Mobil 1 MX4T vs Amsoil 0w-40 4-stroke....please comment

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related to the prairie 650 thread i started, I'm curious if anyone has comparisons of these two oils they'd like to share. I plan on running some sort of high quality synthetic in my new liquid cooled prairie 650 atv. Any info would be great.
 
I believe the Mobil would be my choice. You don't have to buy a whole case of it at a time!

IMHO the Mobil is the better of the two but I use Castrol Grand Prix mineral oil in my Kawasaki and it works just fine. I have to pinch pennies so no synthetic for me
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quote:

Originally posted by Lightman:
related to the prairie 650 thread i started, I'm curious if anyone has comparisons of these two oils they'd like to share. I plan on running some sort of high quality synthetic in my new liquid cooled prairie 650 atv. Any info would be great.

I believe that those 2 oils are very close in performance. I would guess that price would be the highest concern.

On price the Mobil 1 stuff is usually over $8 a quart.

On the Amsoil Side, you could use the 15w40 down there in FL and get the same high temp protection and it can be had for under $4 a quart in some places. The 10w40 Amsoil is up around $6 at the retail price.

AS far as the 0w40 goes I would not think it would be necessary for your application since you are located in a warm climate. Though for the Amsoil 0w40 it can be had for under $7 at the retail price, less if you can get it at a discount from a Site Sponsor

[ January 17, 2003, 10:20 AM: Message edited by: msparks ]
 
quote:

Originally posted by worriedboutoil:
IMHO the Mobil is the better of the two but (

AS far as which is better the specs are so close it's really not an issue. The Mobil 1 10w40 is a great Oil. Also in the original post the question was comparing the 0w40 Amsoil to the 10w40 Mobil 1, which is not a fair comparison. The Mobil 1 will be a little better becuase it already starts as a 10 weight oil, thats why I gave the 10w40 and 15w40 options.

If you want my opinion the 15w40 Diesel and Marine is the all around best price to performance full synthetic oil on the market. I would not hesitate to use this in any application where a xw40 is called for. And since it does not have the friction modifiers in it, you don't have to worry about clutch compatibility problems associated with wet clutch applications.
 
why not get the amsoil 10w40 high performance or 10w40 motorcycle oil? These oils imo would outperform the mobil mx4t and are about 2 bucks cheaper per quart.
 
quote:

Originally posted by HOndaGuy:
why not get the amsoil 10w40 high performance or 10w40 motorcycle oil? These oils imo would outperform the mobil mx4t and are about 2 bucks cheaper per quart.

Hence why I was talking about the 15w40 even less per quart.

But Tooslick brings up a point about the deposits.

Does anyone know what the TBN of the Mobil 1 MX4T is? I looked on the Mobil 1 site and it wasn't published.
 
"I have noticed some of these new ATV's and four stroke snowmobiles recommend against using a CI-4 rated formulation."
ooslick, What brands and models are you refering to?
 
It was interesting to note that the most recent (Jan 03) issue of Motorcycle Consumer's motorcycle oil comparison results show the Mobil 1 MX4T and Amsoil to be consistently in the top 5 rankings in their tests. I do not think you could go wrong with either oil; moreover both oils are head and shoulders above 98% of motorcycle oils...... Superb products that make a difference; especially when you turn that right handle!
George
 
Mike,

I have noticed some of these new ATV's and four stroke snowmobiles recommend against using a CI-4 rated formulation. I suspect this may be to control high temp combustion chamber deposits? For example, the TBN of the 0w-40 is only about 9.0 , vs 12.8 for the Amsoil 15w-40 diesel oil. In other words, the 0w-40 Four Stroke oil has lower levels of metallic detergent/dispersant additives.

Lightman asked me this same question a few weeks back and so I suggested the 0w-40. I believe the Mobil 1, 10w-40 is also SJ/CF rated?, so it would be fine as well. The M1, 10w-40 has excellent high temp specs, by the way.

I think I'd just use whatever was more cost effective and/or convenient in this particular application. Both oils are very good ....
 
Ben,

Lightman send me a note that had some of the language from his Kawa owners manual in it and as I recall they recommended against using HD "fleet oils" in this motor. I took that to mean heavy duty, CI-4 rated diesel oils. It is possible that this was not the intention of this language, however. For example, I do know that Harley Davidson specifically recommends 15w-40 oils as an alternate to HD oils. The reasons for this are that they have robust levels of ZDDP and they aren't friction modified.

If anybody has a new ATV or four stroke "sled", I'd be very interested in what generic types of oils are recommended, aside from the manufacturers brand lube of course ....I know that Polaris recommends 0w-40 synthetics for their stuff and they make a branded lube in this grade. I think this is an SH/SJ/CF rated oil?

TooSlick
 
I know that Polaris recommends 0w-40 synthetics for their stuff and they make a branded lube in this grade. I think this is an SH/SJ/CF rated oil?


More likely they are buying it from someone with their label on it
 
quote:

I know that Polaris recommends 0w-40 synthetics for their stuff and they make a branded lube in this grade. I think this is an SH/SJ/CF rated oil?

As an alternative to the Polaris oil, they do specify an SJ rated oil.
 
interesting discussion guys, thanks for the replies. I went with the amsoil 0w-40 for $5.10 per quart, seemed like the way to go. I've only run the quad once since I changed to the amsoil, but I (possibly my subconscious
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) swear the engine seems to run more smoothly with the synthetic compared to the factory kawasaki petro oil.

George, just curious, were any of maxima's oils rated in those comparisons you read? I've had great results with their 2 stroke oils over the years in my pwc's , but haven't really heard much about their 4-stroke stuff. I contacted maxima and this is what they replied with.

"We also blend light viscosity oils and stand firmly behind them. We have our Maxum4 Ultra 0w30 and Maxum4 Ultra 5w40. Both of these oils have extensive testing and track time (in fact, there were 2 AMA championships won using these oils in 2002.) I feel more than comfortable putting these oils up against any of the other oils on the market. The main difference you’ll see with Maxima synthetic oils is our extensive use of high-end esters as our choice for synthetics. Many of our competitors are using Group III basestocks (which are glorified petroleum oils) and PAOs. Esters will out perform all of the other types of synthetics (friction, load carrying capability, etc.) Another main advantage of our oils are that they are true ATV specific oils—meaning they are blended with robust additive systems containing extreme pressure additives that act as a safety net for your motor. Look for API SG rated additive systems to ensure that you are getting the most protection for your quad. These specs are published in most owner’s manuals—Motorcycle/ATV Specific API SG and JASO MA."
 
quote:

Originally posted by 47HO:

quote:

I know that Polaris recommends 0w-40 synthetics for their stuff and they make a branded lube in this grade. I think this is an SH/SJ/CF rated oil?

As an alternative to the Polaris oil, they do specify an SJ rated oil.


Correction: The manual specifies an SH rated oil.
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