Question for Amsoil techs: S2K cost vs value

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Been reading some old posts on Series 2K 0W-30. Since it hit the market I have been using this oil in my 96 Cherokee for full time rural mail delivery. I am happy with the 2 UOAs I have done so far, but after reading several opinions on the old posts I have to question, would I be better off with a different oil? The Jeep now has 232,000 miles, about 80% actual mail route miles, and is using about a quart per 6000 miles. Last oil change I installed my old Amsoil dual bypass on it. My plan is to change the full flow filter and send in a sample for UOA at 12,500 miles, then as long as the UOA is OK, run it for another 12,500 and then change oil and filters. This would be about a 1 year OCI, vs the almost 3 changes per year I have been doing. The series 2K 0W-30 is advertized as "severe service" oil, and I consider my use severe. About 20 miles of gravel roads on my 90 mile route (430 boxes) 5 days a week all year long. Cold in the winter (well, most winters) and and hot in the summer. Also, I pull a 16 foot tandem axle trailer with it once in a while. So what are your thoughts? Is the costly Series 2K 0W-30 still the best oil for this vehicle? Thanks.
 
Seems to be doing great for your vehicle -- provided there's no sludge inside. Just until recently, Amsoil was known for oil thickening as the oil aged.

If no sludge is evident, you appear to be on your way to 350K with that vehicle -- if rust doesn't get to her first.
 
A qt in 6000 miles is nothing for a 232000 mile engine.

I do know where you are coming from. Your plan sounds OK. Here's some oils I recommend that will cost you less and still be fine for that service:

Amsoil 15W-40 AME. You could use almost use this year 'round. Only in the most coldest every 20 year artic blast might it be a bit viscous.

Amsoil 5W-40 AFL.
Amsoil 5W-30 or 10W-30. ASL/ATM/ACD.
 
Pablo,
It's about 0 degrees right now and the forcast is for -7 tonight. IMO the 15W-40 is a little heavy for this weather. Although, I keep my Jeep in a heated garage at night, so it could be used. The ASL 5W-30 is almost $2.00 per quart less dealer cost than the TSO 0W-30. That's around 27% cheaper if I did the math correctly. The ACD is about 34% less than TSO. So what am I getting for the big difference with TSO 0W-30? It's thinner so it is advertised as provinding a little better gas milage. The specs for TSO and ASL/ATM are exactly the same according to my dealer price sheet. The bottom line is the Series 2000 cost from $1.95 to $2.41 per quart more than ASL/ATM/ACD and I have no idea why. Thanks for your input.

Neal
 
Heftier additive package, note that the 0W has the 35,000 mile limit, the others 25,000 miles.

So much depends on the engine and conditions. I am all over the place in my Amosil usage, I had hoped to get one that would fit all engines, forget it, I have a 0W in one that does great, 10W30 in another that does fine and now (get this) going to try a 50-50 blend of the 10W40 and 5W30 series 3000 to see if I can get a slightly higher visocity to reduce slight oil consumption in a third. My trial of 0W in the fourth failed miserably now trying the 5w SERIES 3000 in an effort to reduce excessive iron wear.

IMO if something works stay with it and you seem to have one that works fine.
 
I would look into using the S3000 HDD if your stuck on amsoil with your jeep. You have a heated garage and you have a problem with oil cost???
 
forcedtalon,
Currently I am using Series 2000 in 3 vehicles. The The cost difference between Amsoil Series 2000 and their other synthetic oils is not huge, but over a period of years, the 2 bucks a quart difference added up will be a significant amount. Don't get the wrong picture just because I heat my garage with a salamander space heater on a thermostat. I am NOT wealthy. If I were wealthy, I would not be using a 9 yr old Jeep with 232,000 miles on it to make my living. Now please tell my why you would recommend the Series 3000 HDD over the Series 2000 TSO. There is only a nickel a quart difference in price. Although I am not stuck on Amsoil, I do believe in the quality of their products. However, if something else is a better product, or better value, I am open to try it.
The one big difference in my Jeep is the type of driving I do. A lot of stop and go and idleing all day long. I typically drive about 5.5 hours a day and put on only about 100 miles. So you can see that the 232,000 miles I have are many thousands of hours more than an average vehicle with the same number of miles. I thought maybe someone would recommend an oil based on the severity of my vehicle use. Is this why you recommended the Amsoil Diesel oil? Thanks.
 
I agree the 15W-40 would be marginal at those temps, (but does have a -51°F pour point) and is a huge difference from dino 15W-40's.

The HDD has a much better add pack than the 0W-30, the reason why they are both expensive is the base oil.

Take a look at the 5W-40. I'm thinking it's the best fit for temps and your Jeep and your driving style. Honestly, I wouldn't think the 0W-30 to be the best choice, but it did fine.
 
If I knew an easy way to copy and paste my Blackstone Labs UOAs from a PDF file, I would post them, but I have not found a way to do that. It will be interesting to see if the bypass filter changes the UOA results very much. Thanks.
 
Scott- I'm working on it. If I don't get it done, I'll e-mail you. Thanks.

Pablo- I've read that your opinion is very well respected on this forum, and I appreciate your input and willingness to help us "oil challenged" people. But after reading several UOA threads, I am very surprised you are not strongly suggesting I go to the Series 3000 5W-30, even at the premium price. For going one year/25,000 miles of rural mail route severe use with the dual remote bypass, the HDD looks like the best choice, in spite of the fact that I would much rather pay the lower price for ASL,AFL,or AME. Comments?
 
Well the ONLY reason I wasn't strongly suggesting the HDD was the price. I thought you wanted a lower per qt price. But indeed for a true 25K mile use, it's your best choice.
 
The only reason I'm not using the Series 3000 5W-30 now is because of emissions concerns.

What I'd really like to see is a few UOAs on Amsoil's newer "SM" 5W-40.

I'm running the S2K now with excellent results, but it is expensive.
 
Pablo,
Of course I would prefer the less expensive oil IF it were a better value. In many instances the more expensive product is the better value. I would guess from the OIC reports I read and what you and others have posted, that is the case here, meaning I'll get more for my money in the long run with the more expensive oil. I'll try the HDD. Thanks very much Pablo and all who replied.
 
I must admit I did a terrible job answering your question. I was so focused on price and I was thinking the 12,500 was a full year in combo with the severe conditions you list. Re-reading the thread title put it back in perspective for me.

IV Man - I suppose the higher P level would be a warranty concern in a very new car. But, IMHO, unless the car is gulping oil the chances of premature cat poisoning are overblown.
 
Pabs, believe me, I am sorely tempted to score some of the S3K....too soon yet, though, as I've still got several gallons of the S2K left.

And outside of the potential for converter poisoning, isn't the higher sulfated ash content of the S3K just as much of an issue?

I thought it was really more of a combination of these, rather than just P, that was the problem. Shame we can't get some really good data on this someplace.
 
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