Please submit your opinions on what brand and type of motor oil are you running through your ATV. Thanks.

Pat
2001 Kawasaki Bayou 300 4x4
w/GUNRACKS

 

castrol gtx 50w

 

I run Valvoline Dura-Blend 10w-40. I see that Pennzoil makes a full synthetic for about the same price, but I decided not to switch after a year with the Valvoline.

2000 Mojave
2001 TrailBoss

 

Thanks, this information is very helpful.

Pat

 

There are many out there (probably younger riders) who will swear that you should only use oil made especially for ATV applications. Such oils are touted as being without friction modifiers. While I have read such posts, I have yet to read a single post from anyone that has proven evidence that automotive type oil will cause premature clutch plate wear. I once tried Kawasaki oil in my ATV just to see if I could detect any difference in performance. Having seen none, I continue to use the same oil that I use in my cars and trucks, that is conventional Valvoline 10W-30.

I will add that I quit using 10W-40 oil after reading an excellent review on motor oil performance that seemed to make a lot of sense. According to the article, the additives that are used to widen the viscosity performance of a base weight oil have no lubricating properties. This means that 10W-40 oil has more non-lubricating additives than say 10W-30 oil since both are produced from the same base weight (10W) oil.