Synthetic vs. Conventional Oil
Cassandra
- August 25 2009
- 1,063 views
- 31 comments
Are you using the right oil in your ATV?
Oil is often an afterthought for most ATVers, but it can actually make or break your machine. Obviously you wouldn’t run your quad without oil in it (because you wouldn’t make it too far), but should you use synthetic oil, or will conventional oil do the trick?
The basic breakdown is this: Synthetic oils are designed to withstand higher engine temperatures, reduce friction on engine parts, and resist thermal breakdown. Synthetic oils, because they are engineered, are made up of uniformly sized molecules, unlike conventional oil, because it comes from naturally occurring crude oil, which is made up of a collection of varied molecules (and the smaller molecules can evaporate when the engine gets hot). But, synthetic oil can also cost up to three times as much as conventional motor oil. Conventional oils do all of that to a much lesser degree and may contain trace amounts of contaminants. There are arguments for and against each type of oil, but the real catch is cost. If you are willing to pay more for synthetic oil, then your quad is probably better off with it than with conventional oil. But if you are like most ATVers, conventional oil works fine and fits nicely into your budget.
Synthetic Oil
Pros: Fewer contaminants, doesn’t break down or evaporate as easily, works well in extreme hot or cold weather
Cons: Costs up to three times as much as conventional oil, should be used at the beginning of an ATV engine’s life (not on an old engine).
Conventional Oil
Pros: Easy to find, easy on the wallet, gets the job done.
Cons: Contains contaminants, more prone to viscosity breakdown.
As always, you can leave your opinion at the bottom to let us know which side of the great oil debate you fall on.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts
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August 25th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Oil is the life blood of a engine! I want good quality blood for my quad!! You should change your oil regularly regardless which oil you use. Just because you run the good stuff, doesn't mean it can go forever! I have friends that run Amsoil and hardly ever change it. If cost is a concern try and still use a quality oil, but maybe not the highest priced oil you can get. If you're buying a new machine I would definitely want to use a good synthetic on the first oil change. Don't complain about the cost of oil after you just shelled out all of that cash for a new ride. You will probably get many more hours of use out of your machine before a rebuild. If you think the cost of oil is high you should see what your local dealer charges for labor for a rebuild! My local shop is $69/ hour.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
You're right. Despite what kind of oil you use, you need to change the oil regularly. A lot of ATVers forget that!
September 25th, 2009 at 3:50 am
I was told synthetics are not good for your clutch..??
September 25th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
If you buy synthetics that are made for cars they will fry your clutch. Mobil1, Amsoil, Yamalube and many other make synthetic oil specifically for "wet clutch" applications. I have been using "Mobil1 4T full synthetic" in my Raptor 700 and Ive been through 2 seasons of hare-scrambles and my original clutch is still going.
Your clutch might even last longer because the synthetic oil should be able to cool your clutch better than conventional oil.
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