When owners of two-stroke snowmobiles and motorcycles examine AMSOIL’s two-cycle oil offerings for the first time, questions sometimes arise. AMSOIL has five two-stroke oils in their product line which is among the most prolific in the industry. But two in particular are suitable for dry land powersports applications and those would be Interceptor and Dominator. Both products are similar in price and perform similar tasks, but they do have some very distinct differences that can play a role in the performance and protection of your engine.
Dominator Synthetic 2-Cycle Racing Oil
Dominator is purely a racing oil that is intended for racing or highly modified engines that experience extreme RPM and operating temperatures. Dominator’s robust additive package is designed to prevent wear under heavy loads. This is the exact formula used by AMSOIL-sponsored pro snocross racing teams. For racing or high-horsepower engines that are running on the edge, this is the candidate.
Interceptor High Performance Synthetic 2-Cycle Oil
Designed for high performance engines, Interceptor is formulated to deliver wear protection and deposit-free performance in even the harshest recreational operation. The hallmark of Interceptor is its ability to prevent carbon deposits on variable exhaust power valves. Dirty or seized power valves are the bane of the modern two-stroke engine. This along with Interceptor’s ability to combat wear, low-smoke operation and exceptional cold-weather performance makes it a huge hit with snowmobilers.
If Dominator is an extreme “anti-wear” oil, why not use it in everything?
The simple answer is that stock or moderately modified recreational engines will not generate enough heat to burn off Dominator’s considerable anti-wear additive package. The result may be depositing and eventually dirty and gummed engine internals. Interceptor contains more detergents and is designed for clean operation. Dominator is designed to provide the ultimate wear control in hot-running racing engines that are frequently disassembled. Dominator does burn clean under the proper operating conditions, but it does not contain the volume of detergents that Interceptor offers. Make no mistake, Interceptor also delivers very serious wear protection.
We recently heard from a snowmobiler that had been using Dominator in his Ski-Doo E-TEC 800cc engine. After a hard season of riding, he had a mechanic tear down the top-end to perform a visual inspection. They observed considerable varnish accumulation and depositing. He called us just as AMSOIL had released its extensive test data proving how Interceptor delivers outstanding performance and protection in Ski-Doo E-TEC engines. Of course we pointed him toward Interceptor for this season. Consider that Ski-Doo E-TEC engines use very little oil and inherently run hot. Also consider that this customer had been operating this sled under very heavy loads and yet Dominator was still not ideal for his situation. We guarantee that his engine will be ultra-clean after this season using Interceptor instead.
To sum up
Use Interceptor in recreational snowmobile, motorcycle and personal watercraft applications requiring the API TC specification. Interceptor is a capable replacement for OEM-branded synthetic oils from Ski-Doo/BRP, Arctic-Cat, Polaris and others.
Use Dominator in racing or highly-modified two-stroke engines that are torn down regularly. Suitable for applications requiring the API TC and JASO FC specifications.
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