I have been an advocate of synthetic lubricants and over the past 30 years that I've been involved in racing.
I have used every commercial and private label product on the market.
So, when I say AMSOIL products stand head and shoulders above everything else on the market, I speak
from experience.  
- Bill Riechmann - BRR Racing,    Missouri - Nostalgia Drag Racing

Why Amsoil Motor Oils are better than conventional Oils

• Amsoil Synthetics offer superior wear protection so that engines last longer
• Amsoil Synthetics improve fuel economy so that vehicles get better mileage out of every tank of petrol
• Because of Amsoil Synthetics low pour points and cold weather pumpability, they make winter starts much easier
• By reducing friction Amsoil Synthetics help engines run cooler
• By reducing deposits engines run cleaner and perform more efficiently
• Because of lower volatility Amsoil Synthetics reduce oil consumption.
• Amsoil Synthetics have been proven to provide more horsepower.
• Because Amsoil Synthetics resist oxidation and breakdown, they reduce varnish and sludge which keeps valves and rings from sticking.
• Amsoil Synthetics reduce waste. Not only is there less waste oil to deal with, there are also fewer empty containers for disposal.

The Truth About Synthetics

Synthetic Oil is Superior to Mineral-Based Oil in Every Way:

Without getting too technical, suffice it to say that synthetics have a much higher resistance to heat than mineral-based oils. Because synthetic oil is composed of molecules that are uniform in weight and shape, its heat of vaporization is much higher (more than 600 deg. F.) compared to conventional oil, which begins evaporating at temps as low as 350 deg. F. This added stability at high temperature means that your hard-working engine wont burn up as much oil- and that means less sludge and fewer varnish deposits in the engine.

Added lubricity is another attribute of synthetics. The uniform diameter of synthetic oil polymers allows them to more easily slide over one another. The resultant reduction in friction shows up as more horsepower and torque and reduced internal engine wear.

Higher film/shear strength, however is one of the major benefits of synthetics. Film strength is what keeps oil molecules from being pushed away from each other under pressure. In an area where two metal surfaces meet, the film of oil between them prevents them from rubbing and wearing away at each other. Synthetics do a better job of this than conventional mineral oils. Synthetic oils does not shear as easily as petroleum oils and thus maintains a higher film strength and as a result does a better job at preventing wear, especially under extreme operating conditions.

Not All Synthetics Are Created Equal:

Please be aware that not all synthetics are created equal. There is wide differences in quality and protection provided by the various synthetics. Additionally, not all synthetics are 100% synthetic. Many are partial synthetics marketed under the perception of full synthetics to the unsuspecting consumer or even Group III hydrocracked oils such as Castrol Syntec, for example, which is a hydroisomerized petroleum oil marketed under the disguise of a synthetic (there is a full article on this in our Informative Articles section detailing the recent battle between Castrol and Mobil). There are no PAO (polyalphaolefin) synthetic molecules in Castrol Syntec, yet because of legal finagling with the definition of synthesized motor oils they can legally be called synthetic. Basically, they changed the definition of a synthetic to fit the process of highly refining a petroleum base oil, called hydrocracking and fought with Mobil and the National Advertising Council to loosen the definition of a synthetic.

With Mineral-Based Oil Your Engine is Not Optimally Protected During One of The Most Critical Times: Engine Start-Up:

Engine start-up lubrication is one of the most critical times for lubrication. Small amounts of wear occurs every time you start your engine with mineral-based oils. Over time, these small amounts of wear add up to larger amounts and result in increase clearances, reduced oil pressure, increase oil consumption and reduced life of your engine. Synthetic motor oil, on the other hand, will stay on engine parts and coat them uniformly because of its high film strength and greater heat affinity (it adheres better to hot metal parts). Additionally, synthetics prevent start-up engine wear and are pumped to critical passageways, surfaces and bearings much faster than mineral-based oils. With mineral-based oils your engine can possibly running with no/low oil pressure for a short period of time, depending on the severity of cold weather, after cranking and starting the motor. With synthetics after several hundred thousand miles you still will have a strong running engine, instead of an engine with significantly increased internal wear.

This has been proven by hundreds of millions of miles of customer usage and countless laboratory and field tests.

As an extra benefit , some synthetics are designed for longer drain intervals. This offsets the added cost of synthetic oil. AMSOIL has motor oils designed for 25,000 mile/1-year or 35,000 mile/1-year drain intervals (or longer with by-pass filtration). There is no other oil company in the world that can match AMSOIL’s extended drain interval capability or quality.

Why Don’t Automakers Use Synthetics in Production Vehicles:

Okay. Synthetics are great. The real question is: Why doesn’t everybody use them? Automakers don’t use synthetics in production vehicles (except as where needed to prevent concerns during the warranty period) for at least two reasons. Synthetic motor oil significantly reduces internal engine, transmission and axle wear when compared to petroleum oil. Independent ASTM testing proves this fact. Reduced wear translates into increased longevity of your vehicle which results in your being able to keep your vehicle longer with less change of wear related concerns. Additionally, it is our opinion, that if factory oil changes were specified as 25,000 mile/1-year, as AMSOIL offers, the petroleum oil companies would sell approximately 8 times less oil than with the 3000 mile oil change. Sure, they all offer a synthetic or semi-synthetic now, but it is only a small percentage of total oil sales volume. By using AMSOIL Synthetic Motor oil people can reduce the amount of oil they use by as much as 80%, not to mention saving time and money in the process.

Many of the same oil companies that recommend 12,000-18,000 mile oil changes in Europe also offer and recommend 3000 mile oil changes in the U.S., and have been for many years and have plans for increasing that to nearly 30,000 mile oil changes in the future. The technology is available yet AMSOIL is the only one to offer a superior extended drain synthetic oil that far exceeds the performance specifications of any other type and brand of oil and back it with their own warranty.

AMSOIL Offers Extended Drain Intervals and Superior Filtration:

AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants offers a 25,000 mile/1-year oil change, a 35,000 mile/1-year oil change with Super Duty Filtration ( require changing every 12,500 miles or 6-months, whichever comes first). Should the consumer choose AMSOIL By-Pass Filtration, this will allow for virtually no oil changes and filter down to 1 micron particle size with 85% efficiency. The average consumer spending excessive amounts of time and money changing their oil every 3000 miles does not get the same level of performance and protection as the AMSOIL customer that is saving both time and money and getting maximum performance, protection and extending the life of their engine and transmission (AMSOIL also offers synthetic extended drain interval transmission fluid that will virtually eliminate transmission wear and reduce operating temperatures approximately 20-50 deg. F., depending on operating conditions)

Mineral Oil is Good for Initial Break-In:

Converting a vehicle to AMSOIL is fairly simple, but there are a few things you need to be aware of. First, if you have a brand new vehicle we recommend that you run a short cycle of petroleum oil on a petrol engine passenger car or light truck (typically up to your first scheduled oil change) and approximately 5000 miles on a diesel engine in such as a Ford Powerstroke, Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel or Chevy Duramax Diesel before installing AMSOIL. This doesn't mean that you can't install AMSOIL sooner (there are even a few OEM's that install synthetics as a factory fill) it simply means these are our recommendations based on our extensive engineering studies and knowledge of this topic. Today's modern engine manufacturing and materials technology is much more sophisticated than in years past. Regular petrol engine passenger car and light truck engines do not require the extensive break in process many people think they do. In addition, by the time you get your new vehicle the engine has already been through a series of hot tests also run on in-plant chassis rolls testers to check functionality of all systems and then driven around the plant and railhead in order to get the vehicle to the dealer, which also helps accelerate breaking in of the engine.

AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants Proven Best!

How Does AMSOIL Compare Against Other Major Oil Brands Synthetics?    There is not a single one that even comes close to providing the wear protection that AMSOIL does!  Just look at the graphs on the back of every AMSOIL's Series 2000 20W-50 Racing Oil or the Series 2000 0W-30 Severe Service Oil.  

• The 20W-50 Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic leaves a wear scar over 2 times that of the AMSOIL (0.440 mm  for AMSOIL vs. 0.922 mm for Mobil 1)!
• Same thing goes for Havoline Formula 3 (0.713), Valvoline Synthetic (0.741), Castrol Syntec (0.757), Quaker State (0.790, synthetic blend).
• The Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic  0W-30 leaves a wear scar over 1.6 times that of the AMSOIL 0W-30 (0.373 for AMSOIL and 0.607 for Mobil 1)!
• Same thing goes for Penzoil 5W-30 at 0.540, Castrol Syntec 5W-50 at 0.576,  Mobil 1 5W-30 at 0.589 and Quaker State 4x4 10W-30 Synthetic Blend at 0.595.

   “Nothing Outperforms...” Mobil claim.  

In a recent comparison Amsoil out-performs Mobil 1 in every test

see test results

“ Amsoil is formulated for extended drain intervals, not Mobil 1
Amsoil puts the quality in the bottle, Mobil puts the quality in the advertising.
I actually laugh when I see those commercials, I know the facts. I wonder how it is legal to make those statements.
Has Mobil ever backed up their claim with test data? ”

- independent AMSOIL Dealer -

AMSOIL INC. set out to examine the specifics of the overly broad "Nothing Outperforms..." Mobil claim. AMSOIL 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil (ASL) and Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5W-30 Motor Oil were analyzed in five key bench tests measuring motor oil performance: NOACK volatility, flash/fire point, pour point, four ball wear and total base number (TBN). As shown in the test charts, AMSOIL outperformed Mobil 1 in all five areas.

Four Ball Wear Scar Testing

Wear Scar Diameter Listed in Millimeters
Four Ball Wear Test (ASTM D4172), 40kg pressure, 150°C, 1800 RPM, for 1 hour duration
As tested by an Independent Lab in 2003
The Above Results Can be Seen on EVERY bottle of AMSOIL S2000 0w30 Motor Oil

As you can see in the chart above, Mobil 1, the most recognized synthetic oil in the world, doesn't live up to the AMSOIL Series 2000 0w30 motor oil for wear protection. In fact, in comparison of Mobil 1 0w-30 to AMSOIL Series 2000 0w-30 shows that the Mobil 1 product allows 5 times more wear on the four ball test.

AMSOIL is obviously the clear winner here. If you're looking for the best engine protection money can buy, and you don't mind getting a guaranteed 35,000 mile or one year oil drain interval to boot, AMSOIL Series 2000 0w30 is the way to go, without question. It is the BEST synthetic oil available on the market today.

AMSOIL is proven to be the best!  In fact up until about 10-15 years ago many of these manufacturers never even had a synthetic (except Mobil1).  They were too busy trying to debunk the benefits of synthetics to the average consumer!  Now, technology and competition has forced every major oil manufacturer to have a synthetic, but yet not a single one even comes close to offering the protection that AMSOIL does.

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil has been proven the best for 30 years and will dramatically improve your vehicles performance, fuel economy, and life!
Did you know that petroleum motor oil only has a film strength of about 400 psi where AMSOIL has a film strength of 3300 psi and does not break down, shear or loose viscosity under heat and stress? Petroleum motor oil breaks down under heat and stress and leaves carbon, varnish and sludge deposits in your engine and allows your critical engine components to wear much more rapidly.

What Can I expect when using Amsoil?

• Amsoil will give you a smoother running engine.
• With Amsoil you will have a cooler running engine in severe heat.
• Amsoil will net you 2-8% better fuel economy or more.
• Amsoil saves time and money with extended drain intervals.
• Amsoil provides easier starts in severe cold.
• Amsoil gives you peace of mind knowing you are using a premium quality synthetic lubricant

Ten Reasons AMSOIL 100% Synthetic Motor Oil Is Superior To Conventional Petroleum Oil

• AMSOIL gives superior wear protection… - Engines last longer
• AMSOIL improves fuel economy… - More miles per gallon
• AMSOIL makes for easier cold starts
• AMSOIL provides cooler running engines in high heat
• AMSOIL reduces engine deposits
• AMSOIL resists oxidation and thermal breakdown
• AMSOIL increases horsepower
• AMSOIL has superior shear stability and film strength
• AMSOIL is designed for extended drain intervals that produce environmental benefits
• AMSOIL reduces exhaust emissions

AMSOIL benefits European Market.

In Europe, vehicles and engines tend to be significantly smaller than their American counterparts, thus demanding superior lubricants that keep heat, friction and wear to a minimum. Tighter environmental standards further justify Europe's need for high-quality engine lubricants that decrease emissions, increase fuel economy and promote longer drain intervals (European motor oil companies and automobile manufacturers typically recommend drain intervals between 12,000 and 18,000 miles).

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils keep oil consumption at an absolute minimum. Where conventional motor oils can lose up to 15 percent of their original weight in high-temperature conditions, which thickens the oil and contributes to poor circulation, reduced fuel economy, excessive emissions and engine wear, AMSOIL Motor Oils effectively resist vaporization. In fact, AMSOIL Motor Oils easily surpass rigorous European volatility standards, set at 13 percent weight loss. According to AMSOIL Laboratory Director Dave Leitten, "I expect volatility requirements to become increasingly tighter with each new performance category. AMSOIL is well on top of the game in this area."

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils are already far ahead of the curve when it comes to fuel economy. When compared with conventional automotive lubricants, AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils have been shown to yield significant increases in fuel economy. Petroleum lubricants are composed of irregular molecules of various sizes, making them susceptible to volatility and creating excess friction. The vehicle's engine has to burn extra fuel to overcome this friction, decreasing fuel economy. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants contain only smooth, uniform molecules, which reduces hydrodynamic friction, and they are highly resistant to oil volatility, which maintains viscosity and further reduces friction to allow more fuel to be used for the task of propelling the vehicle, improving fuel economy. Industry tests demonstrate that an average passenger car can conservatively decrease its fuel consumption by 2 to 5 percent by switching to synthetic lubricants, while independent AMSOIL testing shows that trucks can decrease fuel consumption by 8 percent.

The synthetic formulation of AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils so effectively resists oxidation, they naturally run cleaner than conventional petroleum motor oils. "At AMSOIL, we use only the finest detergent/dispersant additives during the blending process, and this effectively keeps deposits under control for extended drain intervals," said Leitten.

• AMSOIL saves you time and money.
• AMSOIL is the only 25,000 mile/one- year and 35,000/one- year motor oil in the world.
• AMSOIL exceeds the most stringent performance specifications of all major European and U.S. automotive and truck manufacturers.
• AMSOIL Provides up to five-times the wear protection of other motor oils.
• AMSOIL increases the life of your vehicle.
• AMSOIL improve performance, fuel economy and efficiency.
• AMSOIL diesel oil and filtration products designed to deliver 1,000,000 miles for over-the-road trucks before engine overhaul.