|
Free Factory Direct Catalog, Product, Technical and Wholesale Pricing Packet Request Form
Request Retail-on-the-Shelf or Commercial Account Information.
|
AMSOIL & API Licensing This article was written by AMSOIL Inc. and is re-printed here so you will have a full understanding of API ratings and why not all AMSOIL lubricants are API rated. Q. Why aren't all AMSOIL motor oils
API licensed A. Good question. AMSOIL staffers
have recently read some message boards with misinformation regarding
this issue. Let us address API licensing in depth, as well as the
issue of warranties. Some AMSOIL motor oils are API licensed, some
are not. If you're concerned about your warranty and feel pressures
to use an API licensed oil, even after reading this answer, then the
5W-30 (XLF) or 10W-30 (XLT) XL-7500 or our 15W-40 (PCO) API licensed
oils should be your choice. If you are looking for an alternative to
frequent oil changes or just want the best performing oil for your
car, then one of our top tier non-API licensed synthetic oils are
for you. Read on, and decide for yourself. API Licensing - Passenger
Cars - What is it?
An API (American Petroleum
Institute) license indicates that a specific motor oil formulation
has passed the minimum performance standards as defined by a
series of laboratory bench, physical, chemical and engine tests.
These tests were selected and minimum performance standards were set
by the API Lubricants Committee to address specific areas such as
engine wear, deposits, fuel economy, emissions, etc. The committee
is comprised of representatives from automobile, oil and additive
companies. The current specification is SJ/GF-2, and in July 2001
the first use of SL/GF-3 will begin. Costs The cost for running a test
program for a single passenger car motor oil formulation is from
$125,000 to $300,000, depending on if the formula passes the tests
the first time through or requires multiple test runs or formula
modifications to achieve a passing average. (That amount goes to
$275,000 to $500,000 for a Heavy Duty Diesel licensing program on a
specific formula.) Once that testing is complete and the formula has
passed all of the minimum requirements, it can be licensed for $825
per year for non-members and $625 per year for members. There is
also a small royalty fee per gallon sold for all gallons over one
million. The length of time between new specifications is now
approximately 2 to 3 years, which does not allow a great deal of
time to recover testing costs. Who Licenses What
Formulas?
Additive companies, such as
Lubrizol, Ethyl,, Infinium and Oronite, develop licensed formulas
that they offer to oil companies to re-license. It is inexpensive to
re-license one of these formulas, and the majority of oil companies
choose to do this to avoid the costs associated with testing. This,
however, tends to commoditize the market. The same chemistry is
being sold under many brand names. Most of the major oil companies
do have their own proprietary formulas developed, tested and
licensed. All of AMSOIL Inc.'s lubricant formulas are unique and
proprietary. Flexibility In Manufacturing
An API Licensed Formula
API licensing was originally
developed for mineral based oils, and it affords these oils more
flexibility than synthetic oils. Mineral oils comprised of group I and Group II petroleum basestocks may use a simple program called basestock interchange for added flexibility in manufacturing and purchasing. Interchange means that by completing the proper paperwork and running a few minor engine tests an oil company can choose to buy these petroleum basestocks from many different suppliers. This ensures adequate supply and competitive pricing. However, basestock interchange for Group III and V synthetic basestocks is not allowed. For example, if a formula was tested with an ester (Group V) basestock from a specific supplier, then anyone blending that formula must buy only that supplier's ester. Complete engine testing would need to be performed on the formula using another supplier's ester before an oil company could buy it from that alternative supplier. This additional testing is normally not performed because of the associated costs. This inflexibility makes it very difficult for synthetic lubricant manufacturers to negotiate prices with synthetic basestock suppliers. There is also something called
viscosity grade read-across. Fortunately, this applies to both
petroleum and synthetic basestocks although the better cold
temperature performance of synthetics makes it more difficult to
achieve in some situations. (That's another whole story.) What this
means is that if you properly formulate the lubricant for which you
have run all of the API tests, there are guidelines that allow you
to use that same formula to make 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30, etc.
viscosity motor oil. Finally, there is a rule for
substitutions in the CMA (Chemical Manufacturers Association) code
of practice that allows a small degree of flexibility for all
formulas. It allows a company to change the percentages of
components in the formula by varying amounts from the original
formula with limited testing and paperwork requirements. For
example, if the licensed formula used 10% of a certain V.I.
improver, you would have the ability to utilize from 9% to 11% of
the same V.I. improver for your formula. Key Limitations For API
Licensed Formulas
Phosphorous content - .10%
maximum NOACK volatility - 15% maximum
The prevalent sources of
phosphorous in motor oils are additives called zinc dithiophosphates
(ZDTPs). Currently, these versatile additives act as
oxidation/corrosion inhibitors and aid in the ability of a lubricant
to reduce wear. The automobile manufacturers, however, have demanded
that lubricants contain a maximum of only .10% phosphorous. Their
reason is that some manufacturers believe that higher phosphorous
content levels will poison the catalytic converters on their cars
before they reach 150,000 miles, which is the number of miles that
their vehicles will be required to pass EPA emission standards.
There has not been total agreement within the automotive and
lubrication industry about whether phosphorous levels over .10%
actually do harm catalytic converters in the long run. What they
have failed to make allowances for is the NOACK volatility of an
oil. The maximum allowable NOACK
volatility percentage for the new SL/GF-3 passenger car motor oil
specification is 15%. Most of AMSOIL motor oils are in the 5% to 8%
NOACK volatility range. Studies have shown there is a correlation
between NOACK volatility, oil consumption and the amount of
phosphorous from motor oil that will end up in the exhaust gasses.
Therefore, oils with higher levels of phosphorous but with low
volatility, such as AMSOIL motor oils, present no more risk to
catalytic converters than low phosphorous oils with higher NOACK
volatility. This has also been demonstrated for years in actual
application through state mandated exhaust gas testing on our
Dealers' and customers' high mileage vehicles using AMSOIL synthetic
motor oils. State inspectors are continually amazed at the low
emissions levels generated by vehicles using AMSOIL products. So
much for poisoning catalytic converters. AMSOIL INC. has determined that
the reduced wear and extended drain intervals achievable with
phosphorous levels higher than the API limit of .10% are real
benefits for the consumer, and pose no risk to catalytic converters.
AMSOIL motor oils, except for the API licensed XL-7500 5W-30 and
10W-30 viscosity grades, all have greater than .10% phosphorous
levels, and therefore, cannot be API licensed.
Why Some AMSOIL Synthetic
Motor Oils Are API Licensed And Some Are Not 1. Full API licensing puts
AMSOIL INC. in an inflexible position. Not only would we find it
necessary to buy formula components from specific vendors and be at
the mercy of their pricing, we would not be able to make any major
improvements to the lubricant formulas for 2 to 3 years, without new
testing and the associated costs. To solve this problem, the API
must establish basestock interchange guidelines for synthetic
basestocks just as they have for other basestocks, as well as
develop interchange guidelines for other components too.
2. Full API licensing would
impose strict phosphorous limitations on our motor oils. This
limitation is the main reason most AMSOIL motor oils are not API
licensed. AMSOIL INC. currently disagrees with this limitation and
feels strongly that the reduced wear and longer oil and additive
life achieved through higher levels of properly balanced phosphorous
content is more important than the arbitrary API phosphorous limit
that does not give any consideration to the NOACK volatility level
of an oil. When chemistry is developed that will provide superior
engine wear protection with reduced phosphorous levels, or Noack
volatility considerations are put in place, then the phosphorous
level will become a non-issue. Warranties And API Licensed
Motor Oils
Fortunately, the law does
not allow manufacturers to "void your warranty" simply because of
the brand of oil you use, the specifications it meets or the miles
you drive between oil changes. To be specific, they cannot deny to
fix your broken radio, faulty valve or cracked piston because you
used an AMSOIL non-API licensed motor oil, or because you've gone
more than 3000 miles since your last oil change. Denial of warranty
coverage must be specifically due to an oil related failure. All
courts of law will find against any manufacturer or dealership that
tries these warranty shenanigans. If any automobile dealership
insinuates that your warranty will be void if you use AMSOIL
products or utilize extended drain intervals, let AMSOIL INC. know
the name of the Dealership, the address, the owner's name and the
name of the employee that made this statement. Mail to:
AMSOIL INC. or e-mail to tech@amsoil.com.
They will almost never put it in writing, but if they do, please send us a copy of that, too. Either way, we will send them a letter informing them cease the intimidation of our customers. Only if the oil is determined to be the direct cause of the engine problem can a manufacturer or dealership deny warranty coverage for that specific problem. In this situation the AMSOIL warranty would apply, and the AMSOIL Technical Services Department would assist you in processing your claim and in getting the vehicle repaired. That's our pledge to you. AMSOIL INC. sells millions of gallons of oil per year and warranty claims are a rare occurrence. If you ever have a warranty problem with an automobile manufacturer or dealership, AMSOIL will assist you by analyzing the problem and providing data supporting the fact that repairs should be made under the vehicle manufacturer's warranty. If this does not resolve the problem, AMSOIL will submit a claim with our insurance company and request that an adjuster have the vehicle repaired and pursue legal settlement later if necessary. The fact is there never has been an engine failure attributed to the non-performance of AMSOIL products, and we do not expect there ever will be. If it ever did, both AMSOIL and our insurance company would make certain your problem was resolved. How Does AMSOIL INC. Ensure
Their Products Meet Or Exceed The Minimum Specifications Of The
Tests Required For API Licensing? First, AMSOIL INC. works closely
with major additive companies to select the top performing, and
usually most expensive, passenger car and heavy duty diesel motor
oil additives. These additives have already passed all of the API
licensing requirements in a petroleum or synthetic based
formulation. Then we work with the additive company to
maximize the amount of additive used and to boost the
additive package in selected performance areas to achieve an optimum
performing additive package for reduced wear and extended drain
intervals. This is unlike the vast majority of companies who,
because additives are expensive, use the minimum amount of
the least expensive additives required to meet the minimum API
requirements. We then utilize a blend of
synthetic basestocks with known performance characteristics as a
replacement for the petroleum basestocks to optimize performance in
areas of lubricity, volatility, viscosity index, oxidation and
nitration resistance, pour points, flash points, deposit control,
soot handling, emissions, etc. We also will utilize a highly shear
stable V.I. improver to ensure viscosity retention throughout
extended drain intervals. This replaces the inexpensive and less
shear stable V.I. improver used in the API licensed petroleum
formula. We do laboratory bench tests before running field tests to
verify the superiority of the synthetic formula in actual use. We
also continue to monitor the performance of the oil through close
scrutiny of tens of thousands of oil analysis tests per year across
a wide variety of vehicles all around North America and the World.
AMSOIL INC. has been collecting used synthetic oil samples from
passenger cars since 1982. No other oil company has such a vast data
base of the performance of synthetic lubricants over extended drain
intervals. AMSOIL Inc.'s products and
formulations outperform API licensed oils. They're engineered that
way. Period. Conclusion AMSOIL INC. takes pride in never
having conformed to industry norms or standards when those standards
are contrary to peak performance. We introduced synthetics to the
automotive world in 1972 with the first synthetic motor oil to
exceed API performance specifications. At that time other
manufacturers refused to recognize the superior performance of
synthetic motor oils. Now, however, most companies sell synthetic
lubricants, vehicles are factory filled with synthetic motor oils
and gear lubes, and some manufacturers even offer extended
warranties if you use synthetics. AMSOIL has always offered extended
drain intervals because the oil was capable of performing for
extended drains, and it was the right thing to do for the consumer.
Now the entire industry is moving in that direction. Ironically, it
was recently published that automotive manufacturers will be
recommending extended drain intervals of up to 15,000 miles in the
near future because that's what consumers want.
AMSOIL is a company of
firsts. That doesn't happen by always conforming to industry norms
and standards. API licensing of lubricants is voluntary, and it ensures automobile manufacturers and consumers that the product meets a set of minimum standards. Should these standards, in the future, be raised to a level consistent with AMSOIL's standards for motor oil performance, AMSOIL will consider licensing all oils. For those that feel pressured to use an API licensed product, we have them and encourage you to use them (XLT, XLF and PCO). AMSOIL does offer better performing motor oils that are not API licensed for all of the reasons explained in this response. They provide our customers with alternatives to the commodity products typically available in the market today. If you want the convenience of extended drain intervals or the top performance from your vehicle, AMSOIL has taken time to engineer the very best money can buy.
Superior Oils and Lubricants Phone 918-269-0081 Toll Free 1-877-237-6323 8555 E. Wesson Ct., Claremore, OK. 74019
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils Home Page Dodge Cummins Diesel | Ford Powerstroke Diesel | AMSOIL vs. Mobil 1 Converting to AMSOIL | Motorcycle Oils | Diesel Fuel Additives Gasoline Additives | AGGRAND | ALTRUM Harley Davidson | Links | Site Map
|
