Posts
2006
Joined
11/9/2011
Location
Denver Metro, CO
US
Rider 5280
11/25/2020 12:50pm
11/25/2020 12:50pm
Edited Date/Time
11/26/2020 1:34pm
Guys,
As I am gearing up to get into off-road riding heavily again (was away ~ 10 years with kid/family stuff), I was re-educating myself on oils before I go full hoarder (I do this) and buy the wrong 55-gallon drum of oil. Yes, really, a drum.
Maxima Oils have been my favorite since ~ 2008 when I tore down multiple 2003-2007 CRF450R/X bikes and compared the internal engine wear side-by-side (top ends and transmissions). I was blown away by Maxima Extra 10W40 oil's lack of engine wear overall (which my buddies ran - I did not at the time). I could not believe the difference between Maxima and the top-of-the-line Honda HP4M, etc., I had been using. IT WAS NIGHT AND DAY. I also augmented my personal observations with a call to Maxima to discuss current (then) oil technologies, what Maxima felt was its best oil at the time in terms of outright protection - my main goal always - and it was indeed the Extra 10W40. I came away an absolute believer in the Extra 10W40 and never looked back.
Fast forward 10+ years: I called Maxima right before the 2020 Thanksgiving Holiday break and was forwarded to the Tech Help voicemail that said they would return my call on Monday, 30-Nov, after the holiday break. Cool, looking forward to the discussion. Then, on Tuesday 24-Nov, Paul in Tech Help called me 2X to ensure we connected to discuss the questions I had. DANG THAT IS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
So, I got Paul up-to-speed on where I last left off with Maxima oil in ~ 2008 and I wanted to know what has changed and what is their best 4-stroke MX engine oil currently. It turns out, Extra is still their BEST mx oil in terms of protection for engine only lubrication applications like the 02-08 CRF450R's separate engine / separate transmission configurations, but they have done a lot of work on developing their high-end Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 4-Stroke Oils (all grades) for the shared engine and transmission oil applications that are the standard in today's off-road and mx bikes.
Furthermore, he said if I really wanted to go high-end on my older CRFs on the engine side (07 and 08 CRF450Rs), I could try one of their high-end automotive engine oils (check this stuff out: https://maximausa.com/series-301-ps0.html#!). I was seriously thinking about it, but then logistics reality set in again and I asked a slightly different question: "Running both older bikes with separate engine/tranny oil compartments + new Yamahas with small-volume, shared engine/tranny oils - what would you run if I change my oil every 5ish hours?" His response was that "the Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 4-Stroke Oils (all grades) are the best bet between ultimate protection as well as outstanding shifting and clutch performance. It's a compromise when the engine and tranny share oil, but we feel we've really nailed it with this formulation to serve both applications extremely well." (my paraphrased version of the conversation).
So, Maxima for the win again in my book. Their excellent products continue to get better and better and their outstanding customer service is still intact after all these years. LOVE IT!
Thanks Paul @ Maxima!
P.S. In my limited experience riding again this year, maybe ~ 30-40 hours of engine/riding time total, I cannot discern any difference between Extra 10W40 and Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 10W40. I also am noticing that my newer Yamaha YZFs really dirty up oil quickly (the ultra small oil volume REALLY BOTHERS ME!), so I'm changing ~ every 3-5 hours at this point.
As I am gearing up to get into off-road riding heavily again (was away ~ 10 years with kid/family stuff), I was re-educating myself on oils before I go full hoarder (I do this) and buy the wrong 55-gallon drum of oil. Yes, really, a drum.
Maxima Oils have been my favorite since ~ 2008 when I tore down multiple 2003-2007 CRF450R/X bikes and compared the internal engine wear side-by-side (top ends and transmissions). I was blown away by Maxima Extra 10W40 oil's lack of engine wear overall (which my buddies ran - I did not at the time). I could not believe the difference between Maxima and the top-of-the-line Honda HP4M, etc., I had been using. IT WAS NIGHT AND DAY. I also augmented my personal observations with a call to Maxima to discuss current (then) oil technologies, what Maxima felt was its best oil at the time in terms of outright protection - my main goal always - and it was indeed the Extra 10W40. I came away an absolute believer in the Extra 10W40 and never looked back.
Fast forward 10+ years: I called Maxima right before the 2020 Thanksgiving Holiday break and was forwarded to the Tech Help voicemail that said they would return my call on Monday, 30-Nov, after the holiday break. Cool, looking forward to the discussion. Then, on Tuesday 24-Nov, Paul in Tech Help called me 2X to ensure we connected to discuss the questions I had. DANG THAT IS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
So, I got Paul up-to-speed on where I last left off with Maxima oil in ~ 2008 and I wanted to know what has changed and what is their best 4-stroke MX engine oil currently. It turns out, Extra is still their BEST mx oil in terms of protection for engine only lubrication applications like the 02-08 CRF450R's separate engine / separate transmission configurations, but they have done a lot of work on developing their high-end Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 4-Stroke Oils (all grades) for the shared engine and transmission oil applications that are the standard in today's off-road and mx bikes.
Furthermore, he said if I really wanted to go high-end on my older CRFs on the engine side (07 and 08 CRF450Rs), I could try one of their high-end automotive engine oils (check this stuff out: https://maximausa.com/series-301-ps0.html#!). I was seriously thinking about it, but then logistics reality set in again and I asked a slightly different question: "Running both older bikes with separate engine/tranny oil compartments + new Yamahas with small-volume, shared engine/tranny oils - what would you run if I change my oil every 5ish hours?" His response was that "the Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 4-Stroke Oils (all grades) are the best bet between ultimate protection as well as outstanding shifting and clutch performance. It's a compromise when the engine and tranny share oil, but we feel we've really nailed it with this formulation to serve both applications extremely well." (my paraphrased version of the conversation).
So, Maxima for the win again in my book. Their excellent products continue to get better and better and their outstanding customer service is still intact after all these years. LOVE IT!
Thanks Paul @ Maxima!
P.S. In my limited experience riding again this year, maybe ~ 30-40 hours of engine/riding time total, I cannot discern any difference between Extra 10W40 and Pro Plus Synthetic Race Grade 10W40. I also am noticing that my newer Yamaha YZFs really dirty up oil quickly (the ultra small oil volume REALLY BOTHERS ME!), so I'm changing ~ every 3-5 hours at this point.
Sc1 and the air fresheners are also always on the shelf!
The Shop
FWIW, I made a similar call to the one I described above to Bel-Ray back in ~ 2003 as well. Same experience as with Maxima. I am a super fan of Gear Saver to this day - and use it (but did switch to Maxima K2 when I rode 2-strokes).
I like Maxima too.
Is pro plus the way to go?
I use it on everything from suspension to carbs and motor parts etc
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