Did they develope it or did they figure out the 04+ system can be retro fitted. Not trying to be a bowner but I don't think Amsoil developed it. I think someone else did and Amsoil bought into it. I could be wrong tho.
I'd also like to point out that even if Amsoil didn't 'invent' or develop the technology IMHO I think, on a fiscal level that when a company lets the 'big boys' pay the price for the R&D and the smaller company expands on it you've got an opportunity to pass on cost savings to the customer.
Just a point of view coming from a person who works for a small business who let the 'big boys' spend all the $$$ on R&D. We're actually doing very well and are hard competition as a multi-million dollar small business over a multi-BILLION dollar monster.
I'll take whatever Amsoil has to offer. I'm excited about the new 5w-30 synth transmission fluid.
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I agree. Furthermore, Amsoil has a history of being slow to get to market with products. Not because they necessarily ultra conservative, but they spend a great deal of time testing and proving, so when I use/buy their products I have complete confidence it will do exactly as they state.
Its frustrating because obviously, as a dealer and business owner, I prefer to use Amsoil products but they are slow to get to market with some things and it forces you to use other products. However, I know when it (products) come on the scene they are ready and in general the public and consumer isnt being used as the test bed for the product.
Just as a side note, not to jack my own thread, but Amsoil has reformulated their Series 2000 0W30 and I believe the Series 3000 as well. The Series 2000 should be a bit thinner now (lower cSt viscosity). It would appear they are addressing the thickening issue with that particular product. I dont know as of yet what exactly they have done to the Series 3000 oil other than beef it up some. It really didnt need a whole lot of work as it is in my opinion the best oil Amsoil has, the oil analysis reports I see from that oil are always top notch. Ive got a customer now that has some 50,000+ miles on that oil.
So anyway those of you that have had a thickening issue with the 0W30 (Joe, myself as well) it might be worth a look at that oil again. It wasnt a bad oil, it was just not likely you would get the full 35,000 miles out of that oil, depending on the motor it was used in. For the Focus Zetec motor it didnt seem likely it would happen, I havent seen any long term reports for the newer 2.3L motors though.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
I've been using the series 2000 in my 2k2 and now my 2k3 and collectively had a full year of use. I've never noticed any problems with thickening.
How did you test this Dan/Joe? did you notice the viscosity difference or did you get this from an oil analysis? I had read about the re-formulation and I am interested in moving onto the series 3000 once my 2000's life is up. I'd also really like to get the bypass set up, but we shall see. My 2.3 is set up very differently with the filter right up front under the front facia.
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Chelly03PZEV wrote: I've been using the series 2000 in my 2k2 and now my 2k3 and collectively had a full year of use. I've never noticed any problems with thickening.
How did you test this Dan/Joe? did you notice the viscosity difference or did you get this from an oil analysis? I had read about the re-formulation and I am interested in moving onto the series 3000 once my 2000's life is up. I'd also really like to get the bypass set up, but we shall see. My 2.3 is set up very differently with the filter right up front under the front facia.
Id like to know the mileage you have on the oil. The only way to tell if the oil is thickening is with oil analysis. You can make an estimation my look and feel but to be accurate you would need to do an analysis.
I do an anlayisis on my car about every 8000 miles. More so for long term data than anything else. But I also recommend it to my customers who are a little uneasy of the longer drain intervals. In many cases it will show which oil is best from the Amsoil line up for your vehicle. For instance, I have a customer that uses the XL line for his truck, but uses the 25,000 mile oil in his car. The reason for this is that with oil analysis we discovered that he had a fuel dilution issue during the winter months from a lot of idle and warm up time. We determined that there would be no point in him using the 25,000 mile oil if he was just going to have to change it out about every 6 months anyway. During the summer months he has no issue with the fuel dilution obviously. But because his car (Mustang GT) is not idled so long, and thus doesnt have any fuel dilution issues he uses the 25,000 mile oil in it. Speaking of which, I need to post up his report.
If you really want to be 'preventative' in your maintenance I HIGHLY recommend oil analysis whether you are using Amsoil or not. Ive priced other labs, locally and nationally and Oil Analyzers is just the best out there in cost and in testing.
Joe noticed a fuel mileage drop off in his Focus with the Series 2000 as the oil started thickening up and was able to see a difference in his oil. An analysis on his oil showed that the oil was near a 50W oil. I think he had some 15,000 miles on the oil. Still pretty good, but not the 35,000 miles that Amsoil says it can do. So Im kind of curious now to see if the reformulation will help it along and go the distance.
I know for a fact the Series 3000 is a stable oil so hopefully they'll have the Series 2000 fixed up now where its more stable.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
Well, I'm at about 7k miles give or take on this oil in my 2k3 (obviously)
Dan and I are going to be doing a MAJOR road trip the end of this month from here to South Bend, Chicago, St. Lois, Indianapolis, Through Ohio, Penn & up into NYC then home again. I will be changing out my oil filter well before the recommended time, but when I do this (prior to our trip) I'll grab one of my tests and send that in.
I can honestly say I never noticed any type of a drop in mpg using the series 2000 and in fact, an improvement. My PZEV seems to run like a dream as well...getting much higher milage than I had ever expected.
I have to say I've not been as stringent on the testing as I'd have liked to be simply due to financial and time constraints, but as I said. I've noted no problems thus far. I will run the analysis and see what I get for numbers though. It may push me into the series 3000 if there is something different in the analysis possibly.
As I was typing I thought of the different driving situations you, Joe and I have. I'm typically, back road & minor hwy lately (some major hwys on occaision now) Joe has Auto-x'ed his car (thus pushing the limits of the engine etc.) and I know you do a lot of driving..considerably more than I do. I will average less than 500 miles per week...probably more near 400. With these high revving, high heat engines maybe it is possible that the series 2000 in the 0w-30 can't take the abuse. Based on Amsoils claims theoretically it should, but then again...that is why they have race oils etc.? I don't know...I've been studying more in my books, but I really need to pull out those CD-Roms to understand the make-up and the science behind lubrication and it's protective limits etc. I've found the reading to be a bit slow, but informative.
Thank you for posting your tests and results...It gives me more I can pass onto my future clients. Especially with my curren commercial client. I'd really like to see if I can't get him to push the testing when a customer comes in for a filter change etc. We shall see.
Last edited on Sun Jul 10th, 2005 12:53 pm by Chelly03PZEV
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Joe only had one or two Auto-X's on his oil which shouldnt be anywhere near enough to stress the oil, and highway miles are the easiest on an oil you can get. You may be pushing 3000 RPM at 70 - 75 mph on the highway but the load on the engine is only running around 20% or so.
Its the stop and go and short trips that are hardest on an oil. For instance my fiance is lucky to put 50 miles a week on her car and its all city stop and go driving. I dont see her being able to make 25,000 miles on her car though she'll make the year limit. I havent run any tests on her oil yet just because I know from experience she is tougher on the oil. She most likely will have a fuel dilution issue as well because she doesnt get the oil up to temp and if she does it isnt for very long at all.
If you regularly do a lot of short trip, stop and go driving I HIGHLY recommend you get the car on the highway at least once a week for about 15 - 20 minutes. Getting the oil up to temp. for a while causes some of the impurities to evaporate such as any fuel contamination. It also allows the oil filter more time to filter out contaminants. Amsoil filters are extremely efficient on first pass rating, but even so, some of the smaller stuff may need a pass or two through the filter to be caught.
If you do a lot of short trip driving you'll see a change in viscosity on the oil test, you'll also see a TBN that is lower than normal because you are using up the additive package to fight the contaminants. You may also see higher Oxidation and Nitration numbers than is typical and obviously your wear numbers will be higher too.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
Oh, Chelly, if I were you, get one of the non pre-paid oil analysis kits. You can send them to Oil Analyzers for around $1.50. I used to send the pre-paid kits just to avoid the hassle, but when I found out I could get the non pre-paid ones and send off that inexpensively, I started doing that. I generally charge $20 - 25 for an oil analysis depending on whether it is a first time customer or not and I used to make next to nothing on the deal. I started using the non pre-paid ones and I can offer the customer the same deal and still make a little for my time and for the reading and explination of the test results.
____________________ My car is a synner! It uses Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants.
2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
It whines a lot, but I like it
I am definitely one who gets my oil up to temp. Very few short trips.
Dan's on the other hand, he's at work within 10 minutes of city driving. He does however, tend to go to his mother's at least once a week which gives him a good hour of blowout time on the hwy.
I'll look into those analysis kits there Daniel. I was trying to figure out where I would make any type of profit for the cost that the pre-paid ones were. Thanks!
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