IHRA Sponsor Profile: AMSOIL Lubricants

The name is certainly well-known, but the product remains a little mysterious – what is AMSOIL, and why do its products cost more than off-the-shelf products at your local big-box store?

Do a little research, and you find out why: AMSOIL is a leading example of the adage, "You get what you pay for."

Per bottle, AMSOIL is indeed among the more expensive motor oils, but with replacement engine costs skyrocketing and increasingly sophisticated technology making it more and more difficult for your trusted neighborhood mechanic to undertake major overhauls, the mathematical equation is simple: The best protection for your engine equals the best choice available. In so many cases, that means AMSOIL.

It's also easy to see why so many racers, like IHRA Pro Stock champion Cary Goforth, depend on AMSOIL to protect the mountain-motor V8s that populate the class.

None of this explains, though, what makes AMSOIL better than its competition. Synthetic oil is not refined from crude oil, and consequently doesn't contain any of the ancillary elements that don't maximize efficiency. When you formulate synthetic oil, you are able to add only those ingredients that do the best job possible in lubricating, cleaning and resisting high temperatures.

In 1972, AMSOIL 10W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil, the result of years of research and inspired by aerospace technology, became the first full synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute service requirements. The product has only improved since then – the percentage of AMSOIL's budget spent in testing and research is massive.

Example: AMSOIL Signature Series Motor Oil was subjected to 200 hours of use at 302 degrees – which is 100 degrees higher than normal operating temperatures – to measures its ability to prevent wear, deposits and more. Is it more than you need for casual daily driving? You can make that argument. But when something goes wrong – say a radiator hose blows out on a jammed, dangerous bridge and you must get to the other side, as your engine temperature soars – then it can be a safety issue, and having the best possible oil is the cheapest insurance you can buy.

That's what AMSOIL does. And not just in your engine – the company makes products for transmissions, gears, fuel additives and other applications.

Think about it: How often have you seen a classified ad for a vehicle that includes the words, "AMSOIL since new," and wondered why that was important? Because that's a three-word tipoff to buyers who know quality that this vehicle has very likely received the best service possible.