I just had a Chat with a Great Guy Named Chris Barker over at Royal Purple and he explained to me exactly what they did with their oil formulations and their new oil product lines so this should clear everything up going forward:

Hi SLK_X5,

Only the Royal Purple SAE street engine oils (those typically found at retail automotive parts stores) carry an API and ILSAC license. These have all been updated and reformulated to be API SN and ILSAC GF-5. We did resist moving past API SL/ILSAC GF-3 for a long time due to the chemistry restrictions associated with the newer oil specifications. However, by not moving forward, we were effectively limiting our product to older vehicles (non-warranty compliant). We are a performance oil company, though, so just ahead of the update to API SN, we released a new performance line of motor oils called HPS (High Performance Street) that were built on, but improved upon the old API SL and API SJ street oils. Though the HPS oils are not yet shelved at typical parts stores, they can be special ordered and are available through performance retailers so that our customers have a high performance alternative without having to move to the very expensive XPR oils. For best performance and protection, the HPS oils are the correct choice for all street vehicles. However, if a warranty compliant oil is needed, the API-licensed oils are the correct choice.

Be aware that there is still old stock of the API SL and SJ oils in the market, even though production of these formulae ceased in May 2011. Our products are still low-volume compared to the big names, so some parts of the supply chain will take a little longer to clear. I have spoken to several customers that have stated they are buying up all that they find because once the old formula is gone, they may have to special order the oil they want (HPS).

Regards,

Chris