HEN TIM SAMARAS AND HIS TEAM of researchers are chasing
a potentially violent storm across the Midwest’s
“Tornado Alley” region, stopping to change oil is not an
option. So five years ago, Samaras, the principal investigator
of the Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in
Tornadoes EXperiment (TWISTEX), began researching
ways to keep his vehicles on the road and out of the shop.
That’s when he discovered AMSOIL synthetic lubricants.
"I found that the AMSOIL products are far superior
and are rated far better than any of the competing
products I’ve found on the market," Samaras said. The
scientist and engineer has authored numerous papers
based on his research and is considered a preeminent
voice in the area of tornado investigation. He first developed
his fascination with tornadoes after seeing The
Wizard of Oz when he was six years old. Since then,
Samaras has become the only person to collect video
from inside a tornado and has logged hundreds of
thousands of miles across the Midwest in pursuit of one
of nature’s most destructive forces.
"It’s very important to keep our vehicles in top condition
for our mission in the fi eld," he said. The TWISTEX
crew commonly amasses 35,000 miles on each of their
four research vehicles during the spring storm chasing
season, during which they race to position themselves
in the paths of oncoming tornadoes minutes before
they arrive. Samaras then deploys small pyramidshaped
research probes that take numerous measurements
as the tornado passes over.
Because every second matters, Samaras is very
particular about vehicle maintenance. Of every 10
storms the team sets its sights on, only two will develop
a tornado. And of every 10 tornadoes they encounter,
only two are candidates for deploying research probes.
A vehicle breakdown can literally prevent TWISTEX
from collecting valuable data and ruin the entire storm
chasing season. Since switching to AMSOIL synthetic
motor oil, that has not happened.
"We push our research vehicles to well over 250,000
miles, and with AMSOIL in our engine blocks, we have
had no engine failures," Samaras said. AMSOIL
Signature Series 0W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil operates
in their three Chevy Cobalts, while the GMC Sierra
deployment truck takes AMSOIL Synthetic Premium
API CJ-4 Diesel Oil. "This year, we switched all of the
vehicle fluids to AMSOIL synthetic products, including
the automatic transmission, differentials and transfer
case," Samaras added. The GMC Sierra is filled with
Torque-Drive Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid
and the Chevy Cobalts use Synthetic Fuel Efficient
Automatic Transmission Fluid. All four vehicles also use
AMSOIL Synthetic Brake Fluid and Synthetic Power
Steering Fluid.
This spring, TWISTEX covered ground in Kansas,
Southern Illinois, Arkansas and practically every state
in between, with periodic returns to their home base in
Denver, CO to regroup. Samaras hopes analyzing the
data collected will translate into a deeper understanding
of tornado development, which could allow meteorologists
to increase tornado warning lead time and
help people evacuate potentially deadly areas sooner.
The four TWISTEX vehicles, all outfitted with sophisticated
monitoring instruments on their exteriors, attract
a lot of attention, which is why AMSOIL recently agreed
to sponsor the team. The vehicles bear AMSOIL decals,
and the GMC Sierra deployment truck is an annual
feature at the SEMA auto show. To add to their exposure,
TWISTEX receives prominent coverage from the
Discovery Channel TV show Storm Chasers, scheduled
to air this fall.
