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Ask AMSOIL: Should I Use Racing Oil in my Daily Driver?

Written by Charleen

I Drive Aggressive: Is Racing Oil a better choice for my Daily Driver?

Motorists who are passionate about engine protection and performance can easily succumb to the following line of reasoning:

1) Racing engines are more severe than my engine.

2) Racing engines use racing oil.

3) Therefore, I should use racing oil in my vehicle for best protection.

It’s true that the average racing engine creates operating conditions more severe than the average passenger car engine. However, that’s not to say that modern engines aren’t tough on oil, too.

Increased heat and stress

The turbocharged, direct-injection engines in modern vehicles generate increased heat and contaminants compared to their predecessors. Motor oil bears the brunt of the added stress. That’s why industry motor-oil specifications keep growing tougher and automakers are increasingly recommending synthetic oils to meet these strict performance specs.

Racing creates tougher operating conditions

Racing, however, is a whole different animal. The powerful, modified engines in racing vehicles produce extreme heat and pressures beyond the capabilities of the average car or truck. A 900-hp Pro 4×4 off-road racing truck can produce engine temperatures of more than 300ºF (149ºC). Engine temperatures in a typical passenger car/light truck fall somewhere between 195ºF and 220ºF (90ºC – 104ºC). The difference is even more striking when you consider that the rate of motor oil oxidation (chemical breakdown) doubles for every 18ºF (10ºC) increase in oil temperature.

The tremendous shearing forces the oil bears as it’s squeezed between the interfaces of the pistons/rings and cam lobes/lifters pose another problem. The pressure can tear apart the molecular structure of the oil, reducing its viscosity and film strength.

Racing oil must be formulated differently to protect these demanding engines. Even so, it doesn’t mean you should order a case of AMSOIL DOMINATOR® Synthetic Racing Oil for your car.

Racing oils are changed more frequently

Why? For starters, racing oils are changed frequently. Most professionals change oil every couple races, if not more frequently. For that reason, racing oils are formulated with a lower total base number (TBN) than passenger car motor oils. TBN is a measure of the oil’s detergency properties and its ability to neutralize acidic byproducts. Oils with longer drain intervals have higher TBNs. AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil features a TBN of 12.5 to enable its 25,000-mile/one-year drain interval. In contrast, DOMINATOR Synthetic Racing Oil has a TBN of 8 since it should be changed more frequently. As great as it performs on the track, DOMINATOR is not what you want in your engine when you’re driving thousands of miles and several months between oil changes.

Second, you want to use an oil in your daily driver that excels in several performance areas:

  • Wear protection
  • Long oil life
  • Maximum fuel economy
  • Engine cleanliness
  • Corrosion protection
  • Oxidation resistance
  • Easy cold-temp starts

Motor oil additives produce many of these benefits. For example, anti-oxidant additives fight high heat and extend oil service life. Anti-wear additives interact with the metal surfaces of engine parts and guard against metal-to-metal contact. Many additives form layers on metal surfaces. That being the case, they compete for space, so to speak.

Racing oils use different additives

Racing oils are often formulated with a heavy dose of friction modifiers to add lubricity for maximum horsepower and torque. The boosted level of additives meant to increase protection and performance during a race doesn’t leave room in the formulation for additives found in passenger car motor oils that help maximize fuel economy, fight corrosion or improve cold-weather protection.

Achieving the tasks of a passenger car motor oil requires a finely balanced formulation. Too much or too little performance in one area can negatively affect other areas – and the oil’s overall protection and performance. The list of tasks required of a racing oil, however, is much shorter.

The right tool for the right job is an axiom with which most are familiar. The same holds for motor oil. It’s best to leave racing oil to competition engines and use a properly formulated passenger car motor oil for your daily vehicle.

To find the right oil for your vehicle, use the AMSOIL Product Guide.

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DEEP CLEAN: P.I. GASOLINE ADDITIVE – More Miles Instantly

Written by Charleen

Deep Clean:

P.I. PERFORMANCE IMPROVER GASOLINE ADDITIVE

P.i. Performance Improver Gasoline Additive (API) now features a new label, formula and capless- compatible bottle. The popular deep-cleaning gasoline additive continues to restore your engine’s power and performance and increase fuel economy.

Maximum Fuel Economy

AMSOIL P.i. (Performance Improver)  is a potent gasoline performance improver featuring concentrated detergents that aggressively clean stubborn, power-robbing deposits from injectors, valves and combustion chambers. It reduces emissions and increases fuel economy up to 5.7 percent. P.i. cleans your entire fuel system in one tank of gasoline and restores engine power and performance.

It’s also our best selling non-motor oil product here in the Sioux Falls (Exit 73) store. Also find it at Stan Houston’s

AMSOIL did their research and worked with the additive suppliers to create this product – thus don’t waste your time with other on the shelf “injector cleaner(s)”. If you have that’s great too as you will have something to compare results.

Deposit Clean-up

GDI injectors are located inside the intense heat and pressure environment of the combustion chamber, making them particularly vulnerable to deposits. Even small amounts of deposits can lead to decreased power and fuel economy. P.i. features improved cleaning power to remove stubborn deposits and keep GDI injectors functioning as they should.

Going Capless

Many new vehicles have replaced traditional fuel caps with capless systems. While adding some convenience at the gas pump, the feature can make using fuel additive bottles a challenge. The threads on most bottles are easily hung up and make treating fuel and removing the bottle difficult. The new P.i. bottle is fully compatible with capless fuel systems.

Formulation Change? Yes. The basic P.i. formula and benefits are the same, but we’ve added to them with new chemistry to better target deposits in direct-injection engines.

New Stock Number? No

New Treat Rate? Yes. Treats up to 30 gallons. Add entire bottle to tank at fill-up.

Pricing Change? No

  • Restores power and performance
  • Reduces need for costly higher-octane fuel
  • Reduces noise from carbon rap and pre-ignition
  • Controls pre-ignition “knock”
  • Maintains the engine efficiency, fuel economy and power of new vehicles
  • Capless compatible

Knocking Out Pre-Ignition

Most cars have “knock” sensors that adjust spark timing to prevent knock. Although audible knock is controlled, power is lost from retarded timing. Higher octane fuels can be used to help prevent knock, an effect called “octane requirement increase.” As a vehicle ages, more-expensive, higher-octane fuel is needed to keep it operating at peak performance. By cleaning combustion chamber deposits, knock is controlled, power is restored and costly higher octane fuel is no longer necessary.

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What are CAFÉ Standards?

Written by Charleen
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What are CAFÉ Standards?

John Baker|

The energy crisis of the 1970s led to modern CAFE standards.

Back in March, news hit that the Trump administration was considering reevaluating the corporate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) standards that mandate fleet-wide fuel economy of 54.5 mpg by 2025.

Some claim the standards are too strict, will cost jobs and will take money from people’s pockets as vehicles become more expensive. Allegations of the Obama administration engaging in last-minute shenanigans to maintain the standard ensued.

On the flip side, others say that maintaining the current standard will strengthen our energy policy, reduce greenhouse gases and create jobs.

Either way, President Trump decided to re-examine the standard and determine whether or not to scale it back. A decision may not come until April 2018. Allegations of the Trump administration engaging in shenanigans have since ensued.

I’m not getting into any of that.

Instead, what’s the point CAFÉ standards and how did they begin?

Remember the Yom Kippur War of 1973? Me, either. I do, however, recall images of the gas lines of the 1970s. My parents occasionally dust off one of those stories about waiting hours for gas – if there was any – whenever we spoiled brats complain about $2.00/gal. gas.

Well, the U.S. decided to back Israel in the Yom Kippur War, and the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) expressed its disdain by shutting off the crude-oil spigot to America. The result? The price of oil quadrupled by March 1974.

Inevitably, the price of gas jumped, too, leading to widespread gas shortages and sticker shock when drivers rolled up to the pump in their massive, gas-chugging V-8s.

Things took another turn for the worse in 1979 after tempers again flared in the Middle East, this time involving Iran and Iraq, which pushed gas to record highs. The average price per gallon hit $2.64 in 1981, higher than today’s price.

By that time, the U.S. government had responded with its first set of CAFÉ standards, enacted in 1975. Each automaker’s auto fleet would have to deliver an average of 18 mpg by 1978 or face penalties. The standard, in theory, would reduce our dependency on foreign oil and mitigate future disruptions to the supply chain.

Take that, OPEC.

Better engines = better fuel economy

The CAFÉ standards have steadily grown more strict over the years. They also include trucks today, and the number is typically reported as the average between an automaker’s cars and light trucks.

Automakers have developed several new technologies to boost average fuel economy.

  • Vehicles today are much lighter than those of yesteryear, with the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 representing the poster child for modern light-weighting.
  • Fuel injectors replaced the carburetor back the in 1980s, allowing for more precise fuel delivery.
  • Cylinder deactivation has evolved from fascinating space-age marvel to ho-hum technology, helping bigger vehicles squeeze a few more miles out of each gallon.
  • Turbochargers help smaller engines make more power, allowing automakers to use a four-cylinder engine where they once used a V-6.
  • Variable valve timing adjusts when the valves open and close in relation to operating conditions, boosting efficiency.
  • Direct fuel injection takes precision fuel delivery to another level.
  • Synthetic lubricants reduce energy lost to friction, while lower-viscosity lubricants reduce pumping losses. Plus, hybrid and electric vehicles are popping up in most automakers’ fleets to help increase their fleet-wide mpg average.
  • And, of course, most of these advancements wouldn’t be possible without computers now performing thousands of calculations per second as you drive, endlessly searching for the ideal confluence of performance and fuel economy.

And it all started with the Yom Kippur War.

Whatever happens in the latest battle of the CAFÉ standards, you can bet the automakers are going to keep ramping up their engine technology to get the most mpg possible.

Synthetic motor oil was made for strict CAFE standards

Many of these new advancements take a toll on the engine, too, which fellow blogger Josh Kimmes talked about recently. Modern engines run hotter, suffer increased stress and generate more contaminants in the motor oil, all on drain intervals much longer than the old 3,000-mile standby of years gone by. Is there any wonder why many automakers now use synthetic lubricants in their vehicles and recommend them as the service fill?

Upgrade your vehicle to AMSOIL synthetic lubricants to take full advantage of the amazing technology we’re seeing in the market today. They deliver outstanding wear protection and engine cleanliness, while maximizing fuel economy, too.

What good is driving the most advanced engine in the world if you don’t protect it with an oil just as advanced?

Wherever you stand on the issues, we can all agree on that.

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A Look at Today's Gasoline Issues and Quality

Written by Fiona

Gasoline is the source of your vehicle’s power – and many of its problems.

Gasoline quality is vital, yet often overlooked.

Dan Peterson - AMSOIL Technical Development

AMSOIL’s Dan Peterson.

Dan Peterson | VICE PRESIDENT, TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

Gasoline’s influence on our lives can’t be overstated. Remember how the gas lines of the 1970s disrupted daily life? People waited hours to fill up – if there was any gas available once they finally pulled up to the pump. Odd-even rationing dictated that motorists could only fill up on even-numbered days if the last digit on their license plate was even. The fallout of the gas shortages of the 1970s was a driving force behind the government mandates to increase fuel efficiency that continue to influence the industry today.

A few years ago, when gas hit $5 a gallon in some places, stories populated the Internet and airwaves about people willfully losing money to sell their giant SUVs in favor of small, fuel-efficient cars. Some people even took a loss on their houses in the suburbs to move closer to work.

In many ways, gasoline makes the world go ‘round, yet many of your customers likely know almost nothing about it, including the negative effects it can have on their vehicles.

Gasoline is distilled from petroleum crude oil. Typically, a 42-gallon barrel of crude will yield about 19 U.S. gallons of gas. The final blend can contain hundreds of different ingredients, among which are detergency additives designed to prevent harmful deposits from forming inside your engine.

In 1995, the EPA introduced its minimum gasoline detergent standard, known as lowest additive concentration (LAC). The intent was to ensure that all gasoline available in the country contained sufficient detergent additives to combat formation of deposits that reduce fuel efficiency and performance.

The widespread use of electronic fuel injection in the 1980s was a driving force behind the introduction of the LAC mandate. It quickly became evident that fuel injectors were especially sensitive to deposits, and the gasoline of the time didn’t contain sufficient detergents.

Deposit formation on the injector tips disrupts the spray pattern, which reduces fuel economy and results in less-efficient combustion. This contributes to increased tailpipe emissions since unburned gasoline can escape the combustion chamber on the engine’s exhaust stroke.

Deposits can also form on the intake valve, piston crown and in the ring grooves. They can prevent the intake valve from closing completely, reducing engine compression and horsepower. Deposits in the ring grooves can lead to ring sticking, which also reduces engine compression since a stuck ring won’t seal the combustion chamber completely. Piston crown deposits act like a sponge that soaks up gasoline. This can result in preignition, where the fuel/air mixture ignites sporadically, reducing performance and potentially damaging the engine.

Many automakers today don’t think the LAC mandate goes far enough. In fact, many gasoline marketers have reduced detergent levels by up to 50 percent, according to www.toptiergas. com. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is a performance specification designed by several of today’s top automakers.

Today’s vehicles run even hotter than they did in 1995. Since then the number of engines that use turbochargers, which increase heat, has grown substantially. So, too, has the number of vehicles that use direct fuel injection, which locates the injectors directly in the combustion chamber, exposed to intense heat. Plus, injectors today are more highly engineered with tighter tolerances, meaning even minute deposits can interfere with performance.

Gasoline is the source of your vehicle’s power – and many of its problems if you don’t perform proper maintenance. We formulate AMSOIL P.i.® to be one of the most potent additives on the market. It contains a very high dose of fuel detergents proven to combat the problems associated with gasoline, keeping injectors clean and functioning properly. In fact, testing showed dirty injectors returned to >95 percent flow after only one tank of gas treated with P.i. Just take a look at the dramatic before/ after images above.

As vehicles become more sophisticated and sensitive to gas quality, make sure you understand the importance of maintaining them with a quality fuel additive. AMSOIL provides solutions to problems you may not even be aware of.

Let AMSOIL Sioux Falls be your gasoline fuel additive source! Depend on us for the best products which will always be the state of the art for all Nebraskans! Thank you for your business. We love being here in Sioux Falls!

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