 Saw this one at a show a few years back. |
At some point those of us who have been interested in our vehicles and watched late night infomercials about oil additives have seen the unbelievable claims some companies have tried to promote. In some cases they show an engine running forever with no oil in it. It runs and runs, never showing any sign of letting up, which I have seen at several car shows I’ve been too. How is this possible? Well, as it was explained to me, the particular engine being used (I’d have to check which one exactly) can do this forever as long as there is no load on it. If it were in a real vehicle and not free standing as soon as any sort of real world load were applied, it would strain and seize.
Another example I remember years ago seeing late one night was for another additive (Prolong, I believe) that showed a Viper racing around the track supposedly not modified in any way other than adding the oil treatment, letting it “bond,” and then draining the oil and off to the circle track it went with no problems. Question…how is this possible with hydraulic lifters that engine has?
Yet another test that always seems to pop up, and early on before I knew any better I was suckered by, is using the Falex test method, nicknamed the “One Arm Bandit,” to show how oils seize up at different applied pressures, but then adding the additive being promoted and suddenly shows how much more pressure can be applied before the unit freezes, if it does at all. Well, for this last case, Amsoil went to their lab and made a video showing exactly how this test works and why the results from it are misleading. Unless you believe shampoo can outperform your oil:
