Do you guys really think it's a good idea to use 40 weight oil when the manual says to use 50? Do you use 20 weight in your car if the manual says to use 30?

 

The manual for my 2008 says "0W-40", so it's certainly not a concern for me. I'm willing to bet they changed the manual to say 2W-50 because they were going to one oil (2W-50) rather than having 2 similar oils.

IMHO, if you are running a high quality oil that is close to the recommended weight, you are fine... at least for ATV's. Now, if you have a vehicle that has an engine built with extremely tight tolerances, you want to run the recommended oil. For sure, in that case you DON'T want to run an oil to thick.

BTW, I saw some oil analysis reports that said that the 0W-40 Polaris oil was already running on the heavy side.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DCT

The manual for my 2008 says "0W-40", so it's certainly not a concern for me. I'm willing to bet they changed the manual to say 2W-50 because they were going to one oil (2W-50) rather than having 2 similar oils. SNIP</end quote></div>

You hit it right on the nose, DCT.....I'll bet on that as well.

I really don't think there's a need for 50w oil in liquid cooled engines. I believe the lower number is more important to adhere to.

Isn't 0W-20 factory fill in many high performance automobile engines? I wouldn't bother using 50w oil in anything except an air-cooled engine and/or a race engine used for racing.

 

Well, it could be that someone at Polaris woke up one morning and said... OMG, we've been running the wrong oil in a bunch of our ATV's for the last several years! LOL LOL LOL

Yea, this is a logistics thing for Polaris... makes sense to only have one oil for all the 4 strokes. However, for sure, I'm sticking with my 0W-40 AMSOIL.

 

Maybe since one oil has to work in hot and cold climates they finally figured out 50 weight worked better than 40 where it gets really hot. A lot of cars and trucks went to lighter oils like 5W-30 instead of 10W-40 the same time Polaris went to a heavier oil. What's up with that?

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DCT

Well, it could be that someone at Polaris woke up one morning and said... OMG, we've been running the wrong oil in a bunch of our ATV's for the last several years! LOL LOL LOL



Yea, this is a logistics thing for Polaris... makes sense to only have one oil for all the 4 strokes. However, for sure, I'm sticking with my 0W-40 AMSOIL.</end quote></div>

Is amsoil better than the polaris oil? I have been following these oil debates for a little while and it seems that the common denominator is cost.....everyone's looking for a less expensive replacement oil for the polaris brand. I checked locally and I can only get amsoil from one source and they want $10 per quart. The mobil 1 is $6.99 per quart. Polaris oil is only $10.79 per quart, so I don't see much point in trying something different to save $8? Am I missing something here?

 

You will find that a large number of Outlaw 525 owners are running the Rotella T synthetic 5w-40 oil. The KTM bike guys have been running it for years and I have ran it in my KTM powered Outlaw since new and it works great. Going on its 2nd year of XC racing and still using the stock clutches and have had to do nothing to the internals yet.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: firehog


Is amsoil better than the polaris oil? I have been following these oil debates for a little while and it seems that the common denominator is cost.....everyone's looking for a less expensive replacement oil for the polaris brand. I checked locally and I can only get amsoil from one source and they want $10 per quart. The mobil 1 is $6.99 per quart. Polaris oil is only $10.79 per quart, so I don't see much point in trying something different to save $8? Am I missing something here?</end quote></div>

The common denominator for me is not cost... it is performance. The AMSOIL has always worked well for me. Mobil 1, and Rotella seem to be a couple other brands that folks like running in their ATV and swear by them. I'm sure the Polaris oil is just fine... I just happen to prefer AMSOIL.

By all means, unless it conflicts with ones warranty, each individual should use the product they prefer... be it brand or weight range.

 

I'm an Amsoil guy too,have been for years. I have seen first hand how their products work and I have never been anything but impressed.
While the aren't cheap,neither is Polaris Oil. I'd rather use Amsoil if the price is little to no different. Reason I think alot of guys try to get away from Polaris oil is 1) cost 2) availability. Amsoil isn't readily available either in most places,although you can order it on the internet,just as you can Polaris oil.
I think Mobil1 is a good alternative and is readily available. Although there is some specualtion that isn't fully synthetic(even though it says it is on the bottle).
Bottom line my first choice is Amsoil but I'll use Mobil1 when I need to.
Personally I think the 2w-50 is a way to force people into using the Polaris Oil. For warranty purposes,by law they cannot make you use their oil,but they can specify the specs. Who else sells 2w-50?
You do have to be careful running oil that is a different weight that called for,manily due to bearing tolerances. Depending on bearing tolerances the wrong weight oil can possibly cause oil starvation to the bearings. But IMO using say 0w-40 in a machine spec'd for 2w-50 is going to cause a problem.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Since polaris oil is easily available to me I will stick with it, but it's nice to know there are other oils out there if I ever get into a bind, like out of town or something. Thanks again!