AMSOIL is The First In Synthetics

In 1972 AMZOIL became the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute criteria. The new lubricant performed like no other before it. When the first can appeared on the market in 1972, it signaled the birth of an entire industry. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants have expanded the boundaries of lubrication science and redefined the performance possibilities of modern machinery and engines.

What is the difference between conventional and synthetic oils?

Synthetic lubricants are composed of select base stocks and special purpose additives chemically assembled with planned, predictable properties.  Whereas petroleum oils are pumped from the earth and refined, synthetics are custom-designed in the laboratory, with each phase of their molecular construction programmed to produce, in effect, the ideal lubricant.

Some synthetic oils use petroleum base stocks.  AMSOIL uses synthetic base stocks, called polyalphaolefins (PAO). PAO's are synthesized monomers created in a laboratory.

HEAT - YOUR ENGINES' DEADLY ENEMY!

We love the warmth and the sun here in Florida.  It is probably the biggest reason many people live here.  It is the reason so many people come to Florida for vacation!  But our cars and trucks hate it!  Why?  Because heat can destroy your engine.

Heat is an engine's worst enemy.  Heat causes engine oil to break down and lose its ability to lubricate and cool the metal parts.  This breakdown has a cascading effect, because oil is also supposed to reduce friction.  Friction causes heat.  Do you see the cycle developing here?  The hotter the operating environment, the faster the oil breaks down. The faster the oil breaks down, the less protection it provides, and the more your engine suffers.

Rub your hands together, and feel the heat that is created.  Engines run much faster than we rub our hands together.  They create much more heat.  Remembering that heat is your engine's worst enemy, shouldn't you try to reduce the amount of heat created?  Using a high quality synthetic engine oil is an absolute necessity if you want your engine to last longer and need less maintenance.

Conventional oils, those with refined crude oil bases, cannot protect nearly as well as today's synthetic oils.  A high quality synthetic oil is designed to protect better and longer.  It is designed to reduce friction, which reduces heat.  It also does a better job of cooling the engine because the molecules of synthetic oil are uniform and they grab the heat better.  That heat is then transferred to the oil pan and dissipated into the atomosphere.

Because synthetic oils protect longer, the need for oil changes every 3000 to 5000 miles can be changed.  A synthetic oil can last as much as 25,000 miles between changes.  Say you could extend the change intervals from 5,000 miles to 10,000 miles.  By doing so, you have eliminated one oil change.  Synthetic oils are slightly more expensive than a quality conventional oil, but you will still save money.  You will also have reduced the amount of used oil that has to be recycled by one half!  That has a huge environmental impact. You have also reduced the use of foreign oil.  All of this is a win-win situation!

Want more information on this?  Just get in touch with me.  I will be happy to help you.

So, what do those oil numbers mean?

Motor oil serves several purposes in an automobile's engine, including heat dissipation and lubricating the engine to reduce friction and prevent wear and tear. So, what do the numbers about oil mean ?  Those numbers refer to viscosity, a fluid's resistance to flow. Thin fluids possess low viscosity because they flow easily, like water. Thick fluids have a high viscosity due to their slow flow, like  molasses. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) establish standards, or specifications, for motor oil viscosity.

Let's look at a typical oil designation, such as 5w20.  The first number indicates the oils cold temperature characteristics. The lower the number, the colder the temperature at which the oil will flow and still protect.  The number after the 'w' is the high temperature characteristics, based on SAE specifications and standards. Since all motor oil thickens as it warms up, once the engine is warm and running the viscosity rating after the 'w' is important.  The warmer the ambient operating temperature is, the higher that number needs to be.

As an example, a car in Chicago would want a lower viscosity rating, say 5w20, than a car in Orlando, say a 5w30 or even 5w40.

So, can a 0w30 oil protect?  YES!  Remember,the first number means flow characteristics.  A 0w oil, if it meets SAE standards, will protect even in extreme cold temperatures.  AMSOIL Signature Series 0w30 is guaranteed to protect your engine in the most extreme conditions, and give you extended life between oil changes..

AMSOIL INTRODUCES 15,000-MILE Ea®OIL FILTERS

Modern engine design trends have resulted in some vehicles that present multiple challenges to filtration engineers, especially those who are focused on delivering extended service life. In order to remain serviceable for an extended period, a filter must ensure adequate capacity while maintaining sufficient efficiency throughout the specified interval. This is often accomplished in part through the use of high efficiency media and a slightly larger can to increase capacity.

Barriers to Extended Service

Vehicle manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to provide fuel efficient vehicles that produce fewer emissions than their predecessors. In fact, government mandates require automakers to meet specific fuel efficiency and emissions benchmarks or face steep monetary penalties. Vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) employ a variety of techniques to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, and nearly all of them negatively impact motor oil and oil filtration.

Smaller Sumps, Smaller Filters, More Contaminants

To meet the demand for greater efficiency, OEMs are offering smaller, more aerodynamic cars. They have also introduced several new engine technologies designed to deliver greater power out of smaller, more fuel-efficient engines, which often rely on turbos or unique fuel injection systems that can increase the amount of
contaminants introduced into the oil. As these cars have become smaller, engine compartments have become too tight to use a filter of increased size. This, coupled with the trend toward smaller oil sumps in many of these applications, results in an extremely challenging task for oil filters.

Additional Contaminant Generation

To meet the demand for reduced emissions, OEMs are applying a number of methods, including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). EGR works by recycling a small amount of spent exhaust gas back into the combustion chamber. Some of the side-effects of EGR include less-efficient combustion, increased temperatures and increased acids; all of which add to the oil filter’s workload.

AMSOIL Overcomes Obstacles

For some of these applications extending the service life of the oil filter would seem impossible. Smaller sump sizes, some historically sludgy engines and smaller filter sizes, combined with increased contaminants in the engine oil, present a serious challenge to filtration engineers. AMSOIL has overcome all those obstacles with its introduction of 15,000-mile Ea Oil Filters (EA15K). There are 11 15,000-mile Ea Filters in all, including some that were previously available as 25,000-mile filters. While AMSOIL has had no issues with these filters, the engine technologies used in the vehicles to which they apply are simply too demanding on an oil filter to continue offering 25,000-mile intervals. Also included in the group of 15,000-mile Ea Oil Filters are a number of filters (EA15K09, EA15K10, EA15K13) that were either discontinued or available only at OEM-recommended intervals due to the engine design issues outlined in AMSOIL Technical Service Bulletins FL-2009-05-01 and FL-2010-04-01.

Contact me for further information on this and other product developments.