Ive used that Valvoline ATV oil and thought it was pretty good. Lately Ive grown tired of keeping 3 or 4 kinds of oil around for everything and just switched to using Rotella T 15w-40 in everything.....quads, dirt bikes, road bikes etc. So far, so good. Its quality oil, cheap ($12 a gallon) and available at WalMart.

This is correct. Look at the "starburst" on the bottle. If it says "ENERGY CONSERVING" then you DONT want to use it........if those words are missing then its perfectly fine for wet clutch applications.

 

GN4 is already pretty dark even when new. After a couple rides it turns almost black. I've switched to using Valvoline ATV oil lately. Even after quite a bit of usage and several hard rides it is still clearer and cleaner looking than the GN4 was straight out of the bottle.

I'm not saying GN4 is bad oil, but so far I've been much more impressed with Valvoline.

 

GN4 is not a bad oil but its not a full synthetic which is always better.

 

I really do prefer to stick to the manufacturers oils. Running Polaris fluids in a Polaris, Honda fluids in a Honda, etc.

I find the Polaris oil change kit w/ the filter priced reasonably enough.

IMO the manufacturer really does know what is best. Sure adequate lubricants may be in oil off the shelf at an auto parts store or such at a cheaper price - or maybe not. By sticking to the manufacturer's fluids you can be 100% sure the lubrication will fully meet the machine's needs.

 

You can also be fully assured your over paying.

Polaris does not make their own oil or filters. They contract both out....your not buying Polaris oil....so why pay for Polaris oil.

Now I cant speak for Polaris but I know in alot of cases they take bids for these contracts.....and the manufacturer can change from year to year. One year your buying Polaris oil and its Pennzoil....next year its Castrol.

If you buy an oil that meets the specs your just as safe, even if the bottle doesnt say Polaris on it.

 

I simply won't buy into that generality. Of course manufacturers of ATVs don't have their own refineries and they sub-contract the mixing and packaging of the product. But they all have their own unique receipes, specific additives molecular sizes, etc... . Not every manufacturer uses the exact same material in their bearings, coatings on cylinders or internal surfaces. If you are using the oil formulated by the manufacturer of the engine you are insured that it is specifically formulated and designed for that engine.

But that is just my opinion. I don't feel the oil change kits I use are crazy expensive.

As the different oil manufacturers (non-vehicle manufacterer companys) use different formulas and additives I will share something I was told years ago by people in the know. I used to work in an Amoco Research Center where they tested all sorts of oil. fuel and fluids. Kinda weird seeing them run brand new crate motors to see effects on them and eventually run them to failure. So many small block V8s - trashed. There was a wareouse of just sacks of crates. The guys there said the best way to sludge an engine up is mixing oil brands. Stick with one one brand for the life of an engine, oil change to oil change. They said it is the difference in additives that cause the sludging. (Aside from oil change neglect)

All oils are different in their additives. Nothing looks or smells like Quaker State. Pennzoil has their Z7 additives of what have you, etc. But obviously the manufacteurers of QS, Pennzoil, Castrol, etc. have to make an oil that is universally acceptable. And the oils sold for Hondas, Yamahas and such are specifically designed for their machines.

 

from my own experience of working in oil refinaries like i am now, almost all oil from the big oil companies is created EXACTLY the same(and hence they all show the different specs for which they are designed and all match up to each other). I'll bet half of you think when you go to a bp gas station your getting bp gasoline.....that may be true, 20% of the time, but if that nearby refinary isn't producing enough or isn't producing cheap enough, bp buys gas from other suppliers, such as citgo or exxon, or speedway.

so the next time you say a "namebrand oil" such as polaris, for example, is "specially formulated" for polaris engines, no it'll work just as good in the next engine designed the same way.