A comparison of AMSOIL sled oils
Which AMSOIL 2-Stroke Oil is Better?
Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh doesn’t sound like much fun compared to the excitement of a snowmobile running through fresh powder. Winter is coming, which means it’s time to pull the cover off your favorite winter chariot. Get the fluids topped off, changed, and ready for their first cycle in the cold. The sled oils you choose keep your machine running smoothly in the most brutal weather.
What’s that? You’re not an avid winter enthusiast? And you long for those summer time days to come back again? Winter means that it’ll soon by time to put your motorcycles away. You’ll also stash your yard equipment and your non-winter 2-stroke tools.
Whichever your 2-stroke of choice, snowmobile, motorcycle, or otherwise, you need to protect the 2-stroke engine with maximum protection. The question asked when you start to review AMSOIL 2-stroke oils is, “Which 2-stroke oil should I use?” AMSOIL offers a Dominator racing oil and the Interceptor 2-stroke oil. But which works best for your use? We’ll take a look at both and determine which is best for you.
Dominator Racing Oil
When you read ‘racing’ on a package, your first thought must be that the oil will offer the maximum protection you need. “I use my equipment, and I need it to last a long time.” If it’s used for racing, it must be the best, right? The answer may surprise you a little.
The Dominator Racing Oil is a complex blend of oils and additives. The special blend directly addresses the heat, pressure and friction of race-engineered engines. These engines are meant to operate on the edge of durability and pushed to 100% of their capability. Engine reliability in these cases is critical. Engine failure may cause a lost race or jeopardize a championship. It also puts the driver’s safety at risk. The Dominator Racing Oil has excellent film strength for high-heat and high-rpm motors. It has an anti-friction formula for maximum power. Likewise, it burns clean to help prevent ring sticking and plug fouling. And it protects coated and non-coated racing pistons. While the oil sounds like it should be the best to use in every case, if you’re not running your engine hard enough at wide open throttle it may not be your best option.
Interceptor 2-Stroke Oil
The Interceptor 2-Stroke oil is meant for all 2-stroke engines. That means snow machines, snow blowers, lawn and garden equipment, and motorcycles too. If it uses 2-stroke oil, the Interceptor oil will do well in that application. The main difference between the Dominator Racing Oil and the Interceptor oil is how you plan to use the engine. If you’re not going 100% most of the time the engine is running, the Interceptor oil will be the better choice. It’s best to use at idle and anything less than 100% wide open throttle.
The Interceptor Synthetic 2-Stroke Sled Oils are formulated to work in all 2-stroke engines including snowmobiles from Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, and Polaris. It’s simple and easy to use as a replacement for your current oil. Likewise, it’s a detergent formula so that it keeps your injectors or carburetor and engine running clean and smooth to prevent valves sticking under medium to hard use. It’s compatible with all 2-stroke oils, and it has a low smoke formula to prevent the white cloud you typically see with other oils. You can mix it with standard conventional oil, but limit how much you mix. It’s best to run out the conventional oil mixture before adding in the AMSOIL 50:1 gas-to-oil mixture. You should notice a difference when making the switch.
Perfecting the Properties
Depending on how hard you use your equipment, whether all out in a race or just to cut the grass, your sled oils or yard equipment oils needs to do more than just keep the pistons going up and down. Both the Dominator Racing Oil and Interceptor 2-stroke oils offer enhanced properties, which include:
- Anti-Scuff / Anti-Wear – two-stroke engines over time have been running leaner and leaner to improve emissions. That also means less protection for your engine, more heat, and more friction inside the engine. None of those are good for long-term durability. Both AMSOIL offerings use high molecular weight components with a high flash point that won’t burn up in the combustion cycle. They survive well and help lubricate the engine components rather than vaporizing and head out the exhaust without helping the engine.
- Deposit Control – Detergents in an oil sound counter-productive, but both oils have additives that won’t add to the mess in the combustion chamber. They won’t burn, and they help keep the valves, piston rings, and spark plugs clean while the engine is running. The harder you run the engine, the more they clean.
A Warranty You Can Count On
AMSOIL offers WARRANTY SECURE® on both of the DOMINATOR Synthetic 2-Stroke Racing Oil and the Interceptor 2-Stroke oils. Warranty Secure is a program through AMSOIL that ensures their products work to protect your equipment and won’t void a factory warranty through a manufacturer. They are replacements for vehicle manufacturer-branded products and are also backed by the AMSOIL Limited Warranty. For details, visit www.amsoil.com/warrantysecure
Package Sizes
AMSOIL offers the Dominator Racing Oil and Interceptor 2-Stroke oil in packaging that fits your budget and needs. Whether you need one quart, a case of 12, a gallon, or a 55-gallon drum, your local AMSOIL dealer can supply you with the amount you need to keep your equipment running strong.
To answer the initial question of which AMSOIL 2-stroke oil is right for you may not be as straight forward as you thought. The basic question of how hard you use your equipment should determine if the Dominator Racing Oil or the Interceptor 2-Stroke oil is the better choice. Wide open throttle most of the time with a race on the line is a scenario the Dominator Racing Oil is best suited for. Anything less than full throttle should be an Interceptor environment. Learn more at BuyGreatOil.com.