Heat Puts Stress On Engine Oils

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally begins this coming weekend.

When you think about it, we demand a lot from our motor oil. For example, we all want better fuel economy, so we’re using lighter oils. However, we also want engines to produce more power per cubic inch. To add power, we’re putting in turbochargers which raise the engine temperatures and put higher stress on our oil.

That’s not the only stress. We value cleaner air, so new devices that reduce exhaust emissions place more contamination in the oil and increase engine temperatures. We’ve also cut aerodynamic drag, a plus for vehicle owners, but brutal on oil. By minimizing the air flow over the engine and drivetrain, temperatures also rise.

In fact, the average under-the-hood temperature had increased from 175 degrees Fahrenheit in 1975 to 225 degrees by 2000. Our vehicles are increasingly complex and powerful machines. To keep them running smoothly, we’re demanding that our lubricants do more and last longer.

That is why synthetic motor oils and drivetrain fluids have been increasing in market receptivity over the past two decades. For more information about AMSOIL synthetic motor oils, visit the AMSOIL website at www.amsoil.com.

With the Sturgis motorcycle rally just around the corner (AMSOIL staff will be on-site setting up by the end of this week) it seems a good time to share our new V-Twin Torture Test video.


You can see with your own eyes how heat puts stress on motor oils, especially in hard-working V-Twin engines. And how AMSOIL does its part to protect those engines. It's what we're about.

Aerogels Are Just One More Way Science Outdoes Nature

Modern chemistry and technical advances have produced some startling products in this past century. The kinds of things being developed on the nanotechnology level are mind-boggling. Another area where the most unusual things are happening is in the realm of aerogels.

Aerogels are a substance lighter than air.

Aerogels are synthetic porous, ultralight materials derived from gels in which the liquid part is replaced by gas. The resulting substance is lighter than air, yet retains a shape. The carbon grapheme aerogel is seven times lighter than air. In fact, one the process is completed, you have a substance that is 99.8% air and has a weight of sixteen one-hundreds of a milligram per cubic meter.

All the uses have not yet been fully determined but, like Velcro, it’s suspected that we’ll find increasing varieties of applications over time. NASA has already been using the new substances and this Wikipedia site shows other remarkable applications.

Organic synthesis is yet one more means by which science has re-shaped elements of nature to create products with performance capabilities superior to what can be found in nature, designing at the molecular level. Synthetic lubricants are one of the countless bi-products of modern chemistry that now see extensive use due to their many benefits.

The military began using synthetic oils for jet aircraft shortly after WW2 because of their high and low temperature performance capabilities. When Lt. Col. A.J. Amatuzio introduced this jet age technology to the passenger car market in 1972, many people thought it was too expensive and would never catch on. But as vehicles became more sophisticated, their lubricant requirements became equally sophisticated. AMSOIL was here to stay.

Find out why synthetic oils are now the fastest growing segment of the motor oil market.
 
Photo courtesy Wikipedia. Source: NASA

AMSOIL Declared ‘Turtle Expedition Proven’

Gary and Monika Westcott have seen more sights, sounds and places in the world than most will in a lifetime. Experienced travelers, they have made it their goal to do the impossible at times. In 1996 they drove completely across Russia (including Eastern Siberia) in an adventure both American and Russian experts said could not be done. With 600 miles of driving on frozen Lena River, to arriving at the northernmost city in the world that can be driven to in Hammerfest, Norway, these voyages are not for the faint of heart.

Gary and Monika are now preparing to embark on a two-year adventure from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghai, China in an effort to retrace the vast and sometimes treacherous Silk Road. The Silk Road played a pivotal role in the trade industry for hundreds of years for China and surrounding countries, and is known for the difficulties of its challenging terrain. Taking them on this leg of the Turtle Expedition is their Ford F-550 4X4 named ‘Turtle V’, with AMSOIL on board to provide them with lubricants to make the voyage safe and reliable. With much of this journey taking them through desert conditions, it is imperative they are well-equipped to make it hundreds of miles with no one in sight. Meaning, a breakdown in the journey could prove devastating. AMSOIL will help prevent that.

Gary took some time out of his busy schedule of preparations to send some nice words our way about AMSOIL products and performance:
"As we prepare for our next adventure, a two-year overland trek from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghai, China, retracing the Silk Road, the reliability of our engine, transmission, and gearboxes is critical. Using the AMSOIL Dual By-Pass Oil Filter System, in combination with their full synthetic 15-40 Heavy Duty Diesel & Marine Oil, we will safely extend oil changes up to 30,000 miles under severe conditions, and reduce filter changes to 15,000 miles. AMSOIL full synthetic gear and transmission lubricants are engineered for high-demand applications, including trailer towing, heavy hauling, 4X4 off-road driving, protecting gears and bearings from scoring and wear. With excellent cold-flow properties, they outperform all conventional gear oils. AMSOIL lubricants and filters are Turtle Expedition proven."

AMSOIL is happy to contribute to Gary and Monika's peace of mind. We'll you updated on this adventure as it unfolds.

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

AMSOIL Sponsors SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

Nowadays, people everywhere in every way are looking for ways to go green. This includes more than 150 engineering students from seventeen universities nationwide participating in the 2009 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge. Hosted by Michigan Tech University, this year’s theme is “Flex Fuel.” The event spans six days in March 2009. Students compete in one of two categories, taking a stock snowmobile and reengineering it to reduce emissions and noise while maintaining or improving performance. Finalists compete in a variety of categories including emissions, noise, fuel economy, acceleration, handling, cold start and design. Overall, each team aims to make a better sled that has less impact on the environment.

The first category includes sleds driven by one Internal Combustion (IC) engine, and those in the second category are sleds driven by electrical power with Zero Emissions (ZE). These snowmobiles must be built to meet or exceed the 2012 standards for exhaust emissions and noise output. Furthermore, they must run on bio-fuel only. This creates quite the challenge for these students, and lots of time, research, and ingenuity goes into each project. AMSOIL is very pleased to be associated with these future engineers of America as they look for solutions to better the future of snowmobile design.

The event is hosted by Michigan Tech, and will be held March 16-21 2009 at the KRC Keweenaw Research Center in Houghton, MI. Upwards of 1,000 spectators are expected, and the public is invited to attend any of the competitions. If you can make it, also check out the Polaris Acceleration Event and Polaris Objective Handling Event on Saturday the 21st on the KRC test course. AMSOIL will update the promotions blog with further information as it becomes available, so stay tuned.

AMSOIL-lubed Truck Featured in 8-Lug Diesel

Nice email from AMSOIL friends Don & Erin Brooks of Mesa, Arizona. "Hope all is well on your end and wanted to send you some pics of our 8-LUG feature...WE MADE THE COVER!!!"

It's not every day you get the nod as a cover story. The feature article inside, titled Big Tyme Excursion, details their 2005 Ford Excursion 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel 4x4, "Eddie Bauer" Edition. Way cool, team. What impressed the editors was their attention to detail. Here's a list of their modifications. Their Excursion has been featured in an AMSOIL ad directed to diesel truck owners.

MODIFICATIONS LIST
Paint: Custom tribal graphics featuring "House of Kolor" paint. Black and pewter separated by a tribal pearl orange with silver pearl floating bubbles.
Interior: Custom, is fully wrapped in black, pewter, silver, and orange suede, to match exterior. 2-tone leather seating, black wool carpet from Mercedes Benz
Lift Kit: 8" Donahoe Racing Soft Ride Kit
Shocks: Fox Racing Chrome 2.0 res. Shocks with steel braided lines, and custom billet shock clamps (x 6)
Steering Stabilizer: Fox Racing
Tires: Toyo Tires Open Country M/T's 37"x13.50"R24 tires
Wheels: Customs from Weld Racing 24"x12". Weld Racing made only 4 sets of these EVER!!
Grille: Rolling Big Power blacked out with chrome star.
Lighting: Harley Davidson blacked out headlight housings with Xenon 8000k HID bulbs with 8000k bulbs in fogs also, carbon fiber taillights, Recon dancing strobe lights
Exhaust: Magnaflow 4" turbo back with Rolling Big Power 6" black tip.
Mag: Hytec front and rear differential covers and deep sump transmission cover
Intake: Airraid cold air intake kit
Programmer: Bully Dog Performance PMT unit
Ryno Mfg.: billet rear view mirror, 14" Rockstar drop hitch receiver and 5" billet Ultimate receiver ball
AMP Research: power steps
Transmission: custom torque converter from Monster Transmission
Lubricants: All Amsoil Synthetics

SAE-15W-40 Diesel Motor Oil

SAE-75W-140 Gear Lube for front

SAE-75W-90 Gear Lube for rear
Plus AMSOIL diesel additives: Cold Flow Improver and Diesel Concentrate

Inside the Top Two Engines

If you love a good engine build competition, and especially if you are a Mopar fan, you will want to pick up a copy of the April issue of Mopar Muscle magazine, on your news stand now. On page 30, feature writer Dave Young goes deep inside the makings of the two top engines from the ’07 AMSOIL / MOPAR MUSCLE ENGINE CHALLENGE.

The rules are interesting. These engines must demonstrate that they are capable of the full range of what engines are called upon to do. With multiple qualifying passes and multiple judged pulls on the dyno, the engine must show that it can endure the abuses of highway cruising, and drag strip bruising.

This year’s two top engines were built by Indy Cylinder Head and Schurbon Engine and Machine. It was the closest battle yet in this annual competition, and every picture tells a story in this month’s Mopar Muscle magazine. See how they did it. It’s a pretty cool story with AMSOIL lubricants right in the middle of it.

Weather Dampens Spirits at Bonneville

The Bonneville World Finals was called due to weather.
44 records were broken in just 2½ days.

The AMSOIL/Coddington car never made its record run attempt, having had to qualify for licensing first. Their top speed achieved for qualifying was 184 MPH. They were poised to attempt the record run after installing taller gears and adding back more boost.

Next stop for the team is a one day event at El Mirage Dry Lake in California which has been home to Land Speed Racing and the SCTA. Vehicle inspections begin on the day prior to the race (Saturday) and the racing begins early Sunday morning. The AMSOIL/Coddington team is going to participate and record its times in an effort to prove that the car was built to go over 200 MPH. After this the Car will head to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas for our AMSOIL featured vehicle display and autograph signing.




Jo Coddington was ready to pull out all the stops. Still, it was a great adventure.... with more to come.

HDT Turning Heads with AMSOIL

In 2001 Hayes Diversified Technologies (HDT), located in Hesperia, California, began to produce diesel powered tactical military motorcycles for the U.S. armed services as well as the UK and EU NATO countries. Founded in 1961, the company originally manufactured electro-mechanical switches and relays to the military & aerospace industries.

The new HDT motorcycles are diesel machines combining both power and environmentally friendly performance efficiency. We’re talking about a bike that gets 100 miles to the gallon AND can do 100 mph.

The HDT team was out on the Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this month striving to establish new national and world records. Displaying the AMSOIL colors while going through the paces at Bonneville, they offered up quite a number of very strong endorsements with virtually no prompting. “We noticed an increase in horsepower right away when compared to Delvac 1,” said Fred Hayes, founder/CEO of HDT. “What was quite surprising was the condition of the engine after a 50-mile run-in and over 120 full-throttle dyno runs. The camshaft bearings, the small and large end rod bearings, didn’t even look like they had been run. During that series of dyno runs, we registered the highest horse-power and torque readings ever.”

Dave Anderson, AMSOIL Technical Product Manager, had flown to Bonneville to witness and participate in the pursuit of new land speed records. (See 4 and Sept. 6 Updates) Hayes said to Anderson, “Our testing proved that AMSOIL Series 3000 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil provided better cam bearing lubrication, better transmission operation and less blow-by than our previous oil. We picked up just over one horse power at the rear well.” This is a 3.7% increase and worth a 1 tooth higher gear ratio. “In addition, it appears that overall coolant temperature was down about five degrees.” That is roughly a 2.5% decrease in operating temperatures.

Very few bikers would be opposed to increased horsepower with lower operating temps, simply by switching over the lubricants.

“With over a year of testing, we have found that AMSOIL products continually outperform all other lubricants. AMSOIL provides improved performance, increased fuel economy, lower oil consumption, and significantly reduced engine wear in all operating conditions.”

Look for more on this unfolding story.

Rising Temps Put Stress On Engine Oils

When you think about it, we demand a lot from our motor oil. For example, we all want better fuel economy, so we’re using lighter oils. However, we also want engines to produce more power per cubic inch. To add power, we’re putting in turbochargers which raise the engine temperatures and put higher stress on our oil.

That’s not the only stress. We value cleaner air, so new devices that reduce exhaust emissions place more contamination in the oil and increase engine temperatures. We’ve also cut aerodynamic drag, a plus for vehicle owners, but brutal on oil. By minimizing the air flow over the engine and drivetrain, temperatures also rise.

In fact, the average under-the-hood temperature has increased from 175 degrees Fahrenheit in 1975 to 225 degrees in 2000. Our vehicles are increasingly complex and powerful machines. To keep them running smoothly, we’re demanding that our lubricants do more and last longer.

That is why synthetic motor oils and drivetrain fluids have been increasing in market receptivity over the past two decades. For more information about AMSOIL synthetic motor oils, visit the AMSOIL website at http://www.amsoil.com

If you like racing and have an interest in following our corporate racing activities, be sure to visit and bookmark http://www.amsoil.com/blog/index.aspx

Off-road racing, record chasing on the Bonneville Salt Flats and events like the Diesel Power Challenge can teach a lot about the performance limits of lubricants.