Devils in Disguise - Knowing what oils NOT to use
- Thread starter Tom NJ
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Curious they consider SJ "current".
Interesting-so pre-SF oils don't have to pass ANY TESTS AT ALL!
Apparently motorcycle oils don't have to have the API donut symbol on them. Harley oil doesn't even say its API certified,and other brands like Amsoil, and Valvoline say it meets or exceeds API ratings but don't actually have the symbol on the bottle. In a Harley manual I have, it states if Harley oil isn't available to use an oil with a SG rating.But if its obsolete, what are you supposed to use?.,,
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Interesting-so pre-SF oils don't have to pass ANY TESTS AT ALL!
Officially, they don't exist because API won't grant licenses for them.
I was surprised to see there are still SH licenses even though it is called obsolete by the API.
Interesting-so pre-SF oils don't have to pass ANY TESTS AT ALL!
Officially, they don't exist because API won't grant licenses for them.
I was surprised to see there are still SH licenses even though it is called obsolete by the API.
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Apparently motorcycle oils don't have to have the API donut symbol on them. Harley oil doesn't even say its API certified,and other brands like Amsoil, and Valvoline say it meets or exceeds API ratings but don't actually have the symbol on the bottle. In a Harley manual I have, it states if Harley oil isn't available to use an oil with a SG rating.But if its obsolete, what are you supposed to use?.,,
No oil has to have an API donut symbol but if it doesn't it's not an API approved oil unless some company went to the trouble and expense to get their oil API approved and doesn't want to admit it.
Apparently motorcycle oils don't have to have the API donut symbol on them. Harley oil doesn't even say its API certified,and other brands like Amsoil, and Valvoline say it meets or exceeds API ratings but don't actually have the symbol on the bottle. In a Harley manual I have, it states if Harley oil isn't available to use an oil with a SG rating.But if its obsolete, what are you supposed to use?.,,
No oil has to have an API donut symbol but if it doesn't it's not an API approved oil unless some company went to the trouble and expense to get their oil API approved and doesn't want to admit it.
Thanks Tom NJ! Hey just curious but are you going to run another "majors" oil testing battery. The oils I see on PQIA lately are ones I would never consider putting in my car in the first place. The majority of the people who know about the PQIA have some knowledge of oil, and though it is very informative to know who is not towing the line, I would like to see more majors testing. Either way I love the site and thank you for your work!
Originally Posted By: chubbs1
Thanks Tom NJ! Hey just curious but are you going to run another "majors" oil testing battery. The oils I see on PQIA lately are ones I would never consider putting in my car in the first place. The majority of the people who know about the PQIA have some knowledge of oil, and though it is very informative to know who is not towing the line, I would like to see more majors testing. Either way I love the site and thank you for your work!
Hi Chubbs,
Just to clarify, I am not an employee of PQIA, just an advisor, so I don't make the calls or speak for them. My comments here are just my opinion.
PQIA samples oils randomly and seeks to cover all motor oil types and regions. They sometimes choose oils within a theme, such as the first run they did on "Majors" in order to establish a baseline of data for the most commonly used oils. Eventually most oils will be run, including synthetics and SNs.
That said, remember their mission is not to provide free VOAs to BITOGers so they can compare oils in their quest-for-the-best obsession.
Their mission is to serve consumers, 99.9% of whom are not BITOGers. The people here may find some of PQIA's work to be basic, but the vast masses know nothing about oil and they are the ones most vulnerable to fraud and scams.
One way to protect ordinary folks is to educate them on how to purchase motor oils and what to avoid, which PQIA attempts to do with the educational articles they publish on their website and news releases. Reaching out to consumers, however, is a very difficult, expensive, and long time job. The API has been charged with educating consumers on motor oils for decades, and yet over 90% of the people I talk to have no idea what SM means, and think "donuts" are to be dunked in coffee. Unless one can afford a long term nationwide television commercial campaign, or coax 60 Minutes to take up the story, the education approach will have limited effectiveness.
Another approach is to identify and expose the oils on retail shelves that are potentially damaging to engines, and work to get these products off the shelves. This can be faster and more effective than trying to drive consumers to the website to learn about oils. Many BITOGers have asked for more data on the major popular oils, but the fact is the concentration of potentially damaging motor oils is much higher among smaller brand oils, as evidenced by the PQIA findings to date. To solve a problem, sometimes it makes more sense to go to where the problem is.
Tom NJ
Thanks Tom NJ! Hey just curious but are you going to run another "majors" oil testing battery. The oils I see on PQIA lately are ones I would never consider putting in my car in the first place. The majority of the people who know about the PQIA have some knowledge of oil, and though it is very informative to know who is not towing the line, I would like to see more majors testing. Either way I love the site and thank you for your work!
Hi Chubbs,
Just to clarify, I am not an employee of PQIA, just an advisor, so I don't make the calls or speak for them. My comments here are just my opinion.
PQIA samples oils randomly and seeks to cover all motor oil types and regions. They sometimes choose oils within a theme, such as the first run they did on "Majors" in order to establish a baseline of data for the most commonly used oils. Eventually most oils will be run, including synthetics and SNs.
That said, remember their mission is not to provide free VOAs to BITOGers so they can compare oils in their quest-for-the-best obsession.
One way to protect ordinary folks is to educate them on how to purchase motor oils and what to avoid, which PQIA attempts to do with the educational articles they publish on their website and news releases. Reaching out to consumers, however, is a very difficult, expensive, and long time job. The API has been charged with educating consumers on motor oils for decades, and yet over 90% of the people I talk to have no idea what SM means, and think "donuts" are to be dunked in coffee. Unless one can afford a long term nationwide television commercial campaign, or coax 60 Minutes to take up the story, the education approach will have limited effectiveness.
Another approach is to identify and expose the oils on retail shelves that are potentially damaging to engines, and work to get these products off the shelves. This can be faster and more effective than trying to drive consumers to the website to learn about oils. Many BITOGers have asked for more data on the major popular oils, but the fact is the concentration of potentially damaging motor oils is much higher among smaller brand oils, as evidenced by the PQIA findings to date. To solve a problem, sometimes it makes more sense to go to where the problem is.
Tom NJ
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Apparently motorcycle oils...
I have been meaning to ask this a long time:
As there are plenty of good quality motorcycle oils - dino, semi-synth and synth - available, do you see any problems in using them in car engines? For example Motul 5100 10W-40 Ester semi-synth in a small block Chevy?
Would the clutch/gearbox additives have any adverse effects in an automotive engine?
Apparently motorcycle oils...
I have been meaning to ask this a long time:
As there are plenty of good quality motorcycle oils - dino, semi-synth and synth - available, do you see any problems in using them in car engines? For example Motul 5100 10W-40 Ester semi-synth in a small block Chevy?
Would the clutch/gearbox additives have any adverse effects in an automotive engine?
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Apparently motorcycle oils don't have to have the API donut symbol on them. Harley oil doesn't even say its API certified,and other brands like Amsoil, and Valvoline say it meets or exceeds API ratings but don't actually have the symbol on the bottle. In a Harley manual I have, it states if Harley oil isn't available to use an oil with a SG rating.But if its obsolete, what are you supposed to use?.,,
I think the PQIA graphic is specific to "passenger car" usage. Motorcycles are very different, and as such an "obsolete" passenger car oil could well be "current" for a motorcycle.
Apparently motorcycle oils don't have to have the API donut symbol on them. Harley oil doesn't even say its API certified,and other brands like Amsoil, and Valvoline say it meets or exceeds API ratings but don't actually have the symbol on the bottle. In a Harley manual I have, it states if Harley oil isn't available to use an oil with a SG rating.But if its obsolete, what are you supposed to use?.,,
I think the PQIA graphic is specific to "passenger car" usage. Motorcycles are very different, and as such an "obsolete" passenger car oil could well be "current" for a motorcycle.
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