Personally I don't know if it is hype. I am not even sure how much stuff like Amsoil costs. But if it were that much better, I would expect car manufacturers recommend it and use it at the factory.
Doesn't Porsche use Mobil1 from the factory? Ferrari? How about a new Vette?
The numbers you posted tell me very little. Unless I cannot measure them against something else, it's just data. Data by itself is worthless unless you can make information out of it. Maybe put that oil and M1 in NY taxicabs for a year or 2 (or 5) and see the results.
I am really curious in what scenarios boutique oils make sense. Can you point me to some deeper dive information? Thanks!
Jeff, I’m working on collecting my own data right now on a “boutique” oil.
For the sake of the current term while I’m collecting my data, there are some oils that are considered “boutique” simply because they are not shelf stock at the local WM or auto parts stores. I agree that I’d love to see some side-by-side tests of M1, PUP, Amsoil, HPL, Redline, etc. Same side by side tests, same lab, but using the objective wear and cleanliness measurements.
I know that will never happen because each losing company would throw a fit, so I try to learn what I can and make informed decisions with limited data. All I can offer so far is that I’ve got about 850k+ personal miles between PP, PUP, Chevron Delo, Amsoil, M1, and HPL and haven’t had a single internal engine issue, ever.
To me, that pretty much proves that the act of performing maintenance at reasonable schedules does outweigh the actual cost/quality of the maintenance. By how much, who knows? A failure rate of 0 across multiple variables means that you can’t even begin to assess a “better” product without being full of fertilizer!
