I just received an email response from XPS about there XPS full synthetic qualification and the smell. Here is what they said….
Hello Jeff,
Thank you for the question.
Unlike automotive, marine, and motorcycle oil production, the two-stroke small engine oil industry (including snowmobile engine oil) is unregulated. There are API, JASO and other classifications used on some snowmobile oil, but they are voluntary. So, to answer your question about seeing XPS oil certifications, there is nothing to provide since we do not certify to any standard.
Though the current synthetic and semi-synthetic XPS lubricants would likely exceed API-TC and JASO FD minimum performance levels, they are not certified in order to maintain confidentiality and protect the significant development cost of new oil. Since it is not required to certify snowmobile oil we do not do so in order to protect our formulation. At BRP, our oil is developed in three stages; the final stage is validation in every engine in application before earning engineering approval. With the new E-TEC technology, the latest generation of XPS was more than a $3 million investment and is a trade secret, hopefully preventing independent/aftermarket oil companies trying to copy and potentially manufacture a similar formula without the engineering and development expense.
XPS two-stroke snowmobile oils are application specific and have different viscosity and custom additive packages engineered for the highest performance and best engine protection in Ski-Doo engines. BRP has a long-standing engineering partnership with a supplier that leads the development of small engine lubrication products. Our supplier uses its in-house dyno facility and world class development laboratory to produce the only oil that BRP engineers approve for E-TEC to give Ski-Doo owners the best oil for peak performance, engine protection and engine longevity. When it comes to XPS lubricants, we are fully engaged with our oil partner and we mutually share intellectual property to optimize finished fluids – no other lubricant manufacturer can claim this or claim to know as much about the lubrication needs of our engines.
As for the smell, you may have noticed the change in color (last year) of our synthetic from brown to red. We identified the brown dye to be a contributing factor to the added odor. We have had positive feedback since that change. We would also like to point out that the E-TEC in general smokes substantially less than previous platforms and the odor is much improved since those days.
If you have any further questions, please fill out the form again at XPSlubricants.com, as we cannot receive replies to this email address.
Thank you for being a valued BRP customer. Enjoy the new Summit!
XPS Lubricants
