Tech Tuesday: AJA R.I.P.

A great man passed away this weekend. This is a brief nod to note the importance of his contribution both to the industry he influenced and the multitude of people whose lives he touched.

It would be no stretch to compare Albert J. Amatuzio's achievements in the oil industry to Steve Jobs in the computer industry. Before Jobs there was no such thing as a personal home computer, and yet today few homes are without one. Before Al, synthetic motor oil for cars did not exist, no company producing it other than for the jet engines of aircraft he flew as a Lt. Colonel in the Air National Guard.

Al told me once that when he was a boy he used to sit on the Oliver bridge and while watching the cars cross between Duluth and Superior wonder, "If I could make a nickel off every car I'd be the richest man in America." He was five years old at the time and his first idea was to put long straws on the lug nuts so that drivers would know they were getting too close to the curb.

These early entrepreneurial yearnings eventually became more grounded. Decades later his ten-year quest to produce a synthetic motor oil for cars came to fruition in 1972 with the introduction of AMZOIL, the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute service requirements. Its performance benefits included a 25,000-miles or one year service life. And here in the Northland the most readily noticeable benefit was that you did not have to worry about getting your car started when it was 30-below zero in the winter. AMZOIL was a fluid that remained fluid no matter how cold it got here. (The name changed after Pennzoil sued Al for using their "Z"... even though he thought he was using his own Z. The name AMSOIL has been the official title ever since.)

My brother-in-law, a mechanic, introduced me to this high-tech oil in the early 1980s and I became a Dealer so I could purchase it at a discount. Little did I know that I would one day live in Duluth and snag a job at AMSOIL as one of several writers in the communications team. This 1986 career move had two significant consequences. Through Al's encouragement* I began a career in advertising. And through the influence of a fellow writer there I was introduced to the personal computer and bought my first Mac. (Which still runs, by the way.)

The success of those early ad campaigns led to my being hired away from the company for 8 years where I served as in-house ad agency for another firm in the screen printing industry. During this time I remained in close contact with friends at AMSOIL and eventually conceived an idea for a book about Mr. Amatuzio.  I envisioned a coffee table book with lots of photos and him talking to readers about each decade of his life, each chapter culminating in a key lesson about success. The book would highlight virtues like hard work, commitment, vision, determination, and one of his chief attributes: charisma. He grew up tough and knew how to fight, but he could also disarm you with his charm.

The book project was set aside as I instead returned to the company to serve two decades heading the advertising program I'd initiated several years earlier. It's been a privilege.

Over the course of a lifetime Al Amatuzio won many awards, both as a fighter pilot and an oil man. Though inducted into the Lubricant's World Hall of Fame in 1995, the honor he found most gratifying was the Nachtman Award, the highest honor in ILMA (the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association.) The award is given to individuals "who typify the vision, dedicated spirit and selflessness of the late Elliot Nachtman, who worked tirelessly for the benefit of ILMA and the industry."

Much more can be said about the man and his achievements. Read his story here.

You can also read my article on the history of synthetic lubricants (which was used as the basis for a segment on The History Channel) and see how Al's achievements fit into the larger picture of lubrication history.

Mr. Amatuzio... you will be missed.

* * * *

* I had been asked to produce an ad, to which I replied, "Does Al want an ad or does he want results? If he wants results we should do a campaign." To which Al replied in a memo, "How would you spend $10,000 a month." I did my homework, presented a proposal and received his sign off: "AJA"

Car Quotes

"Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do." ~Jason Love

Last night the AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour was in town, passing through on the third leg of its eight scheduled week-long road tours for 2009. More than 300 local folks brought their classic cars as well to make it the second annual event at the AMSOIL Center in Superior, Wisconsin.

In honor of the occasion I thought a few car quotes would be in order. Funny thing is that when you look up Hemingway Quotes in Google, you get quotes by Hemingway, and when you look up Quotes Suffering you get proverbial wisdom about suffering. But when you type in Car Quotes, you get pages of sites dedicated to pricing your ride, or someone else's vehicle. It takes a little more work to pull up quotes about cars.

Nevertheless, I achieved my aim and thought a few of these worth sharing.

"The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it." ~Dudley Moore

"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly." ~Author Unknown

"Car sickness is the feeling you get when the monthly payment is due." ~Author Unknown

"The shortest distance between two points is under construction." ~Noelie Altito

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." ~George Best

"When buying a used car, punch the buttons on the radio. If all the stations are rock and roll, there's a good chance the transmission is shot." ~Larry Lujack

"In less enlightened times, the best way to impress women was to own a hot car. But women wised up and realized it was better to buy their own hot cars so they wouldn't have to ride around with jerks." ~Scott Adams

"The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires." ~Dorothy Parker

Enjoy your day, and and joy your ride.

A Good Day for Randomness

"He saw what he did not see."

My dreams seemed exceptionally vivid upon waking this morning. There were a whole series of images and scenes which varied in their degree of bizarreness, many involving people I know. In some scenes I was part of the action, in others just a spectator. One scene was somewhat shocking, and some exceedingly involved. The very last featured John Malkovich. I was watching him as he boarded a train. He was dressed in somewhat loose fitting Oriental attire and there was a side door onto the traincar which was low to the ground (much like a subway platform) and in a childlike, goofy way he would step into the compartment and sit himself onto the floor. As he did so, some brightly colored object of enormous size like a multi-colored cash register would fall out from under his shirt or even come out of the sleeve. It would make a clatter on the platform and he would giggle and the authorities would take it away. He would be standing outside the train again, and would then go through this act again. Four or five times in a row, as Malkovich sat down inside the compartment, a large object would tumble out onto the platform. Each time, he would smirk or laugh, trying to conceal his merriment. I got the impression he was a holy prankster of sorts.

Like many dreams, it all seemed so real as I was watching. But when I woke, it no longer mattered that I didn't understand what was going on.

So, for a few minutes, I will make a list of random observations from my desk, from about my walls, the floor. Today is a good day for randomness. And like my dreams, it doesn't have to make sense, yet it will be -- to some extent -- revealing.

501 Great Writers, a book I received for Christmas. Published by Barron's, Julian Patrick general editor.

A Medica card, UnitedHealthare.

A Sony MagicGate Memory Stick for my camera, purchased on EBay. It doesn't work for some reason. Let the buyer beware.

An Olympus Digital Voice Recorder, model WS-110. Made in China, I recently recorded and interview of George Barris, of Batmobile and Mokeemobile fame, using this device which has a USB plug-in so you can download recorded files onto your computer and play them with Windows Media Player or iTunes.

A couple packages of Post-it brand page markers for marking pages in a book or magazine. I have a pink one marking the page of Geoffrey Chaucer in the book 501 Great Writers, and an orange one marking the page of Arthur Rimbaud.

Two flash drives, one with the letters HIN on it. HIN stands for Hot Import Nights.

A Post-it note with my cousin Gary's phone number on it. Gary was my favorite cousin growing up and we used to talk about living on the same block when we grew up. He became a fireman, and later fire chief I believe, in Oklahoma. I became an advertising and PR guy in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Sometimes things don't go the way you expect.

A Verizon cell phone, slim black, always on vibrate.

A 2.5 gig Mobile Hard Drive. My Sony Vaio laptop crashed about six weeks ago and a computer wizard extracted all its contents onto this little silver box about the size of a 3 x 5 card. 2.5 gigs seems fairly incomprehensible to me. My first Mac, a 512Ke, had no memory for storage at all, just a disk drive slot where your pushed in the 512K disk. It had about 1000 K of "working memory" I believe. My next Mac, the SE, had a 20MB hard drive. I enlarged its capacity with a program called Disk Doubler.

An envelope with Wilmer A. Wagner's Advance Directive, or living will. I pulled it from my file cabinet because it's about time I make one for myself, just in case. Two friends of mine who are my age have had heart attacks recently.

A Seagate backup drive. It holds 100 or 200 gigabytes, I think.

An AMSOIL G-1406. This is a piece of literature which I wrote and designed back in 1997 when our company introduced the Quick Lube program and XL-7500 synthetic motor oils. AMSOIL was the first synthetic motor oil to satisfy API certification standards in 1972. The founder had been a jet fighter pilot in the Air National Guard, and was determined to use jet engine oil technology in cars. And he did it. Because of the extended drain intervals and cleaner operation, these oils have genuine environmental benefits. This literature item was designed for use as a point-of-sale piece for a counter top display which I also had a hand in designing.

An off-white plastic wall outlet with two slots.

An empty beer bottle, Full Moon.

A couple nickels, one here and one there.

A list of things I have to do today. But first, I'd better walk out and get the paper and feed the animals. We're down to a cat, three ducks and two dogs.

Four harmonicas, one of them a Hohner Marine Band in the key of C. One is a Hohner Golden Melody, D, and two are Blues Harps, in C and G. I also have a complete set of Johnson Blues King harps which I purchased on eBay and keep in a satchel. The four cited are my favorites. The two Blues Harps were purchased when I was a freshman at Ohio University.

What kind of random things do you see from where you're sitting as you read this blog entry today?

Of Knights White and Dark

Up front, the reason I am writing about knights today is that I did this picture of me as The Dark Knight. Laugh, please, because it's intended to be comic. (You may click to enlarge.)

As for chivalry and knights-errant, I have always enjoyed the whole idea of knighthood. As a kid one of my favorite coloring books was Crusader Rabbit. As a college student I was taken up with Don Quixote by way of the musical Man of La Mancha. During my tenure at AMSOIL, where I am employed in advertising and PR, I have seen my role as something of a white knight, doing battle against the forces of darkness.

An aside: There are many cynics who believe that the foundation of advertising, and inherent in the job, is a need to lie. Like lawyers, admen are tarred as dishonest hucksters. What I have always believed is that if you have to lie to sell a product, then you should not be in that situation. Or at least, you should strive to exit that position as quickly as feasible.

For those unaware, AMSOIL makes synthetic motor oils and performance products. Their claim to fame is being the first synthetic motor oil to satisfy American Petroleum Institute service requirements. In addition to being the first synthetic oil for cars, they were also first to recommend a 25,000 mile one year drain interval. The company has done that since its inception 35 years ago.

Imagine how many fewer oil cans and bottles would be in our landfills if for the past 35 years everyone changed their oil but once a year. The oil industry, on the other hand, likes having people change their oil frequently. For more than a decade major oil companies have gone out of their way to fight extended drain intervals. For years we've all heard that you're supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles. Is that really because frequent oil changes are in the best interest of the consumer? I have in my file a 2001 quote from the president of Jiffy Lube International saying that if they could get people to change 100 miles sooner, Pennzoil would make 20 million more dollars. In addition, "If we could move our customers to make one more oil change per year, it's worth $294 million for the oil change alone and $441 million in revenue, when you include ancillary products and services." (Lubricant's World, Sept. 2001, p. 30)

So it is that the little company I work for is jousting with behemoths for whom bottom line profits are the primary driver, not truth or what is in the best interest of the consumer, or the earth for that matter.

The irony is, however, that even though I feel like a white knight, and our company has true environmentally beneficial solutions, if you get into a throng of really Green folks, I am a leper because I'm part of an oil company. "Oil companies are bad, green is good."

Add to that the popularity of seeing business people in a somewhat negative light, and the corporate guy that I am can also be perceived as "bad" in many sectors simply by virtue of my wearing a suit to the office every day. Hmmm.

Well, this might be where the Dark Knight comes in. His motivations are good, but in the end we see he is just a human trying to do the best he can. He's playing a role that in some way fits who he is. And like the comic book hero and Cervantes' Quixote I, too, am just trying to do the best I can within the context of our postmodern environs. If occasionally the giants I'm fighting are windmills.... well, so be it.

Here are a couple of links to articles I've published related to the environment and ethics.

The Tempo of Life

This week AMSOIL, the company I work for, has been celebrating its 35th Anniversary Convention. Once every five years the company pulls out all the stops as we pass another milestone.

Such events are very demanding as everyone pours themselves into making this the best convention ever for the eight hundred-plus Dealers who are here. In addition to a motivational experience, this time together is filled with content as we give our Dealers new products, new knowledge, ideas for growing their businesses, opportunities to meet with staff, and spaces of time to engage the extended AMSOIL family.

Life has its rhythms, and for our staff who have been involved in making this a stellar event, we're now experiencing the crescendo.

In music, there are written designations for everything. Largo is slow and dignified. Andante is a "walking" tempo. Moderato is a little faster pace. Allegro is a fast, upbeat tempo. Vivace means lively and presto is very fast. The word of the week is prestissimo, that is, very, very fast.

Like music, there are times when the tempo accelerates, and there are places where the symphony is at rest. For sure, the attempt to live life at full bore may be impressive in the short term, but even the best musicians need spaces where they can catch their breath. The next few days I look forward to catching mine.

On Behalf of Mama Earth

Earth Day, April 22, came and went again this week. According to one source twenty million people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970. President Nixon gave us the Environmental Protection Agency that year and Congress amended the Clean Air Act to set national air quality, auto emissions, and anti-pollution standards.

I am still curious why the so-called "founders" of Earth Day 1970 actually switched it from the Vernal Equinox, which has been historically honored as Earth Day for more than three thousand years, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. When Secretary-General U Thant in 1971 signed a U.N. Earth Day Proclamation on March 21, 1971, he must not have been paying attention to those press releases the year before that announced it had been moved to April 22.

For me personally, I don’t really care what date is officially Earth Day. What's more important is a lifestyle commitment. If you still pour out your used motor oil in the back yard, I don’t care how many Earth Day ceremonies you’ve been to, you obviously don’t “get it.”

There’s a school of philosophy that says in essence “what is is what is.” It is a somewhat fatalistic approach to life and reality. It implies powerlessness, as if to say that we have no power to change things, so why bother, as if we are victims of Fate.

I would suggest that we have far more power than we realize to make a difference. It begins with this commitment: I will do what I can in the realms where I am able.

I’m not trying to make this into a moral issue. But in point of fact, if human beings don't take care of the earth, you won’t see sheep, chimps or elephants stepping up to take the lead. The responsibility is ours, both collectively and individually.

SHAMELESS PLUG FOR MY COMPANY
What this means is, we need to learn more about what we can do. We’ve all seen the lists. Turn lights off in unoccupied rooms, use energy-efficient appliances, etc. One item not usually listed is to use a premium synthetic oil and extend intervals between oil changes. Fact: AMSOIL synthetic motor oils last longer than conventional petroleum motor oils. The net benefits to our environment on this alone include less packaging waste and less waste oil to dispose of.

But the benefits of AMSOIL synthetics go further than this. The best synthetics clean the engine so it runs in a more optimal manner. The net result is improved fuel economy. That is, cars can use less fuel to go the same distance. If every car and truck were switched to premium synthetic motor oils, the savings alone would enable a vehicle could go to the sun and back (186 million miles round trip) so many times that it would blow your mind.

I am not makng this up.

It's Your Move

To appreciate this ad you have to know a little about the fast oil change business. For years the oil companies recommended a 2,000 mile oil change interval. The reason was that oil was just a commodity and junky at that. Eventually, oil quality improved some with tighter standards encouraged by the API with the result that the 3,000 mile oil change became the norm.

There are problems with the 3K oil change, however. If you drive a lot, finding time for frequent oil changes is a hassle. Second, you simply create a lot of waste oil, as well as packaging waste, and filters which have no easy way to be drained. Huge mess and not good for the environment.

Nevertheless, the oil industry did everything it could to keep oil drain intervals at 3,000 miles because it adds dollars to their bottom line. I have a quote in my drawer from the CEO of Pennzoil who said if he could get people to change at 2900 miles instead of 3,000, their company would make an additional 22-24 million dollars. Sounds to me like a statement that does not really reflect a concern for what is best for consumers or the environment.

General Motors several years ago stopped recommending a specified drain interval. Instead they installed an oil life monitor which sends a message to the dashboard when it is time to change oil. The "Change Oil" light may come on at 4700 miles or 7800 miles, or even 12,340 miles. It is based on an algorithm that analyzes you driving style and its impact on the oil's service life.

This ad here was directed toward businesses in the Do-It-For-Me oil change market. It addresses their biggest fear, that as oil change intervals lengthen they will see their customers less. AMSOIL offers a win-win-win solution. It's a win for motorists, for quick lubes, and for the environment. Much more could be said, but for that you'll need to visit the AMSOIL website.

What I Like: I realize this ad violates Ogilvy's rule about reverse type, but it is a compelling headline and image. The writing is tight and direct as well. What I really like is that I had no idea what the image should be for this ad. I wrote the copy, sent all the words, headline, etc. to Service Printers, and this is what came back. Seeing it was like opening a Christmas present. It's great to be part of a team, and in this case the Service Printers art department proved to be my ace in the hole. Thanks!

Motorcycle Ads

Quite a few years ago AMSOIL synthetic motor oils had reformulated two of its viscosities for motorcycles and indicated thus on the back of the label. When the front of the label proclaimed Motorcycle Oil, consumers snapped up the product like hotcakes. A great product will almost sell itself, but all the elements had yet to come together, though we were moving in the right direction.

When three years ago we introduced the Motorcycle Oil White Paper, things began to fall into place. We also introduced a new line of premium motorcycle oil and air filters, bumped the advertising up a notch and gave our Dealer network the ammunition they were craving in order to do battle on the front lines.

The ads here are three which I especially liked from this period.

1. You Ride. We Take Care of the Rest.

What I Like: Two things I especially like. First, the headline contains a strong promise that AMSOIL delivers on. The copy supports this and admonishes readers to take action: Find out for yourselves... Second, I also enjoyed conceiving the image at the heart of the ad. I was in my garage working on my car and saw the unpretentious layout with rag, ratchet set, products and tools. The next step was finding a location, which I accomplished with the assistance of award winning photographer Jeff Frey of Jeff Frey Photography.

2. Ride Hard, Run Cool

What I Like: I love the photo, courtesy Ron Nelson of Hot Bike Magazine (at the time) who sent me approximately 300 slides to sift through. Over light table with my lupe I was fully engaged, seeking the perfect image. This one just smacks of cool. Not sure who came up with the headline, or if I might have, but once I put it down it was set in stone. Headline, copy, image all work together to tell the story. The ad was popular enough to become a poster.

3. The Most Advanced Motorcycle Oil...

What I Like: I just really like a good photo of bikers out on the open road. Colleen Swartz of Digital Magic BigShots provided me a range of selections and this one seemed really fun because of the little kid on the back of the bike on the left. Turns out this was Colleen's son, who thus appeared in a number of national publications, which must have been especially fun for them.

Snowmobile Ads

Generally there's been a wall of separation between the topics in my blogspot and my professional activities. In point of fact, however, our lives work best when our profession is a harmonious extension of our selves. Our careers soak up so many of our waking hours that it seems anyone who is not plugged into a situation that they enjoy and that uses their natural abilities ought to seriously be looking for a different situation. At AMSOIL I've found a wonderful place to do what all of us desire to do, which is to "bloom where you are planted." I've been given the opportunity to really pour myself into my work, utilizing my writing and design skills as well as problem solving and marketing experience.

Yesterday's blog entry presented some of the ideas of David Ogilvy, a big influence on my development. Today's entry presents a few of the ads I've produced these past twelve years for AMSOIL, the leading independent manufacturer of synthetic motor oils, along with a few comments about each.

1. Secret of Our Success

This ad represents our early involvement in the extreme sport of WSA Snocross. Our very first year was challenging because ads that appear in mags for the snowmobile season are being developed in late summer. The very first year in the sport we really didn't have photos of our team.

The second year I was still unhappy about what I had to work with. In addition, we had switched our riders of the AMSOIL sleds. However, the local paper had sent a photographer to cover an autograph signing, and when I saw the photo I knew it was exactly what I wanted.

What I Like: It is pretty much a standard layout, conveying the message with direct, logical arguments and traditional flow of ideas. Good writing, great photo. Count the AMSOIL logos in that photo!

What I Especially Like: When AMSOIL got involved in snocross. we were one of seventeen two-stroke oil companies with 2-3% marketshare (according survey by Supertrax Magazine). Within two short years the combined synergies of sponsoring a high profile snocross team along with the supporting advertising and the newly emerging internet resulted in significant sales growth, and 20% top of mind awareness, with continuous growth in sales and marketshare throughout these past ten years.

2. Faster, Higher, Farther

What I Like: Obviously not a lot of copy here, but even in its brevity it supplies plenty of information. Add the this a dramatic image that speaks more than its allotted thousand words... and you have something tantalizing for the eyes as well as the mind.

3. When it comes to performance...

OK, so the reverse type violates a principle underscored vociferously by Mr. Ogilvy, but I don't think it is so much copy that one would disregard it utterly. The copy itself is tight, says plenty in a few short sentences. It's clear what we're selling here. Two stroke oils for snowmobiles.

What I Like: The photo of D.J. Eckstrom is strikingly energetic, but that vivid image in the background has an almost haunting dramatic quality that I especially like. When I see this ad, I think of the song, "Ghost Riders In The Sky."

What I Especially Like: It makes a strong promise in the headline, and AMSOIL products deliver.

Special thanks to Service Printers of Duluth for their art department, whose contributions make my success possible.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL SIZE

AMSOIL Duluth Nationals

This weekend the snowmobile racing world comes alive as the AMSOIL Duluth Nationals are underway. Enthusiastic masses descend upon Spirit Mountain to stand outside in frigid temps drinking beer and beating their chests. Will it be Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo or Yamaha atop the podiums at the end of it all? Naturally, I will be rooting for D.J. and Shaun on the AMSOIL Polaris sleds.

The AMSOIL Duluth Nationals is akin to opening day at Yankee Stadium. You just gotta be there if you are part of the snowmobile scene.

Despite the lack of Northland snow, the temperatures plunged enough to make plenty for the races. On the far side of the track the base must be close to 25 feet deep since the event is held on a ski slope that slopes away and down from the lodge. With the Aerial Lift Bridge in the background and the full moon illuminating all last night, it was quite a spectacular site.

The locals, as well as all the AMSOIL people present, were thrilled by the exhibition Team AMSOIL put on. Local hero D.J. Eckstrom literally smoked everyone in the Winter X qualifiers. Shaun Crapo likewise showed that the AMSOIL sleds will be something to reckon with as he, too, won his feature almost effortlessly. The boys are looking strong and the sleds dominant, thanks to the tireless work of Steve Scheuring and his team of mechanics.

At the end of day one the season looks promising. But it is a dangerous sport and no one takes anything for granted.

Thought food: Some of these riders have flown over 130 feet through the air on their snowmobiles, sometimes getting as high as 30 feet off the ground. The Wright brothers' first flight was only 120 feet, and I do not think they went quite that high, yet they called it flying.

Heroes or Goats?

The oil change business is by nature an extension of the oil industry, an industry that is considered by many environmentally conscious people to be “the enemy.” It’s a strange situation, because everything that has moving parts needs lubrication, hence the lube folks have actually played an essential role in the advancement of civilization.

Journal Note

There is good reason to be concerned about the environment. This is the only planet we've got.

As for our oil dependency, it is one facet of a basic energy dependency. It takes energy to move a body from one place to another. Our bodies burn energy to do it. We obtain the fuel to do this via eating. Likewise it takes energy to heat a house, or to create electricity. Frankly, I like these conveniences. Otherwise I would not be very warm in Minnesota's winters and could not power up my computer to write this blog.

Sources of energy are limited. The automobile became the vehicle of choice for Americans because horses and bicycles had certain drawbacks as a means of commuting to work. Trolleys and trains also have limitations. Our whole way of life seems to require transportation to and from the stores (supply chains) and places we are employed.

Are there alternatives? I read a lot of articles suggesting this and that solution to reduce dependence on oil, but guess what? Most of those solutions are either two to three decades off or simply not practical. All involve trade-offs and may require sacrifices Americans do not want to make.

I work for a synthetic oil company called AMSOIL that has a partial solution that we can implement today, without waiting two to three decades to make a difference. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils have two features that make a difference with regard to environmental impact. The company was first to introduce the concept of extended drain intervals, in 1972. You only have to change your oil once a year or in 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. Oil change intervals for conventional petroleum oil are once every 3,000 miles.... which creates a heckuva lot of extra used oil to dispose of or deal with. A second environmental benefit of AMSOIL synthetic oils is their fuel efficiency. Because AMSOIL synthetics reduce friction, slide more easily inside the engine, and because they don't break down to create sludge or varnish (which increases engine drag) the engine runs more efficiently. It takes less energy to create the same amount of power.

In short, if we want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce the environmental damage we're doing through excessive amounts of oil being disposed of, check out the AMSOIL website at http://www.amsoil.com/.

Let's not just talk about making the world a better place. Let's do something about it.