# New AMSOIL Signature Series Formulation and Change Interval



## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

shorter intervals with sig is why I went with XL on my last order. My DJ doesn't carry XL and he tried to get me to use Sig, I didn't see it being worth it but now it definitely would be.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

eddiefromcali said:


> shorter intervals with sig is why I went with XL on my last order. My DJ doesn't carry XL and he tried to get me to use Sig, I didn't see it being worth it but now it definitely would be.


XL is still limited to 6 months until the new formulation comes out later this month, so Signature Series was worth it for that reason. You end up changing it notably sooner than 10k unless you drive all highway. Nonetheless, this does change the value proposition for turbocharged engines, especially the Gen2 1.4.


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## 1988gmc355 (Jul 20, 2016)

I am very excited by this! I will have to order oil for my next change so I will for sure end up with the new formulation. What is your suggestion for guys already running ~18K intervals when we switch to this new formulation? Like what interval before we send in a sample. I do not think I would do 25K right of the gate, but comfortable to go 20K then take a sample.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

1988gmc355 said:


> I am very excited by this! I will have to order oil for my next change so I will for sure end up with the new formulation. What is your suggestion for guys already running ~18K intervals when we switch to this new formulation? Like what interval before we send in a sample. I do not think I would do 25K right of the gate, but comfortable to go 20K then take a sample.


A sample is not really necessary; more for your own knowledge than anything. 25,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first, is my recommendation on 1.4L Turbo and 1.8L engines in the Cruze Gen1 and Gen2 under normal driving conditions.


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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

Im the opposite...I always recommend a sample for anyone doing extended intervals, especially if its a first timer. Every engine will dirty up or break down oil differently and you need to know at what point its time to change it. Just because the oil is good for 25k, doesn't mean that it wont be dirty, it just means its supposed to provide protection that long. If you already know you can go XX,XXX miles with a certain oil, Id suggest sending a sample close to your old OCI and see where youre at.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

eddiefromcali said:


> Im the opposite...I always recommend a sample for anyone doing extended intervals, especially if its a first timer. Every engine will dirty up or break down oil differently and you need to know at what point its time to change it. Just because the oil is good for 25k, doesn't mean that it wont be dirty, it just means its supposed to provide protection that long. If you already know you can go XX,XXX miles with a certain oil, Id suggest sending a sample close to your old OCI and see where youre at.


If this was an oil that didn't already guarantee extended drains I'd agree with you, but that's simply not the case. Combustion byproducts are not consequential in gasoline engines at these intervals and make up less than half a percent of the oil's volume. Diesels are a different story and out of context. 

AMSOIL does recommend the severe service interval of 15,000 miles cars that are switching to AMSOIL for the first time after 100k miles of use on conventional 

After reviewing oil analysis reports for 4 years, I can confidently say the oil analysis is not necessary. It's simply nice to have if the owner is curious about what's going on. I find that all too often, people get worried about nothing when looking at oil analysis reports since they aren't very user friendly. 

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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

I dont think were doubting the ability for sig to make it to 25k....but rather how clean the engine runs. For example, my truck had elevated silica and other contaminants at 18k which would've not been good for the engine had I ran it any longer. Wife's Camry on the other hand was fine. In both cases the oil itself had plenty of life left but it was too dirty in the truck, both were driven in same conditions and miles. This is why its important to know how clean/dirty an engine runs when extending intervals. Oil might be fine but external factors might shorten the interval. A one time analysis is all youd need to find this out.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

eddiefromcali said:


> I dont think were doubting the ability for sig to make it to 25k....but rather how clean the engine runs. For example, my truck had elevated silica and other contaminants at 18k which would've not been good for the engine had I ran it any longer. Wife's Camry on the other hand was fine. In both cases the oil itself had plenty of life left but it was too dirty in the truck, both were driven in same conditions and miles. This is why its important to know how clean/dirty an engine runs when extending intervals. Oil might be fine but external factors might shorten the interval. A one time analysis is all youd need to find this out.


The reason I don't discuss engine cleanliness here is because combustion byproducts are not a concern in gasoline engines. In the worst case, I saw one oil analysis of a gasoline engine that had 0.3% of soot. In fact, I'm looking at a 32,000 mile oil analysis report right now that has <0.1% of soot. 

Elevated silicon comes from filtration problems or very dusty conditions, and I have seen *not one* oil analysis from a Cruze showing concerning levels at 15,000 miles and beyond. I don't expect to see one at 25,000 miles either. Very dusty conditions are considered "severe service" and would reduce the drain interval to 15,000 miles as a result, but Cruzes operating in those conditions are the exception, not the rule. The longest drain analysis I have from a Cruze 1.4T is at 18,000 miles and has 9ppm of silicon, for what it's worth. 

Did you see any elevated wear on that truck at 18k? What air filter were you running?


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## eddiefromcali (Aug 21, 2017)

it had elevated iron, due to a lot of idle time on my part. Truck has an AEM drop in filter. It was actually 13k miles now that I looked at the report again. 











This is the most recent report


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

eddiefromcali said:


> it had elevated iron, due to a lot of idle time on my part. Truck has an AEM drop in filter. It was actually 13k miles now that I looked at the report again.


I can confidently say filtration was your problem as I don't have a single oil analysis report that has those levels of silicon, even ones with well over that mileage. Even at that shorter interval (and the one even shorter before that), you still saw wear. I would consider your situation to be an exception of the rule, not the rule. I would recommend sticking to cellulose filters in street driven applications, not high flow or performance filters. With very few exceptions, high flow equals poor filtration.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

XR,

My DIC has indicated it is now time to change the oil. As you know I have Amsoil in it and am using WIX filters. Should I change the filter and reset the DIC?

Robert


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Blasirl said:


> XR,
> 
> My DIC has indicated it is now time to change the oil. As you know I have Amsoil in it and am using WIX filters. Should I change the filter and reset the DIC?
> 
> Robert


Yes. 

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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

How long can it stay in the engine when not using the engine?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

obermd said:


> How long can it stay in the engine when not using the engine?


AMSOIL says 1 year. I had an oil analysis done after a year and 9 months and the lab said go another 3500 miles. I've had customers go 2+ years on a change with oil analysis showing it was still fine. The biggest concern is oxidation and moisture accumulation, which these engines don't seem to be as sensitive to. 

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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> AMSOIL says 1 year. I had an oil analysis done after a year and 9 months and the lab said go another 3500 miles. I've had customers go 2+ years on a change with oil analysis showing it was still fine. The biggest concern is oxidation and moisture accumulation, which these engines don't seem to be as sensitive to.
> 
> Sent from my BlackBerry PRIV using Tapatalk


Thanks. I may switch over to it when I do my next oil change. The Volt is rated on the AC Delco dexos1 blend for up to 24,000 miles/24 months between oil changes. I suspect the AMSOIL would provide better protection near the end of that time period.


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## 6speedTi (May 18, 2018)

I would do a oil sample at 25,000 miles if you go that far. Mobil 1 claimed 25,000 back in the 80's. Problem was after a long period being in service the oil developed a very high acidic level which was harmful to internal engine components. I wonder if over the years of R&D this issue was solved.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

6speedTi said:


> I would do a oil sample at 25,000 miles if you go that far. Mobil 1 claimed 25,000 back in the 80's. Problem was after a long period being in service the oil developed a very high acidic level which was harmful to internal engine components. I wonder if over the years of R&D this issue was solved.


AMSOIL never stopped recommending their signature series oils for 25k miles. I have customers in gas engines that have gone over 40k miles. Quite a few at over 30k in fact. If to combat acidity, AMSOIL uses a super high 12.5TBN and the best detergents on the market from Afton Chemical. We see protection even as the base number drops into the 1.x range. No soft metal wear. 

Lubrication Engineers oils have similar quality and they can run base number down to 0.5 in some oils and still not see soft metal corrosion. Fantastic oils. I have zero reservations recommending 25k mile intervals in normal service with AMSOIL. 

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