I have a 03 dmax and want to add Amsoil has anyone done that and if so what do you think about the oil. Is it worth it? Thanks

moved - mod.

amsoil makes high quality synthetics and im sure you would never switch back if you tired it.

Many people have done it and been very happy they did. Synthetic oils have less friction which in turn means cooler running temps. They also have better film properties which means less wear which means longer life for your trans or engine.

I personally think you can't go wrong changing to Synthetics. I also think that Amsoil is the best you can use.

I have the Amsoil Torque Drive in mine and it runs great, no probs.

Scram400 - You have three questions embedded in your post; let me review them.

1) Has anyone ever swapped to Amsoil? Yes, many, many people have. Some have been pleased, others not. See answer #3 for details.

2) What do I think of Amsoil? They are premium products for a premium price. The products perform well when "used as directed". They are not the "best" or "perfect" fluid for all uses, but then nothing ever is.

3) Is it worth it? Ah - here's the $1,000,000 question. And you're looking to us to give you an answer when it's you that should be deciding for yourself, not us. Let me explain.

Synthetic lubes (let's not get into the whole "synthetic" debate; they are group III, IV and V) are fantastic at a couple of things; temp extremes and extended drain intervals. Since you didn't fill in your signature, I can't help you with the temp extreme issue. Suffice to say the synthetics flow better at extreme low temps, but by "extreme" I mean well below -10 deg F. Above that, any decent 10w-30 HDEO can perform well in winter. In fact, above zero deg F, GM recommonds 15w-40 as the "preferred" grade. So while synthetics offer an advantage here, many people don't actually experience the environmental challenges to reap the benefit. Hot temps can be easily handled by conventional "dino" oils when all your operating sytsems (cooling, lube, etc) are in working order, so the hot temp advantage only really applies to an overheating engine; good protection can be experienced with a synthetic. But it's not fair to "blame" a "dino" oil for a engine system failure, is it? So the advantages of synthetics in temps extremes are valid, but only in a very narrow view that most of us don't experience.

Regarding extending drain intervals, this is where synthetics really shine. You can typically extend the drain intervals out (this is a huge generalization here) approximately twice the norm of a conventional dino oil. I caution you in that this type of practice is very doable and valid IF you combine this practice with Used Oil Analysis, to confirm oil characteristics and conditions along the way. There can be big savings in less product purchased when you extend your drain intervals. However, that concept applies to all lubricants, not just synthetics.

There is one side benefit of synthetics that is difficult to quantify, and often gets exaggerated; fuel savings. Many people well tell you that they get 2 more mpg from using all synthetics. But I think that's just pure bunk. Most people don't apply good measurement methodology; rather, they try to justify their decision with examples of success. But long term analysis shows that synthetics are only worth 2% or 3%, and that's if you use them across the board. Further, lower viscosities can also be credited with similar results (hence the move to 5w-20 oils in gas engines). Castrol makes a 5w-30 synthetic diesel oil that they claim a savings of 2-3% (see here: http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9025255&contentId=7046893). Also, notice that they are comparing a 5w-30 PAO synthetic to a 15w-40 conventional oil in some of their claims. Not exactly apples to apples, is it? If you were to compare the Elixion to a 10w-30 dino HDEO, would the viscosity retention or fuel savings be as great? Who knows, but I suspect not. Now that's based upon realistic tests, not some untrained guy based in his garage trying to justify his decision of buying expensive oils.

Here's where the "is it worth it?" concept comes to light. If you're a person who cannot/will not get past the whole "3 month or 3k miles" oil change mentality, then synthetics are a waste of money. There are several UOAs posted here that show the Dmax engine, using any quality brand name oil, can easily go 10k miles on dino oil changes and some can even go farther. If you're unconfortable with that concept, then sythetics will not pay off for you because you'll be dumping perfectly good (and expensive) oil before its time. If you can get past that short oil change mentality, then synthetics can pay you back in spades with longevity of service, saving you time and money with fewer oil changes.

Let me give two examples.
I only drive my Dmax about 5k miles a year, or less. My warranty calls for a minimum of one oil change at least once a year. Since any decent dino product is clearly capable to 10k miles, I am changing oil well before it's used up. So, I look for good oil on sale, and change once a year. Anything more than that is a waste. In fact, I'm wasting perfectly good oil by dumping it at once year, but that's the mandate to keep my warranty in tact, so I do it. Here, synthetics make NO sense for use. Why pay $30+/gallon for oil when my Rotella does just as good a job at $9/gallon? I am dumping ANY oil before its capabilities are used up, so why pay 3x as much for the priviledge of using synthetics? I surely would not be getting 3x the "protection"; in fact, it's typical that up to 10k miles, the UOA wear metals of dinos and synthetics are at or nearly equal. I refuse to pay 3x the money for a near-zero performance increase!

On the opposite end, I know of people that drive 25k miles a year in their diesel trucks. They are always on the road, and downtime is a pain to them. They can run products such as Amsoil lubes and filters, and be covered by the Amsoil warranty for up to 25k miles, (although even Amsoil has the "or one year" clause in effect). Here there are savings in less oil changes. And if you drive even more than that, the savings really rack up.

In the end, your operating patterns, maintenance habits, and tolerance for price points will help you determine if synthetics are worth it. You really have to be honest with yourself and do a cost benefit analysis. I belive that synthetics are "worth it", but ONLY when used appropriately.

Mr. Newtons points are for the most part spot on! The explaination in part 3 about mileage and driving habits should be the biggest factor for most peoples decisions.


However the one point I don't see in there is this; Synthetics have proven in independent lab testing to have less wear on your internal engine parts from day one. Some people like to pay for that piece of mind knowing that they made a 50k dollar investment (in the case of a Duramax bought new) and want to make it last as long as possible. Is that a worth while reason to spend the extra on Synthetics only you can decide that as the end user. Thats where marketing comes into play for all brands.

One other point is this most people in this country aren't as into thier motors and vehicles (gear heads) as mush as we are on these forums. They don't monitor their oil with UOA they don't care about more hp or mods for better gas mileage and they certainly don't care about black smoke.

They care about changing their oil because they know they should. They care about saving money because every penny saved is a penny earned. Many people are willing to change their own oil and go extended oil changes to save money in their personal cars and trucks even though they aren't gear heads like us. Many people are happy to get a 2% increase in mpg (2% isn't much in the big mathmatical scheme of things) just because they changed to Synthetic oil knowing they are taking care of their engine while happy to save money on extended oil changes.

In this case where people change and forget (Ronco style "set it and forget it") until the next change based on time and or miles, they might be smart to use Synthetics. Because they aren't precise on these things they do it when they get around to it which means they are unkowningly extending their oil changes. It may be a good idea to use Synthetics.

There are many perspectives and many real life situations and because of that what Mr. Newton says doesn't apply to everybody nor does what I say or anybody else say apply to everybody. You have to look at the big picture and make your own decisions on whats best for you and your situation. That is where Mr. Newton is spoton is saying that operating patterns, maintenance habits, driving conditions, miles per year, climate and your willingness to monitor your oil comes into play. How much time do you want to spend with your oil or do you want to change and forget.

Mr. Newtons observations are very real and in the ball park for us gear heads. You just need to decide whats best for you by looking at all sides of the equation and making an informed decision based on the facts.

Mr. Newton I love your almost unbiased approach to most of these subjects. I love your common sense approach to the situations that you post about and I enjoy your calm demeanor in posts where people are freaking out such as the UOA thread recently. You are a great contribution to these forums and I thank you for that.

dirtbikindad393 - your comments and compliment are most kind; thank you.

I am going to start a new thread to help understand conventional oils versus synthetics; feel free to chime in there if you see items of interest or questions.

Sir Newton, great write up:hail::thumb: