Motor Oil Info

Flat tappet camshafts undergo extreme pressure and loads, thus requiring an engine oil that is fortified with anti-wear additives to provide premium protection. The severity of higher spring pressure in racing engine also creates the need for additional wear protection.

To preserve catalytic converter life, phosphorus levels in motor oil have been reduced. Concerns have risen that oils containing lower levels of zinc/phosphorus could provide insufficient protection in high-pressure areas of flat tappets and camshaft lobes found in many older and high performance engines.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and International Lubricants Standards Approval Committee (ILSAC) have mandated the reduction of phosphorus to extend catalytic converter life. However, reducing the level of (ZDDP) zinc dialkyldithiophosphate can compromise protection to engine components, most notably in flat tappet camshafts. Current API SM and ILSAC GF-4 specifications for gasoline engine have maximum and minimum phosphorus levels of 800 ppm and 600 ppm. AMSOIL has synthetic motor oil with high levels of anti-wear additives.