Is Amsoil Really Worth The Money?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
31
Location
Imperial Missouri
I have a 2006 F-250 with a 6.0 diesel engine. I use the Motorcraft 15w-40 diesel oil. I pay $9.89 at Walmart for 5 quarts. The Amsoil will be $20.00 a gallon with a $20.00 a year prefered membership. Will Amsoil really be better for my truck in the long run. I plan on driving this truck until the engine goes. I drive a bout 400 highway miles a week and tow occasionally? Thanks for any help.
 
I will answer by first asking a question. Was your diesel engine worth the price Vs a gasoline engine? Someone else brought this up awhile back and this has always been my opinion. If you buy a $20K car or a $55K truck, what's it worth to you. I base my motor oil purchases on what I believe will best take care of my second most expensive possession. The price of the oil NEVER enters into my thought process. I want what I believe is the best for me regardless of price. Is Amsoil better than Motorcraft, I believe it is and if you are thinking about using it, price should be no concern, especially since you plan on keeping the truck until the engine goes.
 
Facts,, over the road semitrucks regularly get 1 million miles running Delo 400, Delvac1300,Rotella 15w/40. These semis cost $70,000+ new so if $10.00 a gallon works in a $70,000+ semitruck motor it should be fine in yours. The price of the oil has nothing to do with its protection . Running a syn oil whether Rotella syn.Amsoil Syn ,Schaeffers syn in theory should give you easier starting in sub freezing temps, run a bypass filter and I would say a real good chance of increased miles per oil change,which at 400 miles per week would be nice . Amsoil syn with an Amsoil bypass filter would work. Study up the uoas.
 
You know, with the soot issues....diesel cylinder wash issues....and the close neck to neck running anymore with any oil regardless of price. I would look at UOA's and cost per mile before just buying an oil by price. Do some research and you can make an informed decision.

The best oil might be the ticket for a diesel engine, or an engine with lots of mileage. But consider cost per mile after doing your research. Changing more often might be the ticket with a diesel vs. letting the better oil fight off the elements for longer periods of time. In today's world....think like the bigboys and figure out your cost per mile.
 
I am new to the forum. What is a UAO? I don't mind spending the extra money on the Amsoil if it will make my truck last longer.
 
Originally Posted By: ozzmann
I am new to the forum. What is a UAO? I don't mind spending the extra money on the Amsoil if it will make my truck last longer.
What gives you the idea it will make your engine last longer?
 
Because it is a full synthetic oil. I have always heard synthetic oil makes your engine run cooler. I am just trying to find out if synthetic oil is worth the money or should I just stick with Motorcraft or another good dino oil. Any help would be great.
 
I agree with Johnny. Price really isn't an issue when you compare the value of the engine you are putting it in. Never understood the logic although to their credit, most of it is simply marketing. Amsoil however is one of the few synthetics that actually is worth it IMHO.
 
Hi,
ozzman - IMO you should use a lubricant that has been Approved by the engine's manufacturer as it will be compliant with its needs

Only in extended OCIs and after doing a cost benefit analysis will it become obvious which is the best if you chose to use Amsoil against the others

There are many great synthetic lubricants around that have the manufacturer's Approval
 
Last edited:
Amsoil IS worth the money for protection and longer intervals b/t oil changes. The one thing that you may not have thought about though is that the 6.0 PSD shears oil more than any other Diesel Engine. Due to this, you need to change the oil in your truck more than the others. NO oil rally protects against shearing as well as Schaeffer's Synthetic, Rotella Synthetic, or Amsoil. For that reason alone, I would use a synth oil in my $50k truck, no matter what the cost. Hope this helps.
 
Hi,
cowhorse01 - Yes, well I used Delvac 1 5w-40 in my $A250000 line haul DD Series 60 500hp/1650ftlbs powered (95000lbs GVM) tractor units. These engines cost $A50k per each!

At an average of 56k OCIs over many engines and millions of kms there was never a loss (or gain) from the original viscosity either

The true test of "worth" depends on the end result - I spent the extra money on the lubricant but I expected the benefit too!

The same applies to Amsoil products no doubt
 
Last edited:
I guess it all come down to what each individual feels what works best for them. Me, I truly feel that if I were to run any of the following: Delo/Schaeffer's/Delvac/Petro-Can/Valvoline (my favorite brands, 5W40 or 15W40) for 15000 miles and take UOA, The UOA's would be better with said brands as opposed to Amsoil. This is my belief and also related to UOA's I have run with some of those brands and also the AME Amsoil. I could explain the 101 variables involved in my oil runs, but like I said, it comes down to what I feel works better for me- and its not Amsoil. I certainly like their Bypass systems and driveline lubricants though...
 
Last edited:
I have used, Motorcraft(10w30,15w40) Rotella(10w30,not impressed,15w40) Royal Purple 15w40, Amsoil 15w40, 5w30HDD, Texaco Ursa 15w40, Delvac1 5w40(3 times), Delo 5w40.

I did UOA's on each except the Ams 15w40, MC 10w30, RT 10w30.

Best mileage increase Amsoil 5w30 HDD
Worst wear numbers of the bunch Amsoil 5w30 HDD.

Best wear numbers Delvac1 5w40
Best for Viscosity break down Delvac1 5w40( all others sheared like crazy at a 7000 kms. interval.
Best for overall driveability, Delvac, Amsoil, Delo.

I'm sure their are others, Shaeffers, Redline, Torco. I can only say what I know and that's is what happened for me in my 6.0L Ford diesel.

I have some little gensets as well 15Kw and have been run on 15w40 HDEO for 60,000 hrs, no ill effects. That's like 7 years of running full time 24/7. I figure the engine doens't owe me anything, but would a synthetic have helped............dunno....don't care.

In my six oh it is happy with 5w40 delvac1 and have the info to provide the piece of mind I need.
 
I agree that price isn't the best criteria to judge an oil, but VALUE is. And I'll distinguish that very specifically.

Amsoil is a high-end high-quality synthetic-based line of lubricants; it has many direct and indirect competitors. With that in mind, you need to understand that "synthetic" lubricants are much better at longevity of service, but not necessisarily better at protecting your engine. Look over many of the hundreds of UOA's here on this site. There are PLENTY of "conventional/dino" oils that turn in stellar UOAs. I personally posted a UOA for my neighbor's '05 6.0L PSD F-350 that had outstanding UOA results for a 5k mile run on conventional Rotella 10w-30. It was so good, that we're trying 7.5k miles next; and we'll keep pushing it out until a UOA shows it's no longer advisable to continue service.

Now, we need to revisit our grade-school math concept of "association" for this next point I'm going to make. It's greatly important to understand that ANY lubricant eventually gets contaminated, and has it's additive package depleted, to a point where it's unadvisable to use the fluid anymore. It doesn't matter if it's group II, III, IV or V; they all eventually get into a state where they should no longer be used. Therefore, the protection level they offer is eventually compromised. Therefore, at some point, ANY lubricant would return a bad UOA. The point here is that a synthetic and a conventional oil will both give appropriate protection of the engine; it's just that synthetics are capable of doing it longer.

Synthetics also offer some extreme enviornment abilities that a trump a conventional fluid. But, be careful here, because quite often these attributes are embraced for situations that NEVER come up. Unless you live in the true artic region, where -15dF ambient temps are routine, then cold pumpability isn't really a big deal. Further, extreme heat isn't as big a deal as you think, because (presuming your cooling and lube systems are functioning as designed) you engine won't tyically see over 210dF anyway. I agree that synthetics perform better at these extremes, but since you RARELY IF EVER SEE THIS HAPPEN, it's an added benefit you'll not likely capitalize on.

So this leaves us with lubricant life as the main selling point of synthetics. Here, synthetics typically do outlast, and therefore outperform, dino oils. Each engine design and regional environment contribute to the overall longevity of a lubricant as well. But overall, it's very fair to say the synthetics will easily outlast dino's, given near identical operating arenas.

With that in mind, the question of "better" becomes one of value, and not price. Value is what you get for your money, not what you pay. If you can consistnetly use UOAs and extend your drain intervals, then synthetics will pay off in the long run, and therefore would be "better" financially. If you're going to run 5k or 7.5k mile OCIs regardless, then synthetics are not a good value at all, because you cannot dollar-cost-average justify the expense.

It's up to you, not us, if synthetic is better, based upon your use. Regarding your initial question: in no way do I believe that Amsoil will be "better" in the long run. Proper maintenance routines will be "better" in the long run. How you achieve that is a matter of personal preference. Many people use synthetics with the false assumption that they are protecting their vehicle better, yet they still change their fluid at "dino" intervals. UOAs clearly show there is no advantage to this practice.

Synthetics and bypass filtration are tools for making lubricants last longer, not equipment.
 
Well, a friend of mine running Ford vans on commuter runs found that (using oil analysis) he could extend the drain interval significantly. Where he had been changing oil in six vans every month, he ended up testing the oil every 3 months. Average oil change interval, based on analysis, was over 60K.

He had to junk one of the vans finally. Well over 900K on it, but the body was about shot and it was leaning so much that no-one wanted to drive it anymore.

Would regular oil have given him the same service? Maybe. But he continues to use AMSOIL in his new vans. And he says it saves him quite a bit of money.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top