Amsoil's oil lineup is confusing

[blackman777]

In gasoline oils they have Signature, XL, and OE oils. That's easy to understand: best, better, and good.

But then they have a separate line for European cars labeled "SAPS', which do not follow the above levels of quality. Are the Euro oils as good as Signature? The pricetag suggests "no" and that they are equivalent to XL in quality, but who knows? (can't be sure)

Next they have diesel oils which seem completely random.

There's "premium", OE, Series 3000, and heavy duty. OE==OE. Obvious. I would guess the premium==XL in quality but once again I don't know for sure. And where does Series 3000 fit in? I suppose it equals "signature" level of quality based on its high price. (And heavy duty? Not a clue where that fits.)

 

[panthermike]

I don't find it that confusing really, although they do have many to choose from. Just reading the specs on the oils gives you an idea. As you said, OE=OE for manufacturer recommended OCI's. The 3000 is 5w30 so it's for a more specific app, plus the TBN is nice and high at 12.1 with a low noack of 8.6%. The premium appears to be suitable for extended OCI's and come in 15w40/5w40.

The SAPS oils are low/mid/high SAPS, dependent on your needs.

 

[chubbs1]

I think your mistake is looking at price to compare what is "best". Just because something is expensive does not mean it is the best in any product. Don't worry about the Low/Mid SAPS oils unless you have a European vehicle requiring the specs. It is not confusing just look at your goals (extended OCI, low NOACK Volatility) and go from there.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

I LIKE THE VERBAGE OF:
Expensive-Crazy expensive-Extremely Expensive!

HOWEVER;

If you do regular OCI's the expensive will work great. If you extend a bit more crazy is better. If you really extend with used oil analysis extremely is best.


Now to bring the crazyness into perspective ; These products are top.of the line and how you use them will bring the price down to REASONABLE!

 

[blackman777]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
Don't worry about the Low/Mid SAPS oils unless you have a European vehicle requiring the specs.

That's another thing: The High SAPS is about 8 dollars and the Low SAPS is 11. I would have expected it to be opposite (more SAPS == more additives==more expense). Or else the same price across the line.

Mobil is easy to understand: Mobil 1 is their best. Mobil Super 2nd best. And then there's the Delvac line for commercial vehicles. Quaker and Pennzoil have similar easy-to-understand designations. Amsoil does not.

 

[Garak]

Low SAPS probably implies more expensive additives, rather than less additives.

 

[blackman777]

So the OE line. Best to avoid it?

 

[BigBird57]

I used to be a diehard Amsoil advocate. The new line up has went against every single thing Big Al preached for years.The "OE" and "XL" lines are no more than altered Group III motor oil. The "SS" is their premuim line which is likely GroupIV/V. Mr. Peterson stated to me on the phone Amsoil uses all of the groups of oil basestock to formulate their oils.
They are now no different than Castrol,Mobil or any other manufacturer. I use whatever SN rated oil that I can get for the lowest price. Currently G-oil 5w30(SM) which is a groupV motor oil and RP 5w-20 on the Pep Boys coupon special.
No more blind allegiance to any oil brand. They can keep their $12 per case shipping charge as well.

 

[wolfc70]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
So the OE line. Best to avoid it?


No. It is a good oil, comparable to any off the shelf synthetic. There are many here (Artem being one) who did a few used oil analysis on Amsoil OE. The results were pretty boring, so the oil did its job. I was all set to order some OE 0w-20 when the local Toyota dealer said they would sell me a case of TGMO 0w-20 for $5.65 a quart.The OE PC price is very competitive. The shipping does drop the value a bit. If I could find a place in 30 miles from where I live that could sell it close to the PC price, It's all I would use.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Low SAPS probably implies more expensive additives, rather than less additives.

That's my understanding, too. It's harder to make an add pack that in smaller quantities will do as good of a job as a large add pack.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
So the OE line. Best to avoid it?


No, unless it doesn't near anywhere meet the specifications of the vehicle. I'd use it with confidence in my G, for instance.

 

[sm00thpapa]

What's confusing?

OE up to 7,500 miles
XL up to 10,000 miles
SS up to 25,000 miles

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
What's confusing?

OE up to 7,500 miles
XL up to 10,000 miles
SS up to 25,000 miles


DON'T forget the disclaimers such as....

 

[HM12460]

Their website annoys me more than anything else.

 

[Toto]

AMSOIL is not that confusing they provide choices and options and that is good for consumers. Like anything else you need to do some basic reading and research of their material to find what suits your need and comfort level on OCI intervals for your application, lets not forget you can call/email AMSOIL or an AMSOIL dealer for help in managing this.

Concerning the AMSOIL website what I like best is the upfront information of current and up to date product data sheets that is awesome compared to some others.

Some people criticize AMSOIL for their slick packaging and advertising but I figure they do things right and that is a reflection of their overall product quality and commitment as a company.

Toto.

 

[blackman777]

Originally Posted By: sm00thpapa
What's confusing?
OE up to 7,500 miles; XL up to 10,000 miles; SS up to 25,000 miles

As I said in post 1, those oils are not confusing. It's their Diesel oils that are confusing. I have no idea which one is supposed to be the best, the middle, and the worst. Maybe you can explain it to me.