While I believe that Mobil 1 is an excellent lubricant, and may be the best of the major brands available at your favorite auto store, I also want to share some independent lab tests that show it isn’t necessarily the best lubricant on the market.

Comparative Oil Test
AMSOIL vs Mobile 1 Oil Test

AMSOIL 100% Synthetic 5w30 Motor Oil is formulated with advanced Polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic base stocks. PAO base stocks are the industries premier base stock technology, and when combined with an exact blend of premium additives, provide second to none protection and performance in the most demanding operating conditions.

Why AMSOIL?
•First to develop an API-rated 100 percent synthetic motor oil.
•First to introduce the concept of "extended drain intervals" with a recommended 25,000-mile/1-year drain interval.
•First U.S. company to utilize the NOACK volatility test as a standard of performance excellence.
•First to produce synthetic motor oils for diesel engines, racing engines, turbo and marine engines.
•First to introduce synthetic oils that legitimately contribute to improving fuel efficiency.
•First to manufacture synthetic gear lube for automotive use.
•First to manufacture a 100:1 pre-mix synthetic 2-cycle oil.
•First to manufacture a synthetic automatic transmission fluid for automotive use.

AMSOIL’s extended drain intervals actually save money (and obviously time):
Cost Savings of Longer Drain Interval
AMSOILs actual recommended drain intervals can be found here:
AMSOIL Product Change Interval Guide

While I understand many of us are resistant to the time honored 3 months or 3000 mile change interval, the industry is slowly coming to see the benefits of extended drain intervals. AMSOIL is leading the effort with their high quality synthetics. However, GM appears to be the first major automobile corporation to be embracing this philosophy with the oil life system calculator in its vehicles. AMSOIL’s lubricants have been formulated to address the trade-offs involved with extended drain intervals as the above comparison information shows.
Motor Oil Drain Intervals: An Ethical Burden?

Buy AMSOIL at Wholesale
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program allows you to buy any AMSOIL product at wholesale, which is about 15-20% less expensive than retail. Cost is $10 per six months and you can buy as much oil as you want during that six months. To sign up, all it takes is one phone call to 1-800-777-7094. Give them reference number 1206638.

Or you can use this link:
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program
Again, please put 1206638 in the customer number block.

While I understand many (most?) of you will probably never use AMSOIL in your Corvette as GM recommends Mobil 1, I would appreciate it if you would consider trying AMSOIL in your other vehicles. AMSOIL makes products for almost every type of machinery that has an engine, from cars to diesels, to farm equipment, to snowmobiles, watercraft, ATVs, etc, including lubricants, appearance products, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs (Bosch), wiper blades (Bosch), etc. More information on the full AMSOIL product line can be found on their corporate homepage:
AMSOIL Corporate Homepage

Own a business?
AMSOIL has two programs that may benefit your business.

Retail Sales Program
If you own a business a retail business with no more than 12 retail outlets that sells products "off the shelf", you may buy AMSOIL products at wholesale and sell them at retail, keeping the profits.

Commercial Program
If you own a business that uses lubricants, such as a vehicle fleet of cars, trucks, farm equipment, recreational vehicles, etc, you may buy AMSOIL products at wholesale and use them for your business.

Both of these programs involve no cost to start. Several forms are required to register your business account with AMSOIL. If you are interested, please contact me at c66racing@hotmail.com and I will provide you with more information.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

 

Here are 3 convincing SAE technical papers on (Exxon)-Mobil motor
oils. The first one, I believe, is essentially about Mobil 1. After
reading it, I'm a believer. I also think there is some serious work
that went into it. Mobil had deep pockets to do serious science. I
would read these papers and think about things before I abandoned the
oil that many manufacturers recommend.

http://www.sae.org/servlets/productD...PROD_CD=951026

http://www.sae.org/servlets/productD...PROD_CD=982718

http://www.sae.org/servlets/productD...PROD_CD=981444

I do not see any SAE papers authored by AMSOIL employees

 

How about patents? Let's search for

Assignee Name = Mobil
All Fields = polyalphaolefin

I get 44 hits

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...FIELD2=&d=ptxt

OK, lets search for anything by AMSOIL. I get 1

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...SOIL&RS=AMSOIL

The more I look, the more I like Mobil 1.

 

Amsoil is some very good oil. I have a good friend right here whos father is a direct Amsoil dealer. If you want, I can have him log in under my name and answer any questions(not a sponsor, though, so probably best just to e-mail). Nothing against Mobil 1, but taking hits on the web to find out which you like better isn't a very good stratagy for comparing these(Amsoil doesn't spend the money on advertising, at least around here). The papers I have seen show there is plenty of solid development surrounding each of the products, mobil 1 and amsoil.

Todd

 

Todd,

Here's the way I look at it. If AMSOIL has some cutting edge
PAO (or other) formulation, they would logically patent it. Since
it does not appear that they did while Mobil has many, they can either
steal what Mobil is doing or use some lousy alternative. If
they infringed on Mobil's patent, I bet Exxon Mobil could
put 100 lawyers at their front door in a heartbeat. Since
AMSOIL hasn't been dragged through court, to the best of my
knowledge, then I'd say their product is likely inferior
to Mobil 1.

When AMSOIL starts presenting techical articles to the
engineering community (for debate and review) and filing patents
with the USPTO then I will take them seriously. All I see is
marketing noise aimed at non-engineers.

 

I thought the LS2 has an oil cooler and no need for a synthetic oil.

 

I think that's only with the Z51 package.

 

Runge,
Here is an article not written by AMSOIL that discusses the corporate strategies of various oil companies including AMSOIL and Mobil with regards to extended drain intervals.
http://www.amsoil.com/lit/lng_article/march_lng_new.pdf

Who stands behind their product with extended drain interval recommendations? AMSOIL.
Who warranties their lubricants? AMSOIL
Who publishes the results of independent lab tests with their competitors brand name on them on their corporate website? AMSOIL

I don't know what the status of AMSOIL's patents are. But I find it interesting to note the timeline of Mobil's patents for PAOs. Note how recent they are. Who is copying whom here? AMSOIL has been making synthetic lubricants since 1972. When did Mobil 1 come out?

AMSOIL is a small American company based in Wisconsin that has been making synthetic lubricants for a long time. ExxonMobil didn't come out with the first API certified synthetic. AMSOIL did.

Please don't take my comments to imply Mobil 1 is an inferior lubricant. It clearly is an excellent oil. But my desire is to educate others that there are other excellent oils. I also doubt many Corvette owners will actually switch from Mobil 1 to AMSOIL in the Vette. But what about your other vehicles? How many of us actually run Mobil 1 in all of our cars? I switched to AMSOIL in all my vehicles and am taking advantage of the high quality of the product and using extended drain intervals (other than my SCCA T1 vette).

 

"Who is copying whom here?"

This comment is a red herring. When a company comes up with some technological
innovation, they patent it. When another company/entity infringes on that/those
patents then they are likely to face a bunch of lawyers. Particularly if they
step on the toes of a giant corporation like (Exxon)-Mobil. To suggest AMSOIL
is the technical innovator here and (Exxon) Mobil is infringing on their unpatented
innovations is simply not tenable. The breadth and depth of the Mobil patents on
this matter speaks loudly as does the absense of AMSOILs patents. While SAE papers
may not be peer reviewed (I may be wrong here), they are much more technically
credible than your AMSOIL link.

If AMSOIL wants some technical credibility then they should publish research in
established venues and if they have innovative technologies then they should patent
them. They have done neither - in stark contrast to Mobil. Hence, AMSOIL's pitch is
nothing more than windbagging to nontechnical people. It's simply not credible.
If they disagree with my comments, the SAE has countless avenues for them to
publish their results. The patent office is ready and waiting.

Everyone is free to vote with their wallets. Here's a sample of Exxon-Mobil
patents and patent applications where the word polyalphaolefin appears. I'm impressed!!


EXXONMOBIL Patent Applications
==============================

20040129603 High viscosity-index base stocks, base oils and lubricant compositions and
_____________methods for their production and use
20040119046 Low-volatility functional fluid compositions useful under conditions of high
_____________thermal stress and methods for their production and use
20040109652 Fiber optic cables with a hydrogen absorbing material
20040106723 Plasticized polyolefin compositions
20040094443 Magnetic tube and delivery system
20040092408 Rock bit grease composition
20040054040 Plasticized polyolefin compositions
20040038833 Lubricating oil compositions for internal combustion engines with improved
_____________wear performance
20040026566 Method for lubricating high pressure hydraulic system using phosphate ester
_____________hydraulic fluid
20040002429 Oil-in-oil emulsion lubricants for enhanced lubrication
20030236177 Novel lubricant blend composition
20030228987 Energy conserving power transmission fluids
20030207775 Lubricating fluids with enhanced energy efficiency and durability
20030195128 Lubricating oil compositions
20030191032 Mixed TBN detergents and lubricating oil compositions containing such detergents
20030190296 Wet-skin treatment compositions
20030181554 Adhesives
20030180243 Wet-skin treatment compositions
20030176296 Lubricating oil compositions for internal combustion engines with improved wear
_____________performance
20030171228 Mixed TBN detergents and lubricating oil compositions containing such detergents
20030171223 Lubricating oil compositions with improved friction properties
20030171222 Sulfide- and polysulfide-containing lubricating oil additive compositions and
_____________lubricating compositions containing the same
20030166476 Lubricating oil compositions with improved friction properties
20030166475 Lubricating oil compositions with improved friction properties
20030166474 Lubricating oil compositions with improved friction properties
20030166473 Lubricating oil compositions with improved friction properties
20030158055 Lubricating oil compositions
20030148900 LUBRICATING OIL ADDITIVE SYSTEM PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR NATURAL GAS FUELED ENGINES
20030077465 Magnetic substrates, composition and method for making the same
20030060377 Method for lubricating high pressure hydraulic system using phosphate ester
_____________hydraulic fluid
20030057395 Optimized synthetic base liquid for magnetorheological fluid formulations
20030054019 Wet-skin treatment compositions
20030049282 Method of enhanced moisture or reduced drying using wet-skin treatment compositions
20030024619 Explosive emulsion compositions containing modified copolymers of isoprene, butadiene,
_____________and/or styrene
20030013783 Microencapsulated and macroencapsulated drag reducing agents
20030008783 AUTOMOTIVE LUBRICANT
20020159960 Method for improving the properties of transfer resistant lip compositions and related
_____________compositions and articles
20020112989 Hydrogenation process
20020086803 Premium wear resistant lubricant
20020081446 Magnetic substrates, composition and method for making the same
20020039623 Sprayable hot melt adhesives

EXXONMOBIL Patents
==================

6,703,355 Method for lubricating high pressure hydraulic system using phosphate ester hydraulic
___________fluid
6,689,723 Sulfide- and polysulfide-containing lubricating oil additive compositions and lubricating
___________compositions containing the same
6,610,636 Premium wear resistant lubricant
6,582,762 Sprayable hot melt adhesives
6,521,570 Automotive lubricant
6,475,960 Premium synthetic lubricants
6,376,432 Low friction grease for constant velocity universal joints, particularly plunging type joints
___________that is compatible with silicone elastomer boots
6,375,830 Isoparaffinic base stocks by dewaxing fischer-tropsch wax hydroisomerate over Pt/H-mordenite
6,319,881 Haze free oil additive compositions containing dispersants from selectively hydrogenated diene copolymers


MOBIL Patents
=============

6,339,051 Diesel engine cylinder oils
6,312,672 Sunscreen compositions containing copolymers of isoprene butadiene and/or styrene
__________to provide improved water resistance
6,248,702 Dispersant and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________aryl-substituted olefin containing diene copolymers
6,228,817 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers
6,215,033 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers: blends with lower molecular weight components
6,180,575 High performance lubricating oils
6,162,768 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers: free radically initiated direct grafting reaction products
6,103,676 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers: hydroformylation/reductive amination reaction products
6,090,989 Isoparaffinic lube basestock compositions
6,054,539 Selectively hydrogenated polymer compositions: polybutadiene-isoprene-polybutadiene
6,034,184 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers: Mannich reaction products
5,990,056 Compositions containing an organo-substituted benzophenone
5,780,540 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers
5,750,480 Alkylated anisole lubricant basestock
5,643,440 Production of high viscosity index lubricants
5,641,736 Synergistic pour point depressant combinations and hydrocarbon lube mixtures
5,637,784 Hydrocarbon distillate fuels containing novel additive
5,637,783 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers
5,633,415 Dispersants and dispersant viscosity index improvers from selectively hydrogenated
__________polymers
5,602,086 Lubricant compositions of polyalphaolefin and alkylated aromatic fluids
5,602,085 Multi-phase lubricant
5,599,100 Multi-phase fluids for a hydraulic system
5,573,657 Hydrogenation process
5,510,549 Fiber optic cable and viscous filler material
5,488,191 Hydrocarbon lube and distillate fuel additive
5,485,895 Multi-phase lubricant process for lubricating with multi-phase lubricants
5,465,810 Multi-phase lubricant and apparatus for the dispensing thereof
5,400,427 Fiber optic cable and viscous filler material
5,371,248 Alkylated benzofuran-derived lubricants
5,367,097 Lubricant composition and method for increasing diamondoid incorporation in
__________polyalphaolefin-containing lubricant
5,207,937 Amine salts of sulfur-containing alkylated phenols or alkylated naphthols as
__________multifunctional antioxidant and antiwear additives
5,171,908 Synthetic polyolefin lubricant oil
5,120,899 Diamondoid recovery from natural gas fields
5,116,523 Sulfide adducts of high viscosity index polyalphaolefins
5,104,579 Phosphonate adducts of olefinic lubricants having enhanced properties
5,095,165 Hydrocarbon lubricants containing polar groups
5,068,048 Lubricants and lube additives from epoxidation of lower olefin oligomers
5,057,235 Sulfur-phosphorus adducts of chromium catalyzed polyalphaolefins
5,019,282 Organic ester, amide or amine salts of phosphorodithioate substitute carboxylic
__________anhydrides as multifunctional additives
4,992,189 Lubricants and lube additives from hydroxylation and esterification of lower alkene
__________oligomers
4,982,031 Alpha olefins from lower alkene oligomers
4,967,030 Hydrocracking high viscosity synthetic lubricant
4,943,383 Novel lubricant epoxides
4,762,635 High traction synthetic hydrocarbon fluids

 

Have had only one experence with Amsoil and that is in dort bikes. Used it one time and only one time caused over heating, switched back to Golden spectro and problem gone.

 

All C5 come with Mobil 1. Synthetics do more than run a little cooler, they inhibit acid build up, which is the main reason you need to change dino oil at 3K/3month, it's the acid build up that eats at the babbit bearings. All synthetic oils are so far superior to conventional oils that it is pointless to compare them.

Mobil in the mid 90s also recommended a long drain interval of 12K,12months but after so many manufactures started using them they changed to "follow your manufacturer's recommended intervals".

All the racers I know that switched to Amsoil have reported lower operating temps in the engine, tranny, and would assume the diff also. My next race car will use Amsoil.


Then again this Squid is spending six months a year in a nuclear tube under water so maybe he's a little crazy. :flag

 

I see this debate time & again. The reality is most owners of vettes will change their oil so often they could run cheap off brand non synthetic and have great results.

Mobil 1 & Amsoil & Royal Purple & Kendal & on and on are excelent synthetics that exceed any requirments 99% of vette/viper owners will ever need.

How many of you put over 100k miles on your vette? We do, raced every weekend competivly for 5 years now. Motor hasent been opened once and still runs as strong as ever and shows no signs of oil usage or wear (filters are cut open for visual inspection & magnetic drain plug also is a good visual indicator).

Use good oil and change it often...you will get 200k plus miles out of most any motor.

We run an entire team of different race vehicles from the basic stock C5 to 1000 hp alcohol rear engine dragsters. Mobile one 15-50 is used in all and when we freshen the dragster motors they have always looked like new inside, and the C5 speaks for it'self. We used 5w30 for the first 20k miles and since then 15w50. The car is beat to heck weekly and driven to work daily.

Pick your oil and drop the fight....they are ALL top quality.

Lewis Family Racing

 

You may have a point there...

Well said. Didn't mean to "pick a fight". Was only trying to share info on an oil company that isn't to well known but makes excellent products.
As I said above, Mobil 1 is an excellent oil.

 

So they are all all excellent oils and no one of the synthetics being discussed is that much better than the other.

In that case, which one is the most cost effective? Hmmm

 

I should add, I buy Mobil 1 at Costco for $3.99/qt. It's the only engine oil I use in any of my vehicles. Also, except for my 300zxtt, I typically run 6 to 10K miles between changes(depending on how quickly the oil gets dirty which varies from change to change).

 

We really don't have enough information as to which one is better. I know Mobil "cheapened" their base stock a few year back, and then gave it a new catchy name. You'd really have to coral a GM Research researcher to see what their test results are these days.

I agree with the other poster. They are all very good, but none is a miracle cure either (ask my previous Buick V6 about Mobil 1).

Michael

 

Geez....imagine this coming from an Amsoil DEALER

Sorry my money goes to a world leader in petroleum technogy, not a household detergent company.

:

 

Yes, I am an AMSOIL Independent Dealer. But, I am also a forum supporting vendor and a large chunk of my profits go to support this fine site where we can all exchange ideas about our favorite car and related topics. What's left goes to my Corvette race team where I have learned much about the car, sharing as much information as I have time for with the forum. I am not sharing what I consider false advertising. These are the results of independent lab tests. If they were in error, ExxonMobil wouldn't let AMSOIL display them on their corporate website.

For what its worth, AMSOIL was formed in 1972 by a retired Air Force Lt. Col. They are an American company based in Wisconsin. And yes, while they do sell some household products under the Altrum name ( ALTRUM Online Store ), and others under the Briteside name (on the AMSOIL site under products) they have been making synthetic lubricants much longer than ExxonMobil has.

Thanks!

 

Making as in refining or "Blending". Amsoil has its own cracking facility?


I've been in the commercial aviation business for many years and know a little on how Amway got into the synthetic business.

I'm sure you believe you have a great product but Mobil has a long track record of research and development years before 1972.



Oh and Kudos for you forum support

 

I'll admit that I don't have the technical knowledge to ensure an accurate answer to your question. Here is a quote from AMSOIL: "AMSOIL 100% Synthetic 5w30 Motor Oil is formulated with advanced Polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic base stocks. PAO base stocks are the industries premier base stock technology, and when combined with an exact blend of premium additives, provide second to none protection and performance in the most demanding operating conditions."

The AMSOIL synthetics referenced above (primarily the synthetic SAE 5w30) aren't highly refined conventional oil as is some other synthetics. It is a pure base of PAO with an exact blend of additives.

I really do not believe "cracking" of petroleum is involved. Here is a definition of Polyalphaolefin:
"One of the synthetic hydrocarbon liquids manufactured from the monomer ethylene, H2C=CH2. Polyalphaolefins have a complex branched structure with an olefin bond in the alpha position of one of the branches. Hydrogenated polyalphaolefins have olefin-carbons saturated with hydrogen, which lends excellent thermal stability to the molecule. Synthetic-base fluids (similar to oil muds) are made with the various types of synthetic liquids because the cuttings can be discharged in offshore waters, whereas discharge of cuttings coated with refined oils would be disallowed."

I certainly don't dispute that ExxonMobile has excellent research and develop facilities. But they weren't the first to develop an API certified synthetic, AMSOIL was. In February 1994, Lubricants World magazine honored A.J. Amatuzio, the President and CEO of AMSOIL, by inducting him into their "Hall of Fame" as the pioneer in synthetic motor oil. I don't think he would have earned that honor based on ExxonMobil's research.

And you're welcome for the forum support. I have benefited from this site in knowledge and comraderie for over three years and am happy to contribute.