Which Oil Should I Use For My Machine?
Polaris Engineered Lubricants has four different types of snowmobile engine oils. Full Synthetic VES and VES Extreme are designed to work across all engine platforms, from entry level fan-cooled to our high performance, variable exhaust engines. VES and VES Extreme offer our highest levels of engine detergency and wear protection for Polaris snowmobile engines. Snowmobiles with 600, 650, 800 H.O. and 850 engines should use VES and VES Extreme. Polaris Blue is a high quality semi-synthetic blend, specifically designed to work in fan-cooled non-VES snow engines (VES = Variable Exhaust System), like the 550 snowmobiles. Vintage 2-Stroke Snowmobile Oil is designed to specifically to meet the needs of older snowmobiles, including air- and liquid-cooled non-exhaust valve engines. The heavier viscosity protects older engines and mixes easily with fuel, so it can be used for both pre-mix and oil-injected machines.
What Are the Benefits of Using VES or VES Extreme?
VES and VES Extreme both use custom-engineered, full-synthetic base oils and offer our highest levels of protection in high heat, high RPM and heavy load use. VES and VES Extreme also contain our highest levels of engine wear protection additives, with a boosted detergency system to keep pistons, cylinders, rings and exhaust valves free of carbon and soot.
VES is Polaris Engineering-approved for maximum engine protection. It's formulated for easy starting in the extreme cold and provides enhanced valve cleanliness, low smoke and excellent lubricity.
VES Extreme features an advanced ester base for ultimate performance. It offers superior flow in the extreme cold (-60 degrees Fahrenheit) and is formulated for easy starting in harsh conditions. VES Extreme has enhanced lubricity and detergency for maximum engine wear protection. VES Extreme has the latest technology of Ester and PAO synthetic base stocks and high-performance additives that provide the highest film strength that reduces wear and provides the ultimate protection even under the highest demands. VES Extreme is the best product for high-performance applications such as turbo-charged engines, racing applications and other high-load or high RPM use.
Note that if switching from VES to VES Extreme or from VES Extreme to VES, the two oils can mix. Never mix another brand of engine oil with Polaris oil. Different brands could be incompatible and could cause fuel injection system blockage, sludge formation, filter blockage and reduced cold weather flow rates.
Why Should I Use Polaris Engineered Snow Engine Oils vs. Aftermarket 2-Cycle Engine Oils?
Polaris Engineered 2-cycle engine oils are the most unique and customized oils in the Polaris Engineered Lubricants portfolio. Our products were built and tested to optimize the life cycle of your Polaris snow engine. Aftermarket engine oils claim they work across a broad range of engine and machine applications. Aftermarket oil products also commonly claim to work in all brands and all models but offer little or no testing validation to back up their claims. Polaris Engineered Lubricants works directly with Polaris engineering teams to formulate, test and validate each oil in the most extreme dyno and field conditions. Each fluid is specifically developed and tested to meet Polaris engineering’s tolerance and wear limitations to extend the lifecycle of your snow engine. Each oil is also constantly being tested with the next generation of Polaris engine technologies, often two to three years in advance of the release of a new engine. This is all to ensure that when the engine hits the snow, you can be confident the best oil for that application has been tested and is ready to go. With more than 1 million miles of field validation and thousands of hours on our dynos, we can say that we have the best oil available for Polaris snowmobile engines.
For more on Polaris oils, see the video below. It covers how Polaris Engineered Lubricants are developed in conjunction with Polaris engines (1:05); how new oils are developed, tested and validated (2:00); how long it takes to develop a new oil (4:15); how oils are tailored to Polaris engines (5:00); the difference between Polaris oils (5:25); what VES Extreme was formulated for (6:00); what the goals were for VES Extreme (6:55); the difference between Polaris oils and aftermarket oils (8:00); and how VES Extreme is able to perform in extreme temperatures and remain odorless (10:30).
Should I Use Vintage Oil in My 2-Stroke Snowmobile?
Polaris Vintage Oil is designed specifically to meet the needs of older snowmobiles, including air and liquid-cooled non exhaust valve engines of all brands from classics from the early 1960s to your favorites from the 90s. The oil's heavier viscosity protects older engines and mixes easily with fuel, so it can be used for both pre-mix and oil-injected machines. It also has our custom vintage scent that burns clean and smells great when your machine is operating.
Most vintage sleds tend to see sporadic use with more hours of storage. Polaris Vintage 2-stroke oil includes higher levels of stabilizing additives to help keep your fuel fresh longer. Stabilizers protect the carburetors and internal components such as jets and float bowls, keeping components clean and free of harmful deposits for longer. Polaris Vintage also has high quality base oils and additives designed specifically to better prevent wear and scuffing in vintage 2-stroke applications.
Is Synthetic Oil Better?
The chemically engineered molecules in synthetic base oil have more uniform properties, while the molecules found in conventional base oil differ in shape and levels of impurity. Synthetic oil is not only refined but also distilled, purified and broken down into its basic molecules. This process not only removes more impurities from the crude oil, but also enables individual molecules in the oil to be tailored to the demands of today's modern high performance engines. In addition to more consistent lubrication, synthetics offer longer oil life with extended change intervals and improved performance at both low and high temperature extremes.
Mineral oils are produced through crude oil refining, a lower-grade refining process in which the different elements of crude are simply separated.
Synthetic oils are produced through a chemical synthesis process, a higher-grade refining process in which molecules are broken down and rebuilt into uniform structure. Synthetic base oils contain linear-size molecules, which allow a more even distribution of the lubricant on load-bearing surfaces. This allows contacting parts to slide more freely with less resistance when interfaced.
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