It's getting to be time to order oil for the spring oil changes on the Foreman and Rincon.

What do you guys think of Amsoil motorcycle oil? I see it's rated MA.

I'd imagine oil life in these applications is more limited by contamination than it is by thermal or shear breakdown, and they recommend not extending the service interval for off road use, so I wonder if it is worth it?

According to a page up on performancemotoroil.com they claim significantly better performance. Hype, or not?

If hype, what would you recommend?

 

Jeffin
I hope this doesn't get as heated here as it has on other forums. Here is my thought on Amway, uoops, I ment Amsoil. I have lost two snowmobile 2-stroke motors using Amway,uoops, I ment Amsoil. I was being a nice guy and bought it from a neighbor you had become a dealer. Never will I ever use the stuff again. And since I have quite using it, no further problems. It is an Amway marketing HYPE as far as I am concerned. The biggest argument is that most of Amsoil's products are not API rated and not sure that it is tested to be Jaso rated, much less MA approved as they claim. BE Carefull and use at your own risk. If you wish to read some testimonials check out Ford Truck Forum and search Amsoil in the Powerstroke Diesel section. It isn't pretty.

 

There are three different types of synthetics: Group III (eg Rotella), Group IV PAO (eg Mobil 1 and Amsoil), and Group V Ester (eg Redline, some Maxima, some Motul, Klotz). Of the three, the esters are the best, and a PAO like Amsoil is in between ester and Group III, both in terms of chemical sophistication and price. All three, are superior to plain old petroleum oil, in many ways!

Personally, I don't like Amsoil's marketing practices, so that is a big factor for me. A lot of PAO oils are now fortified with ester, but last time I checked Amsoil still was not doing that (I guess it would be like admiting there is something better than PAO...and of course they can't have any of that!). Also, it really isn't as inexpensive as it should be (Mobil 1 Racing 4T is also, unusually high priced).

I run either Redline or Maxima in my machines. Both have the best addive packages in the industry! If you are on a budget and looking for an inexpensive petroleum oil, I would go with Maxima Premium. A little more expensive but also a little better, is Maxima Blend which is a petroleum fortified with ester.

Better yet but also very expensive, is Maxima Extra, which is an ester based full synthetic. If you want a boost in performance from some space age wet clutch safe orgainic friction modifiers....then Redline or Maxima Ultra....but again the price is steep.

Whatever oil you choose, you can't go far wrong if it is rated API SG/JASO MA!

 

Sounds like you guys are on the same wavelength as I am about Amsoil...

I have faith in Redline, but it looks like their oil isn't rated MA.

Maybe I'll look at Maxima.

 

So maybe the Maxima ATV 4T for a blend/dino in 10W40...

Would their 530MX 5W-30 be the choice in a full ester synthetic? The Maxmia 4 Ultra? Their site lists it as 100% ester, but one of the e-tailers listed it as a blend?

 

Hi,

I'm using the pro-honda GN4 oil (OEM recommended) oil in my 08 Rancher. Is that good? I don't want to spend ton on oil...

Is it better to change oil more often or use a high quality synthetic and change less often? How often should I change the oil?

Thanks!

 

I've heard for a dino oil, the GN4 isn't a bad choice...

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Is it better to change oil more often or use a high quality synthetic and change less often? How often should I change the oil? </end quote></div>
Really good question. Here are the facts.
A good quality synthetic will beat any dino oil in every catagory except price and value.

There is one glaring problem with synthetic oils and ATV's. Water is a contaminant to oil. Dirt and mud are contaminants to oil. A lot of people think their ATV is a boat..............and treat it as such. Once oil is contaminated, it's done. I don't care is it's the cheapest Walmart oil you can find on the shelf, or the mega buck oils that reconranger recomends. It's done, and you have to drop the plug on the sump.

The only really way to find out if the oil is done is to get an analysis on it. For cheap oils this does not make much sense unless you want to get a base line on it.

To the OP. Amsoil is damn good oil, no doubt about it. But........I can't believe I'm going to say this.............I agree with reconranger about their marketing practices.
You just can't go down to a store and buy your oil. I feel like I'm buying an oz of weed or something. LOL You got to know someone who knows someone who is a dealer...........then you go to your dealer and buy your oil. Just way too weird for me.

 

I was reading on a truck forum about someone using the high end synthetic in a truck that was driven very rarely. After a year not many miles and the oil looked great, so he thought it would be safe to go longer... Until he sent a sample in to Blackstone and TBN was way low...

 

Thanks for the info doc & jeffin. I think I'll stick to frequent changes using GN4. I'm on a budget and based on your advice I think it's better to change twice as often using dinojuice for the same $.

Sorry to take your thread on a tangent Jeffin.