much you buy......at any rate, Jerry is right, oil threads bring out the nuts, but around here so does Metalcloak, johnny joint comparisons, and a myriad of other topics🤣😎
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Artsifrtsi
I have stated a few times, that my previous employer was a dealer for Amsoil, Redline and Royal Purple. I’ve tried all of them and the only thing I noticed was a lighter wallet.
I ran Amsoil in my Harley and it burned it up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford
If I ever see it proven through reputable oil analysis that Amsoil or anything else would make a meaningful improvement for me over Supertech , Napa , etc I’d be willing to switch . Every thread I’ve read on Bob is the oil guy (written by the fanatics that have their oil constantly analyzed by Blackstone) show me that I should just continue saving money with a cheap oil that has the appropriate API rating .
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: Jablinski and Jerry Bransford
williambmac said:
I have stated a few times, that my previous employer was a dealer for Amsoil, Redline and Royal Purple. I’ve tried all of them and the only thing I noticed was a lighter wallet.
I ran Amsoil in my Harley and it burned it up.
Click to expand...
That had more to do with it being a Hardly......:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 801 Driver
toximus said:
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.
Click to expand...
Yup... good breakdown. Pennzoil's synthetics have a base made from natural gas that provides a near clear and very clean base that they build their synthetics on. Again, not a difference that means anything in TJ engines for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford
toximus said:
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.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't this be a start/ warm-up specific situation? Once the engine is at operating temp, the heavier oil would perform just as well, no?
(Legitimate curiosity...and I never have, nor ever will run heavier oil in midwestern winter)
 
Jablinski said:
Wouldn't this be a start/ warm-up specific situation? Once the engine is at operating temp, the heavier oil would perform just as well, no?
(Legitimate curiosity...and I never have, nor ever will run heavier oil in midwestern winter)
Click to expand...

Correct. In theory 5w30 and 10w30 will be the same once the engine is at temp. So if all you ever do is start your Jeep in a 70 degree heated garage in the winter and don't turn off the engine outdoors all you'd need is 10w30 even if it was -20 outside.

Most engine wear happens when an engine starts up cold. This is why it can be a good idea to keep your engine running while you run into a store real quick. Modern engines (such as the JL) stop the engine when the car comes to a complete stop (like a stop light or drive through) this is because it only stops the engine if the engine is at operating temp which they found to not cause damage like starting the engine when it's cold.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jablinski
toximus said:
Correct. In theory 5w30 and 10w30 will be the same once the engine is at temp. So if all you ever do is start your Jeep in a 70 degree heated garage in the winter and don't turn off the engine outdoors all you'd need is 10w30 even if it was -20 outside.

Most engine wear happens when an engine starts up cold. This is why it can be a good idea to keep your engine running while you run into a store real quick. Modern engines (such as the JL) stop the engine when the car comes to a complete stop (like a stop light or drive through) this is because it only stops the engine if the engine is at operating temp which they found to not cause damage like starting the engine when it's cold.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the explanation! Makes sense.

The auto stop/start is an annoying feature. My wife's ecoboost powered expedition is on it's third starter at 46k. Second starter was too close to the flex/ring gear and made a awful clank like it was going to drop something on the street right at the stop light. Two Ford dealers could not figure it out. Had to have a local shop fix it
 
Top Bottom
Back