Because police fleets are called upon to perform in extreme conditions, they make for particularly strenuous test vehicles on motor oils. The severe service these vehicles encounter is an ultimate test of how well and how long a motor oil can withstand brutal conditions. Confident that AMSOIL would protect these engines better than conventional oils, this test was designed to analyze the cost benefits of using superior lubrication and filtration in a highly abused car fleet.

Four Duluth, MN Police Department squad cars were equipped with AMSOIL 100% Synthetic 10W-40 Motor Oil, Lifetime foam Air Filters, and full-flow and Spin-On By-Pass Oil Filters. The test ran for 7 months in weather ranging from -40°F to 100°F for a total of 136,608 vehicle miles. Oil analysis samples were taken at regular intervals on all four vehicles using AMSOIL products, and also using petroleum oil (oil sampled at 2000 miles) prior to the test in order to compare wear data.

The police maintenance shop regularly changes their petroleum oil every 2000 miles. This was because the cars' mileages were not good reflections of actual service - much of their operation time was spent idling, which was extremely hard on the engine and the oil.

At the end of the test, wear profiles from oil analyses were compared to the projected wear pattern of the same cars using conventional products. Additionally, fleet costs of using the AMSOIL products were compared to those using conventional oil and filtration. The cumulative results of cost and wear for the squad cars are reflected in the table and graphs which accompany this article.

The results indicate two things: [1] AMSOIL products clearly make a significant difference in reducing engine wear; and [2] while the material costs of AMSOIL products are only slightly less than conventional products, maintenance costs and labor are greatly reduced using AMSOIL.

AMSOIL Motor Oil, Lifetime Foam Air Filters, and Full-Flow and By-Pass Oil Filters installed in the four vehicles saves the Duluth Police Department $389.71 in materials and labor. This amounts to an overall savings of 36%. For a fleet of 50 of these vehicles, AMSOIL would save more than $4500 over a one-year period.

Fleets (and individuals) can significantly reduce their material and labor costs by using AMSOIL products.

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Squad Car 25: Wear Metals

The graphs below represent 14 oil samples taken from Squad 25 of the Duluth Police Department.

Copper: High copper (Cu) levels can be a sign of wear to bushings, bearings, and valve guides. While the petroleum sample had 25 ppm of copper after only 2000 miles of service, the AMSOIL sample never had a reading above 15 ppm in 31,000 miles.	Iron: Iron (Fe) particles can be a sign of wfear in the valves, valve guides, pistons, rings and liners, and rocker arms. While the petroleum sample had an iron concentration of about 30 ppm after 2000 miles, the AMSOIL sample had about one-third of that. After 31,000 miles, AMSOIL would reduce wear metals by more than 40%.