Amsoil vs Schaeffers ATF

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
6,053
Location
VA
How would you compare the two? Is one better than the other? I know one is cheaper. But how do I compare quality? My cars require either T IV or WS.
 
Without durability and wear testing it is difficult to make a one-on-one comparison between two products. The best thing a consumer can do is compare specifications and review the builder approvals that the product carries. Everything else is simply marketing hype.
 
While I cant compare the two (I have not used Schaeffers) I can tell you the Amsoil works very well in every vehicle I have used it on and that's almost every make listed as compatible on the Amsoil list. It is the only ATF I buy and have been buying it for over 12 years now, not one lube fail in any unit I put it in.
I am sure the Schaeffers is a good product I just haven't tried it and don't feel the need to, I tend to stay with what works.
 
I never used Schaeffers but I have used Amsoil and it works great, high quality products that work well. Search the web, I doubt you will find anything negative about it.
 
Originally Posted by diyjake
I never used Schaeffers but I have used Amsoil and it works great, high quality products that work well. Search the web, I doubt you will find anything negative about it.



You will find plenty negative opinions on Amsoil.
 
You will get a lot of negative opinions on everything online but unless there's proof or some kind of evidence, it doesn't mean anything. I am not saying Amsoil is perfect or best of the best, I am just saying their products are high quality I've used them and would recommend them to anyone.
 
I have been to the blending facilities of both companies and IMHO both are highly conscientious blenders using the highest quality components.

Schaeffer Oil is an older company headquartered in St. Louis, my home town, with a long history providing lubricants from westward expansion Wagon Wheel grease to modern synthetic lubricants. They provide bulk oils to Agriculture, Trucking, and Heavy Industry. Schaeffer's Oil was the first to use various moly compounds in many applications.

Amsoil is a younger, innovative company that introduced the first API approved Full Synthetic diester PCMO.

Both companies have a wide range of products.

In my view, you cannot go wrong with products from either company.
 
when Amsoil advertised and touted PAO and Ester likely as well i paid the higher price, today they are not saying anything!! they are prolly still better but the question is the product worth it. i don't use amsoil products anymore as todays fake synthetic oils @ $5 a qt are plenty good, when i want something better its Redline!! drivetrain lubes are rarely changed and when they are better lubes are a good choice IMO
 
Amsoil has always treated me well with any of their fluids I have used. Including the Santa Fe in my signature that used their oil and ATF the majority of its life. I haven't used the other but it appears to be good from what I read and see here.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by benjy
when Amsoil advertised and touted PAO and Ester likely as well i paid the higher price, today they are not saying anything!! they are prolly still better but the question is the product worth it. i don't use amsoil products anymore as todays fake synthetic oils @ $5 a qt are plenty good, when i want something better its Redline!! drivetrain lubes are rarely changed and when they are better lubes are a good choice IMO

smirk2.gif
This again? Give it a rest. "Fake Synthetic"
smirk2.gif
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by benjy
when Amsoil advertised and touted PAO and Ester likely as well i paid the higher price, today they are not saying anything!! they are prolly still better but the question is the product worth it. i don't use amsoil products anymore as todays fake synthetic oils @ $5 a qt are plenty good, when i want something better its Redline!! drivetrain lubes are rarely changed and when they are better lubes are a good choice IMO

smirk2.gif
This again? Give it a rest. "Fake Synthetic"
smirk2.gif



To be fair he is recommending the fake over the legit synthetic.
 
I see the point though. When Amsoil was using PAO and Esters exclusively in its products it shouted it out to the world in its advertisements. Now its more of a smoke and mirrors marketing style to make you believe that the oil is still PAO's and esters and not class III based with a dash of the more expensive synthetics which I believe it has become. Problem is you can't really be sure and it varies from product to product. Is Amsoil a superb oil? Is it more superb than Walmart synthetic? Don't know without transparency and that is one thing Amsoil is not, transparent in its ingredients.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
I see the point though. When Amsoil was using PAO and Esters exclusively in its products it shouted it out to the world in its advertisements. Now its more of a smoke and mirrors marketing style to make you believe that the oil is still PAO's and esters and not class III based with a dash of the more expensive synthetics which I believe it has become. Problem is you can't really be sure and it varies from product to product. Is Amsoil a superb oil? Is it more superb than Walmart synthetic? Don't know without transparency and that is one thing Amsoil is not, transparent in its ingredients.

Not even XOM or Sopus is going to divulge that. Want the info, pay for the test. But you can't say it doesn't have PAO or Ester or Group III Basestocks otherwise.
wink.gif


Further how would folks be able to go 25,000 miles on a Group III and even longer with bypass filtration setup's as confirmed by the UOA's here when M1 is putting a boatload of PAO in their Annual Protection product to make it last 20,000 miles?
wink.gif


Maybe MolaKule knows having experience at his level. MolaKule?
Do you know approximately what their main Basestock is?
 
Last edited:
Fact is, Amsoil would still be shouting to the rooftops that it was a true 100% group IV base stock oil if it was. Since it doesn't, you are left to conjecture upon amounts of other stocks. Sort of like synthetic blends. All the companies for the American market are doing it though. This isn't to say that it isn't a superior product and they have found the perfect sweet spot of blending. I'm using Red Line in my vehicles now. I am probably going to start using Ravenol soon. I have a pretty good Idea what is in both of these products due to their published data. Ravenol has the manufacturer approvals hence the swap. In order to get that manufacturer approval in Red Line or Amsoil you have to drop from their top tier synthetics to something else that is probably repackaged from Warren.
 
Originally Posted by benjy
when Amsoil advertised and touted PAO and Ester likely as well i paid the higher price, today they are not saying anything!! they are prolly still better but the question is the product worth it. i don't use amsoil products anymore as todays fake synthetic oils @ $5 a qt are plenty good, when i want something better its Redline!! drivetrain lubes are rarely changed and when they are better lubes are a good choice IMO


I tried Redline in a VW manual transmission and it is truly garbage. Seriously the cheapest dino mtf swill shifted better than that stuff and cold it wouldn't hardly shift at all, I am in no rush to buy anything from them other than their SI-1 and compressor oil. MTF II shifts slick even in winter.
Redline claim to be a specialty formulator but cant even make a decent performing fluid for the vehicle they recommend it for.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
...Amsoil was using PAO and Esters exclusively in its products it shouted it out to the world in its advertisements. Now its more of a smoke and mirrors marketing style to make you believe that the oil is still PAO's and esters and not class III based with a dash of the more expensive synthetics which I believe it has become. Problem is you can't really be sure and it varies from product to product. Is Amsoil a superb oil? Is it more superb than Walmart synthetic? Don't know without transparency and that is one thing Amsoil is not, transparent in its ingredients.


I have a slightly different view of this.

When Al Amatuzio claimed his API 10W40 was 100% synthetic he was telling the truth as it was about 87% diester (Group V) base oil with the rest being additives. Secondly, there were no other competitors who could claim this.

When Group V oils became more expensive, he admitted publicly they were shifting to majority PAO's for their FS products. When other competitors started coming out of the woodwork it was important to really hold the formulations close, so the proclamations became less about base oil content or % and more on finished product performance.

No, and I repeat NO oil blender is going to tell you their formulations are, and they are under no obligation to do so.

Therefore, NO blender is going to tell you what their formulations contain.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top