Amsoil for the Camaro?

[BowtieBelle]

My guy uses it in his SS and I just switched. When I checked the oil it wasn't dirty at all (been using Valvoline Durablend) so I don't trust the oil monitoring system a bit. It started complaining at me wanting a change at 5k but after looking I think I could have gone ten.

So here I am making the switch to full synthetic; the car has 66k now and I figure it would be better for it. I'd never heard of Amsoil till Zachary told me about it and he swears by it in his SS. Anyone here use it? V6 or SS. Thoughts?

[SSRS1LE]

I use the Amsoil Signature Series in my SS. I switched to full synthetic (Group IV) oils a few years ago. I don't have a lot of feedback because I never had issues with other oils, but the extra protection never hurts.

http://endurancesynthetics.com/info/avm/amsoil-vs-mobil-1.html

[cbass]

Originally Posted by BowtieBelle

My guy uses it in his SS and I just switched. When I checked the oil it wasn't dirty at all (been using Valvoline Durablend) so I don't trust the oil monitoring system a bit. It started complaining at me wanting a change at 5k but after looking I think I could have gone ten.

So here I am making the switch to full synthetic; the car has 66k now and I figure it would be better for it. I'd never heard of Amsoil till Zachary told me about it and he swears by it in his SS. Anyone here use it? V6 or SS. Thoughts?

Amsoil is not a bad oil, but hard to find. It's also expensive. It is also over hyped. I have done UOA on various vehicles and it works but not much better than other synthetic oils out there.

If you like it and are willing to spend the money on it, then go for it.

[MARINE1991]

Well I have to say I went in for a oil change to a performance shop while having other work done and he wote up the oil change with AMSOIL and its like 20 bucks more and I told him that I wanted to stick with the Mobil 1 try and Stay with GM stuff in the car and he explained why is better and after going back and fourth he gave it to me for the same price just to try it out he said its the oil he will use and explained why is so much better

[SPCBA]

i use amsoil z rod for my cammed v8. i have tried a few different oils. mobil 1 is crap and so are most mainstream brands now. they took out the good stuff of the oil that reduces wear to protect your cats because big brother frowns on things that are good for the car and bad for cats. i dont know how its overhyped because so very few people use it comparitively to mobil.

oils high in zinc and phosphorous is what you want if you want your car for a long time. amsoil z rod has done me well as a daily driver and on a road course. I am amused by folks who are not willing to spend a tad more on oil for a 40 k car. Amsoil is not hard to get its just not at autozone. they have dealers around the country and also sell via internet and snail mail. there are 15 amsoil dealers located within 20 miles of me.

[MARINE1991]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

i use amsoil z rod for my cammed v8. i have tried a few different oils. mobil 1 is crap and so are most mainstream brands now. they took out the good stuff of the oil that reduces wear to protect your cats because big brother frowns on things that are good for the car and bad for cats. i dont know how its overhyped because so very few people use it comparitively to mobil.

oils high in zinc and phosphorous is what you want if you want your car for a long time. amsoil z rod has done me well as a daily driver and on a road course. I am amused by folks who are not willing to spend a tad more on oil for a 40 k car. Amsoil is not hard to get its just not at autozone. they have dealers around the country and also sell via internet and snail mail. there are 15 amsoil dealers located within 20 miles of me.

Blake guess I'm glad he put it in my car he went off about how bad Mobil 1 was, have to do a little more reading

[cbass]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

i use amsoil z rod for my cammed v8. i have tried a few different oils. mobil 1 is crap and so are most mainstream brands now. they took out the good stuff of the oil that reduces wear to protect your cats because big brother frowns on things that are good for the car and bad for cats. i dont know how its overhyped because so very few people use it comparitively to mobil.

oils high in zinc and phosphorous is what you want if you want your car for a long time. amsoil z rod has done me well as a daily driver and on a road course. I am amused by folks who are not willing to spend a tad more on oil for a 40 k car. Amsoil is not hard to get its just not at autozone. they have dealers around the country and also sell via internet and snail mail. there are 15 amsoil dealers located within 20 miles of me.

It's a good oil, but studies you see out there put it at the #1 spot in almost everything and those studies that do that are conducted usually by..... amsoil themselves

They had a study long ago about the sheer stability of the oil, but in a particular machine of mine that was hard on oil it sheered during the UOA. Mobil 1 sheered as well. The only oil that did not was Valvoline VR1. When you do your own comparison and put yourself at the top of the list in sheer stability then your oil sheers, then i consider it over hyped. So yes it's a good oil, but there are oils just as good that as cheaper and more easily accessible.

Here is an independent wear study.

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30483

Amsoil is in the to four, but Mobil 1 is above it:

********** OUTSTANDING PROTECTION ************


1. 5W30 Pennzoil Ultra, API SM = 115,612 psi
I have not been able to find this oil with the latest API SN certification. The bottle says, “No leading synthetic oil provides better wear protection”. For once, a product’s hype turns out to be true.
zinc = 806 ppm
phos = 812 ppm
moly = 66 ppm

2. 10W30 Lucas Racing Only = 106,505 psi
zinc = 2642 ppm
phos = 3489 ppm
moly = 1764 ppm
NOTE: This oil is suitable for short term racing use only, and is not suitable for street use.

3. 5W30 Mobil 1, API SN = 105,875 psi
zinc = 801 ppm
phos = 842 ppm
moly = 112 ppm

4. 0W30 Amsoil Signature Series 25,000 miles, API SN = 105,008 psi
zinc = 824 ppm
phos = 960 ppm
moly = 161 ppm

Amsoil Z-Rod, however drops toward the middle of the list in this study:

17. 5W20 Castrol GTX conventional, API SN = 95,543 psi
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
NOTE: Oil numbers 16 and 17 were tested weeks apart, but due to the similarities in their wear scar sizes, their averages ended up the same.

18. 5W30 Castrol GTX conventional, API SN = 95,392 psi
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD

19. 10W30 Amsoil Z-Rod Oil = 95,360 psi
zinc = 1431 ppm
phos = 1441 ppm
moly = 52 ppm

[The Sandman]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

i use amsoil z rod for my cammed v8. i have tried a few different oils. mobil 1 is crap and so are most mainstream brands now. they took out the good stuff of the oil that reduces wear to protect your cats because big brother frowns on things that are good for the car and bad for cats. i dont know how its overhyped because so very few people use it comparitively to mobil.

oils high in zinc and phosphorous is what you want if you want your car for a long time. amsoil z rod has done me well as a daily driver and on a road course. I am amused by folks who are not willing to spend a tad more on oil for a 40 k car. Amsoil is not hard to get its just not at autozone. they have dealers around the country and also sell via internet and snail mail. there are 15 amsoil dealers located within 20 miles of me.

Several years ago I searched for recommendations on the best oil filter I could find and it led to Amsoil products. I'll admit, I was somewhat unaware of Amsoil, but the more I use the filters and oil, the more impressed I am. Pushing 8 quarts of oil through these small filters, I want the best protection I can get. You can purchase it directly from Amsoil for a discount, but there are many local dealers including some NAPA stores. Along with premium gas, if your going to spend a couple extra bucks on your car put it in the life-blood - the oil.

[SPCBA]

shearing isnt the whole story of oils antiwear properties.

"After the base oil has sheared or squeezed out, The last line of defense is an additive that puts down a barrier film. This additive usually has higher levels of strength against shearing so it helps keep the wear down. Alright, here's the catch. In 96, the lubrication industry changed from the SH to SJ API rated oil by reducing the barrier lubricant additives to help preserve cat converters on cars. Why?, It appears that the manufactures / lubrication experts are concerned with contaminating the cat converters with the standard antiwear additives in the motor oils so they have reduced the levels of antiwear additives to preserve the cats. Hmmm, guess what, When they introduced the new SL GF-3 oils, They left it the same. Ok, not out of the woods yet... Now the new GF-4 oils are in the works in hopes to be introduced next year around April. Have a guess one of the things they are going to do?, YEP, reduce the current antiwear additives again."

quoted from bob the oil guy
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/oilshear.htm

another quote from same article
"All base oils film strength will shear under stress or pressure. The real way to help prevent wear is to maintain higher levels of antiwear additives This in conjunction with a good base stock which resists breakdown to high heat."


soooo basically if you rank by shearing only sure ya cool the cheap oils are better because they have lower stuff that protects after shearing. there is three ways oil helps lube and or protect from wear. its shearing properties is only one...and not the most reliable one.

i am not a use the DIC indicator to change my oil guy either imagine that...my oil gets changed after each track weekend. i have tried 5 different oils in my car now. Three on a road course. the z rod held up the best on a roadcourse. gibbs and vr1 both broke down... vr1 was the worst. gibbs broke down after two straight days of track time and 400 mile round trips to track.

good info cbass, its not the whole story tho.

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

i have tried 5 different oils in my car now. Three on a road course. the z rod held up the best on a roadcourse. gibbs and vr1 both broke down... vr1 was the worst. gibbs broke down after two straight days of track time and 400 mile round trips

I may have asked this of you before, if so please forgive me, but what are basing this on? Analysis?

John B.

[SPCBA]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

I may have asked this of you before, if so please forgive me, but what are basing this on? Analysis?

John B.

2 oil analysis, magnetic plug and filter sleeve, temperature (not the guage on the car), cutting open my filter, driving as a daily and on road course, and observation. its not a butt dyno if thats what your asking.

[cbass]

soooo basically if you rank by shearing only sure ya cool the cheap oils are better because they have lower stuff that protects after shearing. there is three ways oil helps lube and or protect from wear. its shearing properties is only one...and not the most reliable one.

i am not a use the DIC indicator to change my oil guy either imagine that...my oil gets changed after each track weekend. i have tried 5 different oils in my car now. Three on a road course. the z rod held up the best on a roadcourse. gibbs and vr1 both broke down... vr1 was the worst. gibbs broke down after two straight days of track time and 400 mile round trips to track.

good info cbass, its not the whole story tho.

It's never the whole story and yes sheering is only one measure. However, I expected amsoil to hold up much better to sheering considering the advertising.

i use amsoil z rod for my cammed v8. i have tried a few different oils. mobil 1 is crap and so are most mainstream brands now. they took out the good stuff of the oil that reduces wear to protect your cats because big brother frowns on things that are good for the car and bad for cats. i dont know how its overhyped because so very few people use it comparitively to mobil.

oils high in zinc and phosphorous is what you want if you want your car for a long time. amsoil z rod has done me well as a daily driver and on a road course. I am amused by folks who are not willing to spend a tad more on oil for a 40 k car. Amsoil is not hard to get its just not at autozone. they have dealers around the country and also sell via internet and snail mail. there are 15 amsoil dealers located within 20 miles of me.

In the list there was were also oils with more zinc that rated higher than Z Rod. One was even a conventional oil.

19. 10W30 Amsoil Z-Rod Oil = 95,360 psi
zinc = 1431 ppm
phos = 1441 ppm
moly = 52 ppm

7. 10W30 Valvoline VR1 Conventional Racing Oil (silver bottle) = 103,505 psi
zinc = 1472 ppm
phos = 1544 ppm
moly = 3 ppm

Conventional VR1 had more zinc and phosphorus than Amsoil Z-Rod. Yes, they have removed the "good stuff" but that will be true of a API rating on a particular oil. Diesel oils are actually much better than passenger car oils which are seeing dwindling additive packages. But the fact remains that if an oil wants to meet a certain API certification they in most cases have to cut the additive regardless of who makes it.

Either way blindly recommending oils even if they have worked for me in the past is a crap shoot. It's best spending the money on a UOA and seeing how the oil performs in your car under your driving conditions regardless of past performance.

You also need to also have some knowledge of what metals are inside your engine as some oils are not yellow metal safe and will be corrosive. There are many factors to consider.

[SPCBA]

more good info cbass. I would agree that each person interested in keeping their car for the long haul should invest some time finding the right oil for their car and driving scenario. If they are a 2-3 year and trade person who cares put the cheap stuff in.

[cbass]

i am not a use the DIC indicator to change my oil guy either imagine that...my oil gets changed after each track weekend. i have tried 5 different oils in my car now. Three on a road course. the z rod held up the best on a roadcourse. gibbs and vr1 both broke down... vr1 was the worst. gibbs broke down after two straight days of track time and 400 mile round trips to track.

Just curious. Can you go into detail what you meant by broke down? As you see I spend a lot of time on oil and details like this interest me.