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The ONLY Degreed Mechanical and Truck/Automotive Engineers on the net with 23 years experience specializing in engine, powertrain/chassis engineering, performance and synthetic motor oil lubrication and filtration.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Brought to you by Detroit, Michigan Truck and Automotive Engineers and Lubrication Specialists. We have 23 years experience engineering cars and trucks right here in the heart of the car and truck engineering and manufacturing capital of the world and we will put our extensive knowledge to use for you.

We are also longstanding Professional Grade members of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). This prestigious position is ONLY granted to degreed engineers with documented work experience in the automotive engineering industry.

We have packed this website with useful information that will help you to make an informed decision regarding your choice of lubrication and filtration products for your vehicles and equipment. 

How Long Have AMSOIL lubricants been on the market? 

AMSOIL introduced the first synthetic motor oil with an API (American Petroleum Institute) Service Classification in 1972.  Since that time, AMSOIL has varied and expanded its product line.

What  are AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils?

AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants are fuel efficient, extended life lubricants manufactured from select synthetic base stocks and special purpose additives. These lubricants provide significant improved overall performance benefits than conventional petroleum oils.

Can AMSOIL Motor Oils be used in any engine?

Certainly, AMSOIL Motor Oils may be used in any mechanically sound gasoline or diesel fueled engine. Basically, that means they are excellent for use in any vehicles engine.

Will AMSOIL Motor Oils void the warranty of a new vehicle?

Absolutely not!  Manufacturers' warranties are based on the use of oils meeting specific API Service Classifications. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants meet the current API Service requirements and, thus, are perfectly suited for use in any new vehicle without affecting the validity of the new vehicle warranty.  Please click here for detailed Warranty Law information that all consumers need to know.

Why don't the auto manufacturers install synthetic oil in all vehicles at the factory?

In general, synthetic oil is typically used in production vehicles in order to address a heat or wear related concern. Certain high performance vehicles do come factory fill with synthetic oil but it is a small percentage of the total vehicles produce. Please read our complete article The Auto Industry's Best Kept Secret for more.

Are AMSOIL Motor Oils All-Season Motor Oils?

Synthetic oils are made to protect and perform better than petroleum oils at both high and low temperature extremes. That's why every jet engine in the world is lubricated with synthetic oil. AMSOIL Motor Oils have extremely low pour points and flow readily at extremely low temperatures for easier winter starting and reduced engine wear. At high temperatures, no conventional motor oil can compare to the overall protection AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils provide. That's extremely important for today's turbocharged and small, non-turbocharged engines!.

Will AMSOIL Motor Oils increase gas mileage?

Tighter government regulations and increases in engine manufacturers' demands are calling for more fuel efficient lubricants. AMSOIL Motor Oils reduce friction and drag better than petroleum oils and other synthetic oils, resulting in significant fuel economy increases.  In a recent 1.2 million mile demonstration, AMSOIL Lubricants showed a 4.5% increase in gas mileage. Other tests have shown increases as much as 15% under certain weather and driving conditions. Yet, because every vehicle is different, as are driving habits and conditions, it is difficult to accurately project an actual increase.

Are AMSOIL Motor Oils compatible with other motor oils?

Yes, AMSOIL Motor Oils are compatible with all other synthetic or petroleum motor oils.

Why are AMSOIL Motor Oils capable of extended drain intervals?

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils are highly resistant to the destructive effects of heat, and do not break down like petroleum oils. This means that AMSOIL Motor Oils can provide much longer drain intervals than conventional lubricants.

Will AMSOIL Motor Oils decrease oil consumption?

Yes. When used in mechanically sound engines, AMSOIL Motor Oils can reduce oil consumption. Under test conditions, a reduction of as much as 42% was demonstrated for prolonged periods. However, this should not be taken to mean that AMSOIL Motor Oils are "cure-alls" for engines that consume oil because of mechanical problems.

Is there a recommended procedure for changing to AMSOIL Motor Oils?

There are no special requirements, however in older vehicles or those with high mileage, it may be advisable to use AMSOIL Engine Flush first. This will ensure that the engine is clean and free of any accumulated contaminants which might have an effect on the service life of AMSOIL Motor Oils. In all cases, it is good judgment to install a new AMSOIL Super Duty Full-Flow Oil Filter (SDF) every time you change oil.

Should Oil Additives or After Market Products be added to AMSOIL Motor Oils?

No, they are not necessary and can potentially be detrimental to the proper chemistry of AMSOIL. AMSOIL Motor Oils are properly formulated under the strictest Quality Control procedure to provide superior lubrication performance.

Will using AMSOIL Engine Flush in motorcycle engines damage the wet clutch?

Engine Flush may not be compatible with some wet clutch systems and the generally small oil capacities of motorcycles can easily allow over dilution of the oil. Therefore we do NOT recommend the use of engine flush for motorcycle applications.

An individual has posted a message on an Internet message board that said AMSOIL motor oils "lack sufficient EP additives" and the "quality of the product has dropped" in the last few years.  Due to lack of EP additives and the the drop in product quality he "wiped out bearings, pistons, rocker bushings, etc."

No truth whatsoever. AMSOIL INC. has continually improved the performance of its products over the years. The best performing oil we've ever made are the oils we make today. In addition, new technology has allowed us to improve performance as the introduction of our Series 2000 oils demonstrated. Our standard products outperform the competition and the Series 2000 products blow them away.

First of all, extreme pressure (EP) additives are not typically used in motor oil. EP additives are used in gear lubes and some greases. This is because they contain sulfur or chlorine compounds that become active under engine operating conditions. In this activated state they react with the water found in by-products of combustion, and form acids which are corrosive to engine components such as bearings.

Engine oils typically use antiwear (AW) additives to prevent metal-to-metal contact within an engine. These are commonly zinc and phosphorus compounds (zinc dithiophosphate or ZDP). These additives are different from EP additives because they activate or bond with metal surfaces at lower temperatures and pressures and do not form corrosive acids. EP additives are intended to withstand higher pressures and temperatures than found in engines. AW additives offer more than enough protection for all engine conditions without any of the harmful side effects of EP additives.

AMSOIL INC. has always used higher quality and a higher level of additives including zinc and phosphorus than most motor oils on the market. The attached tables compare the content of zinc and phosphorus of several popular motor oils for passenger car and racing applications. These additive contents were determined using spectrographic analysis. Results could be verified for accuracy by submitting unused oil for analysis to any independent oil analysis laboratory.

Quantity of AW additives alone, however, will not make one lubricant perform better than a competitive lubricant. It's the combination of blended synthetic basestocks with a perfectly balanced package of the highest quality additives that allows AMSOIL to consistently outperform the competition in all aspects, including wear protection.(NOTE: Perfectly balanced means that using an aftermarket oil additive will not improve and may actually harm the performance of AMSOIL motor oils.)

The following results from Four Ball Wear Tests will demonstrate how effective AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils are at wear protection compared to other popular oils. The Four Ball Wear Test is a lubricant industry standard (ASTM D 4172) test that compares relative wear prevention characteristics of new lubricants at specified conditions.

AMSOIL products clearly offer better wear protection than competitive synthetics and much better protection than conventional oils. Engines can fail due to mechanical problems even when using AMSOIL. AMSOIL Motor Oils, however, in over twenty-five years have never caused an engine failure. If you ever hear someone say AMSOIL caused their engine, bearings, pistons, etc. to fail, they are wrong.

Federal Mogul Corporation, a manufacturer of engine bearings, pistons, connecting rods and other engine parts, studied over 7,000 case histories of bearing distress and engine failure and never found engine oil to be the cause of a failure. Dirt, the number one cause of engine failure, was found to be responsible for 43.4% of failures, and insufficient lubrication, the second most common cause of failure, was responsible for 16.6% of failures. Insufficient lubrication is the general term used when not enough oil gets through to the engine to lubricate it (lack of oil volume).

Some causes of insufficient lubrication include oxidation, oil thickening, sludge, cold temperature related dry starts, etc. These, however, are also areas where AMSOIL motor oils out perform the competition. If an engine breaks down with AMSOIL motor oil in it, it would have broken down sooner using another oil! That's fact! 

FAQ's in More Detail Direct From Dave Mann, Truck/Automotive Engineer and Lubrication Specialist

Are synthetic motor oils compatible with petroleum motor oils and other synthetics? 

Yes, synthetic oils for passenger car and light truck use are fully compatible with petroleum oil and other synthetic lubricants.  But, even though they are compatible it is best not to mix different brands of oil. Each brand of oil has a specific chemistry and additive package and two different oils mixed together may result in optimal performance as they were engineered to if the chemistries of the oil becomes offset by mixing with another brand of oil. 

I was told that once I change to synthetic I could never change back to petroleum oil: is this true? 

That statement is 100% false. You can change back to petroleum oil at any time. If running a petroleum oil you can change to synthetic oil at any time as long as the engine is in mechanically sound condition. 

Do synthetic motor oils damage seals? 

Absolutely not.  Both petroleum motor oils and synthetic motor oils have additives blended in the oil to control seal swell, shrinkage and other engineering parameters.  

Can I change to synthetic motor oil at any time? 

Yes, you can install synthetic motor oil in any engine as long as the engine is in mechanically sound condition. There is no specific set cast in stone mileage that you can or cannot install synthetic motor oil in an engine, or any other component or system for that matter. 

My mechanic tells me that synthetic oil is too slippery for use in engines with roller rockers and wet clutches; is there any truth to this? 

Absolutely not; that is a false statement. Synthetic oil is no more “slippery” than petroleum oil. The tractive coefficient, which is a measure of the case by which a lubricant facilitates sliding, is essentially the same for both mineral oils and synthetics. Synthetic oil is more uniform in molecular structure, which reduces frictional resistance but it is not more “slippery” than petroleum oil.   

What about all the different viscosity oils my owner’s manual says I have to use for different outside temperatures, seasons and climates; do I need to use different viscosity synthetic oils as well? 

Synthetic motor oils have an exceptionally low pour point (typically around minus 60 deg. F for a premium quality 5W-30, 10W-30 or 0W-30) and an exceptionally high flash point and high temperature/high shear viscosity value. Petroleum oil cannot come close to matching these wide operating temperature ranges, thus necessitating different viscosities for different climates. When using a premium quality synthetic motor oil you do not have to change to a different viscosity for different climates. 

Why do some test results showing synthetic oils superiority state “as tested by an independent lab”? Why don’t you state which lab did the testing? 

First, it is generally against most companies’ policies to release that information to consumers, as well as their vendors. It is partly due to confidentiality and partly because some labs do not have customer service departments and can’t have retail customers calling them. Instead, take a look at how long the particular company has been in business. It would be terribly hard for a company to stay in business for a long period of time if their advertising is not accurate. Also, the Federal Trade Commission takes a very dim view of false advertising and comes down hard on companies whose products don’t perform as claimed. Besides that, if the data is not accurate a competitor is likely to initiate legal action, which can be very expensive. Finally, if a person wants to, they are welcome to take a sample of the product in question to any lab that has ASTM equipment and have the tests run themselves. 

Are synthetic motor oils capable of extended drain intervals? 

Some are and some are not. The only way to know for sure is to go by the oil manufacturers specifications. This can also be verified by oil analysis testing at different intervals during use.  AMSOIL INC. specifies 25,000 mile/1-year drain interval and  35,000 mile/1-year intervals with the 0W-30 Severe Service synthetic, without by-pass filtration.  If by-pass filtration and oil analysis is used, then drain intervals can be extended until the lab results indicate the oil needs to be changed. This can be many years and several hundred thousand miles depending on the variables.  

Will synthetic oil cause the wet clutch in my motorcycle to slip? 

Whether the oil is a petroleum oil or synthetic is not the issue here. As stated previously, synthetic oil is not more “slippery” than petroleum oil. Both petroleum oil and synthetic oil for automotive use has friction modifiers blended in, which are typically not compatible with wet clutch applications.  There are motorcycle specific oils blended specifically for motorcycle applications with wet clutches that should be used in motorcycles. These lubricants do not have any friction modifiers blended in. 

Will synthetic oil cause oil pressure to change? 

Oil pressure is also directly related to flow volume. Synthetic oil is more uniform in molecular structure and provides less resistance to flow therefore in order to achieve the same flow volume as a petroleum oil, which has a higher frictional resistance to flow, it is possible that under some conditions, such as idling that a slightly lower oil pressure could be noticed, but that the oil flow volume delivered to the engine is adequate for the engine operating RPM and conditions. Synthetic oil has better flow characteristics than petroleum oil and may also cause an engines RPM at idle to increase due to decreased resistance to flow, less internal drag and parasitic losses. 

Here’s another way to explain pressure and flow volume: if you have an air tool at requires 90 PSI @12 CFM, you could use a 1 HP air compressor that delivers 90 PSI, however it would not deliver 90 PSI @12 CFM, and would have to work very hard to make the tool operate, however the tool would not operate at maximum capacity due to the lower flow volume.  A 10 HP compressor on the other hand would easily provide 90PSI @ 12 CFM and would not have to work very hard to do it.  Pressure and flow volume go hand in hand.  You can have maximum oil pressure, however if you don’t have the proper flow volume it isn’t going to do you any good.  With synthetic oil, and all other engine parameters remaining equal, it takes less oil pressure to achieve an equivalent flow volume of oil than it does with a petroleum oil, and the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver the increased flow volume. Often when changing to a synthetic motor oil the engine RPM may increase at idle due to decreased internal frictional resistance of rotating and sliding components. 

At high engine operating temperatures synthetic motor oil will be much more shear stable and will not drop nearly as much as petroleum oil does. I recently had a friend with a jet boat with a 460 cu. in. racing engine. After one mile run across the lake with a 20W-50 petroelum oil the oil pressure went from about 45 psi down to about 15-20 psi. After changing to a premium quality synthetic motor oil and after the same one mile run across the lake the oil pressure only dropped to about 30-35 psi. That is the direct result of the superior high temperature characteristics of synthetic motor oil and its ability to resist the effects of intense shear forces. 

I am using an extended drain interval synthetic oil but my change engine oil light is on.  Do I have to change the oil? 

Oil sensors and oil change lights do not and cannot perform spectrographic or laboratory chemical analysis on an oil (the proper method to determine an oils suitability for continued service).  They typically monitor certain engine operating parameters and use an algorithm to predict when the oil light should come on.  If you are using an extended drain interval synthetic oil, such as a 25,000 mile/1-year or 35,000 mile/1-year oil, and the oil light comes on simply reset it and follow the oil manufacturers change recommendations.

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