Improve Snowmobile Performance and Reliability

The last thing a snowmobile rider wants to experience is a breakdown on the trails. Protecting the engine and keeping it clean are simple steps to ensure the long life of your sled. An inexpensive and easy way to enhance your snowmobile’s performance and reliability is to upgrade motor oil.  

It’s become generally accepted that synthetic lubricants provide a higher level of performance than conventional mineral based lubricants. What many are not aware of is that there are meaningful differences in lubricant performance due that aren’t due to the base oil used, but instead is due to the unique combination of additives manufacturers use for their brand of motor oil. Additives account for 15 to 25 percent of the makeup of motor oil, but can impact a lubricant’s performance more than the type of base oil being used. For example, mineral base oil with a very good additive package can outperform synthetic base oil with a mediocre additive package. While there is no way for a consumer to determine the quality of the additives in the motor oil, a good indicator is price since advanced additive technologies cost more to produce.

Some of the biggest technological advances in lubrication are now coming through advancements in chemical additives. 

These breakthroughs have been developed by a handful of companies that specialize in high-performance lubricants, as opposed to major oil companies whose primary focus is refining and selling crude oil by products like gasoline and other fuels.  For instance, high-performance lubricant company Royal Purple has developed a unique additive technology that enables its snowmobile oil to outperform other leading synthetics.  

Royal Purple proprietary additive technology Synerlec, increases the ‘film strength’ of the synthetic base oil.  The exceptionally high film strength of their Snow 2-C snowmobile oil significantly reduces friction and improves sealing in the combustion chamber.  This translates into increased horsepower, dramatically reduced wear, better fuel economy and lower emissions.    The low ash formulation burns clean and will not leave harmful deposits like many two-cycle oils.  The solvency of the synthetic base oil keeps spark plugs and exhaust ports clean.  

High performance snowmobile oils like Royal Purple Snow 2-C are typically harder to find at traditional retailers but can be ordered online through e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com. 

So how do you choose the right snowmobile oil for you?

How to Choose Mineral-based (conventional) motor oils.  These are the cheapest and most widely available oils.  They typically use standard additive packages that provide minimum levels of performance and protection.  

Synthetic motor oils. These man-made oils are more expensive that mineral-based oils but are still widely available.  Their performance advantages come predominantly from the synthetic base oil used. They have a longer service life and offer some improvements in protection. They often use the same additive packages found in mineral-based oils. 

High performance ‘specialty’ synthetic motor oils.  These motor oils are the most technologically advanced oils. They significantly outperform mineral based or synthetic motor oils and are about the same price as standard synthetic motor oil.  These oils primarily differ in their use of more advanced, proprietary additive technologies. They are typically only available through specialty stores and online. 

Still confused?  For a snowmobile with little life left in it, stick with the cheap mineral-based motor oil. If you own a snowmobile you plan to keep for a few years and want to get a little better performance from, you should at least upgrade to synthetic motor oil.  To get the best performance and protection for your snowmobile that you really care about and want to last, upgrade to high performance snowmobile oil.