AMSOIL Racing Products Provided Exceptional Protection for Drag Racer

AMSOIL DELIVERS ‘SHOCKING’
PROTECTION IN DRAG RACING ENGINE

Preferred Customer and truck driver Paul Jordan of Butte, Mont. started racing a Junior Dragster at only 11 years old. At 14, he purchased a Plymouth* Duster,* which he’s dragraced since the early 2000s, competing in Montana, Idaho and the surrounding area. 

After 13 years of drag racing, the bearings in Jordan’s
Chrysler 408 showed virtually no signs of wear.

“A friend of the family talked my parents into bringing me out to the racetrack one day and from that point on I was hooked,” said Jordan. “I was only the second one in Montana to have a Junior Dragster at that point.” 

 

In 2007, Jordan built a Chrysler* 408 engine for his Duster. He used AMSOIL DOMINATOR® 15W-50 Synthetic Racing Oil (RD50) as the break-in oil and service fill.  

As you would expect, the engine constantly operates under severe conditions. It makes about 550 horsepower and regularly hits 5,000-6,000 rpm. 

Jordan estimates his Duster has made about 4,000 passes down the drag strip since 2007. 

“I’ve won five championships over the years, so I’ve made a lot of passes down a lot of tracks,” he said.

It uses six quarts of DOMINATOR Synthetic Racing Oil, a WIX oil filter as the primary filter and an AMSOIL Oil Filter as the secondary filter. Most notably, it has run on methanol fuel for the past three years, which is prone to attracting moisture and diluting the oil. 

“If you switch to methanol, the rule is you should change oil every other race,” said Jordan. Even so, he only changes oil once a year.

“There is no indication of any contamination,” said Jordan. “I look through it to see if there are any metal particles, but I’ve never had any. I probably could have put two years on the oil if I’d wanted to.”

He recently decided to tear down the engine for the first time since building it 13 years ago to refresh it, which typically includes installing new bearings, piston rings and honing the cylinders. He also wanted to make some modifications to increase power.

“I expected to open the engine, pull the bearing caps off and see a couple of them pretty much worn out and on the verge of failure,” said Jordan.

Instead, the inside of the engine looked clean and virtually free of wear. 

“It was pretty surprising when we pulled it apart, popped the bearings out and they looked nearly brand new,” said Jordan. “There’s no ridge at all on the cylinder walls, which is incredible. And I used to spray it with nitrous, too. The cylinders are in unbelievable condition. There are a few scuff marks, but nothing you’d expect for something that’s been abused for more than a decade. It was really shocking. And I can’t believe how clean it was; there was no buildup anywhere.”

Jordan said the crankshaft just needed to be re-polished. The car ran its best elapsed times at the drag strip in 2019, meaning it never lost power over the years.

“I could reassemble the engine as-is and go another 13 years,” said Jordan. “I have no reason to believe, other than AMSOIL, that the engine lasted as long as it did. I use AMSOIL in everything I own. I use it in my pickup truck, my semi, my race car...if AMSOIL made shampoo, I’d use that, too.” 

Jordan adds that he used AMSOIL Super Shift® Racing Transmission Fluid (ART) in the TF727 transmission used in the car from 2003 to 2017 without a rebuild.

“I truly appreciate the fine lubrication products offered by AMSOIL, and you can expect my loyalty for many more years to come,” he said. 

AMSOIL Racing Products

New AMSOIL Z-ROD® 10W-40 Completes Line-up

Z-ROD® Keeps Classic Vehicles Street-Ready

AMSOIL Z-ROD® Synthetic Motor Oil protects engines on the highway and in the garage.

New 10W-40 viscosity joins the lineup, protecting engines on the street and during storage.

Taking your classic car or hot rod out of storage is an exciting time for enthusiasts. For many, it marks the end of a long winter or lengthy period of inactivity during which their prized car was stored under cover in the garage.

Storage invites engine-damaging corrosion

During that time, rust or corrosion may have formed on engine parts due to humidity and moisture from changes in ambient temperature.

Rust and corrosion can be just as devastating to an engine as dirt or sludge. It can flake off metal and populate the oil with wear-causing particles, which scour bearings, cam lobes and other parts before the filter has a chance to capture them.

AMSOIL fights corrosion

We formulated AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil to prevent this scenario.

It contains potent rust and corrosion inhibitors that protect the inside of your engine during storage so you can rest assured it will be ready to roll when you are.

Motor oil has no natural ability to resist rust or corrosion. Instead, special inhibitors must be added to the formulation to keep metal components protected. Not all motor oils contain sufficient rust and corrosion inhibitors to protect engines during long-term storage.

Added ZDDP for added wear protection

Flat-tappet cams, found in many classic cars and hot rods, present another challenge some motor oils aren’t formulated to handle.

Their design makes them especially vulnerable to wear. As the name indicates, the tappet, or lifter, is flat. During operation, the surface of the cam lobe slides rapidly over the surface of the tappet, producing high friction and temperatures. The camshaft and lifters are responsible for triggering the precisely tuned movements of the valvetrain. Here, the use of anti-wear additives becomes crucial.

Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) is a commonly used motor oil additive that provides anti-wear protection and minimizes lubricant breakdown. ZDDP also exhibits mild extreme-pressure protection. As temperatures in the engine rise, ZDDP decomposes, and the resulting chemistry protects critical metal surfaces.

Because most V-8 engines of the muscle car era came standard with flat-tappet cams, the problem is prevalent to classic-car and hot rod owners.

Modern oils aren’t formulated to tackle this problem. They contain reduced ZDDP levels due to its propensity to harm catalytic converters. For that reason, it’s best to use a high-ZDDP oil formulated specifically for classic cars and hot rods, such as AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil. It’s available in 10W-30, 10W-40 and 20W-50.

AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil

• Added ZDDP to protect flat-tappet cams
• Long-term rust and corrosion protection

New Motor Oil Specifications

New Motor Oil Specifications in Effect

The automotive industry’s latest specifications, ILSAC GF-6 and API SP, are now effective. AMSOIL is ahead of the game.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are under pressure to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. As a result, most new engines today use some combination of turbochargers, direct-fuel injection and variable valve timing to deliver better fuel economy and increase horsepower.

The trend of lighter engine oils to achieve these goals continues with 0W-16 viscosities emerging in the market and 0W-12 and 0W-8 expected to follow. The industry has responded to these advanced engine technologies and ultra-light oil viscosities with two new oil specifications: ILSAC GF-6 and API SP.

The Split: GF-6A and B

The International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) has set a new precedent in the passenger-car motor oil market by splitting its specification into two parts. One of the main differences between the two specifications is compatibility. See the chart below.

Both versions focus on wear protection, prevention of low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) and improved engine cleanliness. However, GF-6B features a more stringent fuel economy test. Engine oils can easily be identified as ILSAC GF-6A or 6B by the API emblem on the front label of the packaging. A shield represents the GF-6B specification, while the traditional starburst indicates a GF-6A product. Both ILSAC specifications meet the industry-standard API SP specification which is most commonly found in owners’ manuals.

We Are Ready

Our claims about using advanced technology aren’t just talk, and this specification update proves it once again. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils already meet or exceed the new industry standards and require no change in formulation. This is not the first time we’ve been in this position. While the competition works on making major formulation adjustments, we are ready. Our product labels will soon feature the new specifications as inventories of current packaging are depleted.

Click for larger image

For more information on AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils click here.

Premium Protection For High-Horsepower Chrysler & Nissan Applications

New synthetic 0W-40 motor oil rounds out the Signature Series line. 

AMSOIL Synthetic 0W-40

Muscle cars ruled the American landscape in the 1960s and ‘70s, and many of those signature models, such as the Dodge Challenger and Charger, are now available in faster, more powerful designs. In this day and age, it’s not uncommon to find production models that top 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. In fact, the 2015 Challenger Hellcat is the fastest production muscle car of all time, kicking out 707 horsepower and
650 lb-ft of torque.

Powerful muscle car and big truck engines need a high-performance lubricant, and much like these powerful vehicles, AMSOIL sets the bar high when it comes to performance. AMSOIL established all-new standards for motor oil quality and performance when it introduced the world’s first synthetic motor oil to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) service requirements in 1972, and it continues to produce the top-performing lubricants available on the market.

New Signature Series 0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil

Along with the new 5W-50 viscosity formulated for high-horsepower Ford Mustang engines, the Signature Series line now includes a robust 0W-40 synthetic motor oil formulated specifically for high-horsepower Chrysler and Nissan engines. AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil (AZF) provides top-of-the-mark protection and performance that customers expect from Signature Series.

· Withstands the stress of high horsepower and heat to provide outstanding wear protection

· Resists viscosity loss due to mechanical shear

· Resists thermal breakdown

· Helps prevent sludge deposits and keeps engines clean

· Reduces oil consumption and emissions

· Maximizes fuel economy

Applications

Signature Series 0W-40 is recommended for Chrysler and Nissan applications calling for a 0W-40 viscosity and requiring the following performance specifications:

· API SN, SM...

· Chrysler MS-12633, MS-10725, MS-10850

· Nissan GT-R®

Applications include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Dodge Charger 6.1L/6.4L

· Dodge Challenger 6.1L/6.4L

· Dodge Viper 8.3L/8.4L

· Dodge Ram 2500/3500/4400/5500 6.4 L

· Chrysler 300 6.1L/6.4L

· Jeep SRT Grand Cherokee 6.1L/6.4L

· Nissan GT-R 3.8L

More information on AMSOIL Synthetic 0W-40 Motor Oil

Cold-Temperature Performance is not Just Reserved for Sub-Zero Conditions

Startup lubrication is directly affected by a lubricant's cold-flow ability, and the impact is felt at higher temperatures than most consumers realize. An oil’s cold-temperature performance refers to its ability to flow when the engine is cold, or below typical operating temperature (212°F), and not simply to what feels cold to humans – even some summer days can be cold to an engine.

Pour point has been defined as the lowest temperature at which a motor oil will continue to flow under prescribed conditions. ASTM D97 spells out the standardized procedure for determining an oil’s pour point. After heating it to 45°C (113°F) the sample is slowly cooled and tilted sideways every time the temperature drops 3°C (5°F). When the oil stops flowing it has reached the pour point.

AMSOIL synthetic motor oils have lower pour points and better cold-cranking capabilities than petroleum-based products. Long after petroleum oils have solidified, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils continue to flow.

The problems with cold weather go beyond this, however. Motor oils really need to be heated well above the pour point to achieve the desired pumping viscosity. Even at just below freezing (32°F), motor oil can become difficult to pump into the engine. It sits in the pan while the friction from moving parts heats the engine and conducts this heat down into the pan. As you can imagine, this lack of oil in an engine with fast moving parts has consequences. Cold-weather start-ups are a leading cause of engine wear.

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils

AMSOIL Adds 700-Hour Limit to Signature Series Drain Interval

Because a motor oil’s service life can be greatly affected by vehicle operating conditions, AMSOIL provides definitions for normal and severe service and recommends corresponding drain intervals for each. One of the conditions used to identify severe service is “excessive idling.” Because this term is somewhat ambiguous, AMSOIL is adding a 700-hour limitation to its Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil drain interval for vehicles subjected to excessive idling. In normal service, Signature Series is recommended for up to 25,000 miles, 700 hours of operation or one year, whichever comes first. In severe service, Signature Series is recommended for up to 15,000 miles, 700 hours of service or one year, whichever comes first.

More information:
AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oils

Harmful Motor Oils Prompt Investigations and Consumer Warnings

A rash of obsolete and contaminated motor oils have recently been popping up for sale at gas stations and convenience stores around the country, prompting state regulators and the Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA) to investigate, warn consumers and sometimes pull products from shelves. Due to stringent quality control measures, AMSOIL Dealers and customers enjoy the peace-of-mind of knowing they receive top-quality AMSOIL products with every purchase.

"Kane in Your Corner" Reveals Bad Motor Oils in New Jersey

News 12 in New Jersey recently broadcast a three-part "Kane in Your Corner" investigation that found obsolete and contaminated motor oils for sale at gas stations and convenience stores across the state. Because state authorities have not yet stepped in, the onus is on consumers to avoid these harmful products.
"The probability of getting some of this bad stuff is pretty high here in New Jersey," says PQIA President Tom Glenn.
As part of the investigation, News 12 purchased four motor oil brands (MaxiGuard, Black Knight, U.S. Economy and US Spirit) readily available in New Jersey and had them tested at an independent lab. The results indicated that all four were unsuitable for use in modern vehicles.

MaxiGuard Super Premium

While the MaxiGuard label indicated it's "a superior all weather motor oil," it also indicated it's an API SA motor oil, meaning it contains no additives and is unsuitable for vehicles manufactured after 1930. In addition to carrying a long-obsolete specification, lab tests indicated it did not meet the viscosity standards on the label and had significant levels of abrasive contaminants, including silicon levels more than 400 times higher than normal.
As part of the investigative piece, longtime New Jersey mechanic Kenny Wetzel noted that the MaxiGuard oil looked used right out of the bottle due to its black, cloudy appearance. "That looks like what we take out of a car when we change the oil," he said.

Black Knight

Black Knight Motor Oil was labeled as an API SB motor oil, meaning it contains only a minimal level of additives and is unsuitable for vehicles manufactured after 1951. Lab tests also indicated it was contaminated with significantly higher-than-normal levels of silicon. Its viscosity presented a mystery. Labeled "10-30," its viscosity tested significantly lower than 10W-30.

U.S. Economy

U.S. Economy Motor Oil did not carry an API specification, but test results showed it had silicon levels 10 times higher than typically found in new motor oil. Like Black Knight, its label also indicated a viscosity grade without a "W." Labeled "5-30," the label explained it means the viscosity can be anywhere between 5 and 30.

US Spirit

Not only did test results indicate US Spirit is unsafe for modern vehicles, the small print on the back label indicated it is "not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1930" and "use in modern engines may cause unsatisfactory engine performance or equipment harm." Labeled as an API SA motor oil and indicating "it contains no additive," lab tests revealed it is full of additives, but not the right kind for today's vehicles.

North Carolina and Michigan Authorities Remove Harmful Oils from Store Shelves

State authorities in Michigan and North Carolina have taken action to remove harmful motor oils from store shelves.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) has launched several investigations into harmful and obsolete motor oils, the latest coming against the Everclear brand. Everclear motor oils failed to meet viscosity claims and were not labeled in accordance with industry standards. The action extended to Everclear brand transmission fluids.
"The results for both the oil and automatic transmission fluid showed that additives were either absent or not at the correct levels," said NCDA&CS Standards Division Director Stephen Benjamin. "This issue, along with the presence of wear metals, indicates these products are likely recycled in origin. Any of these results would put the products out of specification and cause them to be pulled from shelves."
Last fall, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development removed a number of motor oils from store shelves, including City Star and Bullseye, due to their failures to meet the viscosity grades labeled on the packages.

API Reveals Nearly 20 Percent of Bulk Oils Fail Performance Standards

The problems aren't just limited to smaller oil distributors. Bulk motor oil testing performed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) indicates many motorists may be receiving substandard motor oil when they drop their vehicles off for an oil change. According to the API, it purchased and tested more than 1,000 samples from bulk motor oil tanks throughout North America over the past five years, and nearly 20 percent failed API performance standards.

PQIA Issues Advisory for Valvoline NextGen 5W-20 Motor Oil

In January, PQIA issued an advisory for Valvoline NextGen 5W-20 Motor Oil. After twice testing a sample of the oil acquired at a retail store in New Jersey, PQIA determined it did not meet volatility requirements set by the API and the International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC). While the sample passed viscosity and elemental requirements for the API SN and ILSAC GF-5 specifications, its weight losses of 18.4 and 18.3 percent in the NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800) are about 22 percent higher than the 15 percent maximum required for the specifications.

AMSOIL Quality

Customers buying AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils can be sure that AMSOIL performs beyond the specifications required by the industry. AMSOIL quality control samples all base oils before accepting them from the manufacturer. Then AMSOIL samples after blending and then again after bottling. You can be sure AMSOIL products are the best quality, always.

Low-Volatility Motor Oil Helps Unlock Vehicle Performance

To meet today’s strict motor oil specifications and adequately protect modern engines, motor oils must demonstrate increased resistance to volatility. Nearly 30 years ago AMSOIL became the first oil manufacturer in the United States to use the NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800) as a measure of performance excellence. Today, it’s an industry standard.

Why is Volatility Important?

Modern engines, particularly those equipped with performance-enhancing technologies like direct fuel injection and turbochargers, generate increased heat compared to their predecessors. At elevated temperatures, such as during severe service or when driving in hot summer weather, the oil’s lighter-weight molecules can volatilize, or literally “boil off.” The more volatile a lubricant is, the lower the temperature at which the lubricant will begin to evaporate. The more it evaporates, the less oil is left to protect equipment and the faster a user must replace the lost oil. You may have experienced this phenomenon by owning an automobile that “uses” motor oil in irregular intervals.

Volatility affects more than the rate of oil consumption. When light elements in oil evaporate from heat, the oil’s viscosity increases. This thicker oil forces the engine to work harder, resulting in several problems, including the following:

• Reduced performance
• Reduced fuel economy
• Poor cold-temperature starting
• Increased engine deposits
• Out-of-balance oil formulation, potentially leading to a higher concentration of additives than designed

NOACK Volatility Test (ASTM D5800)

The most common method used in measuring oil volatility is the NOACK Volatility Test. But that hasn’t always been the case. Originally developed and used in Europe, the NOACK test was not commonly used for lubricants until AMSOIL President and CEO Al Amatuzio pioneered its use for automotive motor oils in 1985. Previously, a lubricant’s flash point was the primary way to approximate an oil’s volatility.

In the NOACK test, an oil sample is weighed and heated to 250°C (482°F) for one hour. Dry air is passed over the sample, carrying the oil vapors that have boiled off and depositing them in a beaker. The original sample is removed and re-weighed. Any reduction in weight is reported as a percentage lost of the original weight.

Superiority of AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils

When AMSOIL began using the test, it was common for competitors’ conventional oils to demonstrate a volatility loss in the 17-25 percent range. In contrast, the volatility loss of AMSOIL synthetic motor oil was often less than half that. The NOACK Volatility Test introduced a new measure of performance to the industry, while allowing AMSOIL to distinguish the performance of its synthetic motor oils from competitors. 

Currently, API SN and ILSAC GF-5 performance classifications require weight lost due to volatility to be no greater than 15 percent for all viscosity grades of motor oil. General Motors’ proprietary dexos1™ motor oil specification is more stringent, requiring no greater than 12 percent weight lost.

AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are more stable and heat-resistant than conventional oils. They resist volatility to resist deposits and oil thickening, maximizing fuel economy and engine performance and life. 

NOACK Volatility of AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils

Performance Specification	API SN	ILSAC GF-5	GM dexos1™
NOACK Volatility Limit, % weight loss (g/100g) (ASTM D5800)	15%	15%	12%

Did You Know?

If a vehicle “uses” oil it may be due to the oil’s volatility. The light-weight molecules in oil evaporate more readily when exposed to high temperatures, causing the oil level to drop. Switching to AMSOIL synthetic motor oils, which resist volatility better than conventional oils, can reduce oil consumption and maximize engine performance.

Keeping Engines Clean with AMSOIL

Though conventional motor oil quality has improved over the past 30 years, this progress is also offset by emission-reduction strategies, including variable valve timing (VVT), which strangles the engine a little tighter and makes it run hotter.

The average motorist has never even heard of variable valve timing, but it’s a critical component in the operation of a vehicle. Almost every vehicle manufacturer has published a bulletin stating that the number one cause of variable-valve-timing system problems is small amounts of residue and sludge. In other words, cleanliness is absolutely essential.

In the old days, the engine’s intake and exhaust valves were set to open and shut at specific points in the four-stroke cycle for a set amount of time. With variable valve timing, engines can adjust the timing for when and how long these valves open and shut by relying on a combination of sensors and mechanical systems, many critically located on the camshaft and crankshaft. When these components get gummed-up with sludge or deposits, it can lead to poor performance and costly repair bills.

Because AMSOIL synthetic motor oil resists oxidation and breakdown in high heat, it is less prone to produce the varnish and sludge that damages these critical sensors.

Keeping engines clean by using AMSOIL synthetic motor oils helps them last longer. Cleanliness reduces wear, ring sticking and emissions while helping ensure all these components operate as designed.

More information  on AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil