Blog

As I sit here working on a few projects at home, I was hoping for a little excitement from the college I graduated from, the University of Central Florida, right behind my house.

Yesterday, I saw people online asking about fighter jets flying around the area. I missed them while running errands, but learned they were practicing for the UCF Homecoming game taking place today. Wow, F-18s for a UCF game? When I went most people never heard of UCF and former high school classmates that went to FSU and Gainesville would ask me "what's UCF, where is that?" Now they ...

October 20, 2026

AMSOIL has discontinued its 16-gallon drum of INTERCEPTOR® 100% Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil (part number AIT16). The drum will remain available while supplies last.

Other package sizes remain available in the United States and Canada:

• Quarts
• Gallons
• 55-gallon drums
• 275-gallon totes

What this means: Customers who purchase INTERCEPTOR in 16-gallon drums should plan accordingly while remaining inventory is available. The discontinuation applies to this package size, not the INTERCEPTOR product line as a whole.

Source: AMSOIL product announcement.

October 15-18, 2026

I did another year with my AMSOIL booth at the 34th Annual Biketoberfest Motorcycle Parts Swap Meet, hosted by Jam On Productions. There were plenty of familiar booths and faces, both from previous years and other shows I've attended. As always, the event was well organized.

This year, I ended up with a spot under a tree, which helped keep things a little cooler. Having access to power also meant I could run the air conditioner inside the van when needed, especially at night when it helped cut the humidity and made sleeping easier.

There was just one problem: I ...

AMSOIL is rolling out a new label design for its Formula 4-Stroke® Powersports 0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil (AFFQT/AFFQTC).

You may start seeing the new bottle on store shelves and in shipments over the coming weeks. During the transition, you may receive either the old or new label as existing inventory is depleted.

The important part: the formulation has not changed. This is a packaging update, not a new oil formula.

If your next bottle looks a little different, that's why!

Source: AMSOIL product announcement.

October 10, 2026

Last night, I did something I haven't done in years. I went to the Family Fright Night car show, hosted by Vixenz at Boardwalk Bowl here in Orlando, and just walked around. No booth setup, no selling, just checking out what was happening.

I did wear my AMSOIL Dealer shirt, so if you are reading this, were there, and saw a guy wearing one, that was me!

I've been intending to visit more shows this way, and this was my first one. It was just down the block from where I live, and it didn't disappoint.

Living in Florida, we all know the drill. When a storm starts heading our way, we tend to initially not think much about it until suddenly everyone is thinking about water, batteries, food, gasoline and everything else we might need if the power goes out. And then sometimes we have that “oh crap” moment when the storm makes a sudden last-minute shift and is heading right towards us. Hurricane Charley was one of those for me. I expected rain and maybe a power outage, but I didn't expect the eye to come right over Orlando.

But what about the things with ...

Supply disruptions can force lubricant manufacturers to look for alternative base oils and additives. Here’s what has to happen before a substitute can support the performance claims on the bottle.

In Part 1, we looked at why motor oil can become more expensive even when there is plenty of crude oil available.

That raises another question: what happens when a motor-oil manufacturer can’t get the particular ingredients it normally uses?

Motor oil is a carefully balanced formulation of base oils and additives, designed to deliver specific performance in a specific application. Change one component and the manufacturer has to determine how that change ...

As an AMSOIL Dealer, I've been hearing more questions about lubricant prices this year, including my own and discussions with others I work with. This is one reason I wanted to dig into what is actually happening behind the price tag.

If there is plenty of oil, why does the oil going into your engine cost more?

If you have looked at the price of motor oil lately and wondered, “How did it get this expensive?”, the answer is not as simple as the price of crude oil.

The oil in a bottle is the end of a much longer process. Manufacturers need ...

September 19, 2026

The annual Car Show for HOPE hosted by the Mid-Florida Mustang Club kicked off this weekend back at its old location, Rock & Brews in Oviedo. For the last few years, it had taken place at the Oviedo Mall, where I had a little more room to spread out with my van and work under the awning like I do at most shows now.

Going back to Rock & Brews brought me back to the old days of bringing my compact 8x8 popup. It was small enough to fit in my Crossfire, and people were ...