ILMA Compoundings April 2017 - 18

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Market Report
Small Engines Placing Big Demands on Lubes:
Growing Powersports Segment Features
900-1,000 cc High-Performance Power Plants
By Michael Aistrup
Recently, off-road industrial and recreational vehicle
engines have become increasingly larger and higher
performing. The result is a demand for these once
smaller engines in increasingly difficult situations, and
performance demands placed upon engine lubricants
used by off-road industrial and recreational vehicles
are also increasing. Could this trend provide increased
opportunities for specialized lubricants?
This article looks at important trends in North American
small engine production and use since 2011 and considers
how these trends might affect lubricant use.
We consider a small engine as one with a displacement
less than 2,000 cubic centimeters (cc). The most significant
trend in the small engine space over the last five years, especially in the powersports category, is the continued move
to bigger engines. We'll consider powersports to include
four-wheelers (side-by-side vehicles and all-terrain vehicles,
or ATVs) and two-wheelers, primarily motorcycles.
Powersports side-by-side (SxS) units are designed for one
of two basic uses: for play (recreation and sport models) or
work (utility models). The machines are used for off-road
recreation (the Polaris RZR is a leading example), by homeowners for work on large residential lots (lawn and garden),
Engine CC Range

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

150 - 250

0

0

0

0

239

234

251 - 500

59,068

71,596

72,129

56,913

62,423

58,895

501 - 750

46,585

56,793

69,318

107,700

125,003

139,306

751 - 1,000

118,496

154,476

182,294

197,816

189,252

195,537

7,915

8,668

10,091

19,850

23,920

23,540

232,064

291,533

333,832

382,297

400,837

417,512

Above 1,000
Total
Source: PSR EnginLink™ Database

18

and for industrial applications ranging from construction
to in-plant industrial jobs. They're also used for ranching,
farming and hunting.
Research by Power Systems Research (PSR), an international firm that tracks the production and use of engines
and engine-powered equipment, shows that there has been
a noticeable shift in recent years from small displacement
engines to much larger power plants in the 1,000 cc range.
The research also shows that riders of these off-highway
machines are demanding more and more performance from their
engines, even as the size is increased. At the same time, the number of machines in the powersports segment also is increasing.
The net result is that the demand for high-performance
engine lubricants that can withstand the increased demands
of these riders in tough conditions is increasing, and the
global volumes of these lubricants is increasing, as well.
Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are
addressing this need and opportunity by marketing their
own branded lubricants. Consider Polaris Industries, the
Minnesota-based global manufacturer and distributor of
high-performance off-road vehicles (OHV).
Polaris is the global market share leader in off-road vehicles (ATVs and SxS units); it also is a leading manufacturer
of snowmobiles and on-highway motorcycles.

APRIL 2017

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG
http://www.ILMA.ORG
ILMA Compoundings April 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings April 2017
