Driven Oil Vs. AMSOIL: Which One Should You Pick?

Racing car engines are different, that’s why their fuel is different too. Break-in oils are the same, they work differently than street oil. Joe Gibb’s Driven and AMSoil are the two most popular options for these.

Driven is more viscose when heated, less wearproof, and pricier. AMSoil is less viscose when heated, more wearproof, and affordable.

If you have a racing car engine, you’ll need special fuel because your engine will see harder days. Driven and AMSoil are good options, but which one should you pick?

Here’s a comparison to help you decide.

A Quick Summary of the Comparison

Feature	Driven Oil	AMSoil
Viscosity and lubrication	More viscose when heated, less lubrication	Less viscose when heated, better lubrication
Wear protection	Good wear protection	Better wear protection
Price	Affordable	Pricey

Key Differences Between Driven Oil And AMSOIL

Whether it is break-in oil or racing oil, both Driven and AMSoil have their pros and cons. The list of pros is longer of course, which explains why they’re so popular.

But that doesn’t mean they’re the same. AMSoil and Driven are different, and the differences come out in multiple ways.

Viscosity and lubrication, wear protection, and price is the factors where the major differences between Driven and AMSoil are.

Let’s see how these differences work out in both brands.

• Viscosity And Lubrication

Lubrication isn’t exactly the main objective of using racing oils, it’s more like a by-product.

Either way, both brands are different in this department.

Driven is runnier and less lubricating. AMSoil is less runny and more lubricating.

The viscosity labels on both bottles might say the same number, but the cases are different in real life.

Driven has fewer viscosity options and most of them are on the higher end when heated.

That means when the oil is heated, it will run through the engine parts quicker and evaporate faster.

This means your Driven oil will need frequent changing even for race oils. Even the options with the same labels as AMSoil wear out comparatively faster than AMSoil.

As for lubrication, you’ll get base-level lubrication from Driven.

AMSoil has more viscosity options. You can pick whatever you want for your engine. Most of the options are on the lower end, which means the oil takes longer to evaporate.

The cold viscosity count is usually the same so the heated viscosity count is how you know the difference. And safe to say, AMSoil has this under control. AMSoil also has better lubrication than Driven oil.

Also Read: Reasons For Take 5 Oil Change Being So Expensive.

• Wear Protection

Wear protection is tricky when it comes to racing oils. Some people believe a higher zinc additive count helps, some believe a lower count helps.

In real life, AMSoil has better wear protection than Driven. The Load Capacity Test also supports this claim.

The truth is, a higher number of zinc additives (ZDDP) doesn’t mean better wearproofing. That is because zinc can interfere with so many car parts and mess them up.

So you need an optimum amount of zinc additives to protect your car and keep it going.

Driven’s ZDDP values are higher than AMSoil, but they actually can’t do very well against the engine wearing off.

If you look past the zinc additives and look at the dynamic load capacity tests, you’ll see Driven scores lower than AMSoil.

AMSoil on the other hand is the clear winner in this department. It gives better protection against engine wear in real life and the user experiences vouch for this claim.

Plus AMSoil scores better in the dynamic load capacity test, meaning it gives better protection against engine wear.

• Price

The price difference isn’t much between the two brands, at least not at the quart level. AMSoil costs a bit more than Driven and that’s it.

But if you go up the sizes, you’ll see the difference getting bigger. The gallon versions of both oils have a pretty big price difference, AMSoil always costs more than Driven regardless of the platform.

As for the quart prices, the differences don’t seem too big. But with how frequently racing engines need an oil change, the price adds up. so Driven becomes the more affordable option.

Which One Should You Go For?

Both oil brands have their own pros and people prefer them for those.

They may not be very similar on a head-to-head comparison, but they’re pretty close in the overall margin.

So if you’ve been comparing them, you know picking one of them is pretty hard.

But you can still choose one.

You’ll just have to figure out what you prefer. Everything comes down to your personal preference.

But if you want a more objective approach, you’ll have to look at how their features work out overall.

If you’re looking for something runny and don’t mind frequent oil changes, Driven is a really good option. Both their racing oil and break-in oil gives pretty good wear protection so that’s nothing to worry about.

The only problem is, you won’t get much lubrication and the price will add up.

If you’re looking for something that’ll last longer and will give you better wear protection, AMSoil is the best option. It evaporates slower, gives more lubrication, and protects the engine parts better.

The best part is, you get all these for a fairly good price. So you won’t have to worry about the price adding up.

Overall, AMSoil is the better option between these two. But if you’re specifically looking for something with less lubrication or more zinc additives, Driven is as good as it gets.

Also Read: Differences Between Polaris Oil And AMSOIL.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Final Verdict

Racing engines go through more pressure, so they need special racing oil. There are lots of options, but Driven and AMSoil are the leading ones.

Objectively, AMSoil is the better option overall. But if you’re looking for something more affordable or less lubricating, Driven is a really good option too.