I was wondering what kind of oil I should use in my rancher, not including the Honda oil. My honda dealer said something about SG, or SF type of oil, but I was not sure. Thanks
-David

 

I have talked to alot of dealers and a honda sponsered racer and they all agree that, due to the engine and tranny sharing the same oil that the honda oil is the best for the money. I wish I could find a less expensive oil that I felt confident in myself.

 

Myself I use BP/Amoco 10w40. Sometimes in the hot weather I make my own special oil mixture of a blend of synthetic and dino oil together. 25% synthetic 75% dino. No clutch problems ever. This subject always brings a big debate.

You could do a search on the subject here on the forum because it has been discussed many times.

Bp/Amoco does not contain friction modifiers which causes the potential clutch problems.

You need to look on the back of the oil container in the oil circle and if it says energy conserving it has the friction modifiers.

Most 10w40 oils do not contain the additives.

Chet

 

I use the Honda oil and here is the reason why....there is so much debate about oil, that i figure it is best to be safe and stick with the honda oil....how many times do you change your oil a year...work out the difference between the honda oil and the others....is it really enough of a difference to be of a concern....after paying $7500 (Canadian) for a quad, i don't think i'm gonna risk saving a couple of dollars a month until more definite proof tells me that the other oils are just as good or better.

 

I would say stick with a Motorcycle/ATV oil. You don't have to use "Honda" oil, just because it's a Honda, you can use other brands as well.

Although it may be "OK" to use an automotive type oil, from what I have read the Motorcycle/ATV oil will do a better job of protecting your ATV than auto oil will. This wasn't so much the case up until the past couple years. Automotive oil manufacturers are trying to keep pace with increased pollution standards set on vehicles these days. The oil they are producing for cars and trucks are made to help pass those requirements. To make a long story short, the changes they have made to the oil does not benefit an ATV. I am not saying the auto oil is bad just that the ATV oil should offer you more protection because it is formualted for an ATV. If you do insist on using an auto type oil only use a non-energy conserving type oil, there should be a label somewhere on the oil container. The way I look at it is, it is better safe than sorry.

 

When I bought my Yamaha Kodiak, I asked the dude behind the service counter what kind of oil I should run in it. He told me that Honda is the best four stroke, motorcycle/atv specific oil out there.
I've been running it ever since, change it often, and haven't had a problem yet.

 

I have found tha the only oil on the market other than honda that meets or exceeds the specs. that honda set out is, Mobil Drive Clean 10w40. at wal-mart...works well in my rancher

 

I have run 10w-40 quaker state in my '86 250 fourtrax for the last 12 years and never had a problem. It has never even had the top end off of it and the thing doesn't even burn oil! All my buddies run 10w-40 Penzoil in their '01 Rubi's and have not had a problem so far. If you run the same grade of oil, I don't think that it matters what brand you run.

 

I am going to switch to Valvoline, #1 choice of top mechanics, ATV oil. Have always used Valvoline but I am going to switch from regular 10w40 to their ATV 10w40.

 

I started using Mobile 1 MX4 (Synthetic) in my 2002 Foreman ES after 100 miles. The biggest difference I feel, at least, is a much smoother shift than before. It is an expensive oil, but worth the price, in my opinion.