what motor oil

[drzsnapj]

I have a redtop sr superstock, and I just wanted to know what type of motor oil should use? I currently use mobil 1 clean 5000 10w-30, but I wanna start using 10w-40 and a different brand.Thanks in advance.

[fear@loathing]

Valvoline man and syn blend dont go full syn or normal

get the mix son

[DrifterProdigy85]

I like using Valvoline Synpower. Its alot better than Mobil One imo. Quiets the engine way down.

[Blown240sx]

Castrol 20w-50 Love me some heavy oil

[Triperformance]

Not to sound like a newb but why such thick oil? wouldnt 10w-30 do the trick?

[DrifterProdigy85]

I run 20w50 as well but mines a Mazworx built race block which he recommends that weight because of the bearing clearances. On a stock SR block, i would run 10w30 though.

[grenade180sx]

F*CK light oil. especially if you track your car, it turns to water to easy, 20-50w here as well. unless you have a oil cooler i wouldn't touch anything near 10-30/40w

i say no to rod knock.

[Koshin]

20w50 seems a little extreme for a stock motor....i run Royal Purple 5w30 in winter and RP 10w30 in the hotter months...works fine

EDITED: who doesnt say no to rod knock

[nelson8708]

not a sr guy but, rotella T 15w-40 FTW. Quite a few turbo cars in indy seem to like it

[Blown240sx]

20w50 seems a little extreme for a stock motor....i run Royal Purple 5w30 in winter and RP 10w30 in the hotter months...works fine

EDITED: who doesnt say no to rod knock

Extreme? Why is it extreme? It has better viscosity and better weight so when it gets warm still has some body.

I ran 20w-50 in my built motor and it had great pressure all the time.Rotella T does seem to do well also. My friend runs it in his 170K Turboed KA and beats the crap out of it and it just asks for more lol

[uberkillerz240]

Mine has had Mobil 1 10W-30 for forever, but I went to advance auto the other day and for 20 bucks cheaper with mobil 1 oil filter was castrol syntec. Same weight. So I will give that a try see how it goes.

[iceman.chris]

Mobil 1 15w50

[E7-S14]

question:

what are advantages and disadvantages from running thinner/heavier oils?

For a N/A S14 SR thats about to be boosted running approx. 220hp and is drifted at least once a month and daily driven.

What oil would be good for me?currently i run Mobil 1 10w30.

[IanS]

The FSM says it all.



This is for stock engines. As you build the engine, often you will want to thicken the oil accordingly.

I run 10w40 during spring and fall, and 15w40/15w50 during the summer. As for what kind of oil to use? I personally run Amsoil as it is one of the few tier IV oils redly available.

You dont know what Tier IV means do you? Synthetic oils are categorized in 5 tiers. Tier V is 100% pure synthetic. The only place you will find tier V is on the race track, and you will only find it in straight weights like 40W 50W or 60W, and it cost $60-$70 a quart on average.

Tier IV is the next best thing, oils like Amsoil, Redline, Enios, and some others are tier IV, they are essentially the best thing available commercially, they are pure synthetic, and should not be mixed with mineral (dino) oils.

Tier III oils aren't technically synthetic, they are just modified mineral oils. Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Castrol Syntec, and Valvoline Synpower are examples of Tier III oils.

Tiers I and II, are mixes, and bottom dollar synthetics, you coul

Valvoline man and syn blend dont go full syn or normal

get the mix son

Are you dense?

Why would you want to run dyno oil, even a mix of it in a turbo car. Dyno oil is not meant to deal with the extreme temperatures created by the turbocharger. Ever heard of Black Death?

[DrifterProdigy85]

Im not sure about the other Tier III oil brands but Valvoline does have really high dollar Racing Synthetic which might fit into your Tier IV category. Its like almost $15 a qt though.

[Triperformance]

I still dont see a difference in oil choice like I though orgionally. I can understand building a engine for a specific oil weight but then your clearances are all different and nonsense. I believe it only makes a difference for your driving conditions and climate. Hotter thicker, colder thinner......basic concept....driving hard thicker oil(should chance before and after a hard few days though) and not so hard the manufacturer specified or standard. Anyone object to my logic?

[IanS]

I still dont see a difference in oil choice like I though orgionally. I can understand building a engine for a specific oil weight but then your clearances are all different and nonsense. I believe it only makes a difference for your driving conditions and climate. Hotter thicker, colder thinner......basic concept....driving hard thicker oil(should chance before and after a hard few days though) and not so hard the manufacturer specified or standard. Anyone object to my logic?

You are looking at it from a greatly simplified point of view. There are a great number more variables to consider. First of all is bearing clearances. Older engines were designed with looser tolerances, and they need a thicker oil to compensate. This is why new engines run such incredibly thin oil, the ultra tight tolerances allow it, and the decrease in viscosity brings down parasitic losses thereby increasing fuel mileage. In the days of the muscle car, most manufacturers were spec'ing 20w50 for many of their engines to compensate for shoddy engine assemble standards.

Something else to think about is the thermal properties directly in regards to our engines. The thicker oil is better at dealing with the higher heat from turbo charging.

The picture tells it all, I pulled it directly from the S13 Silvia Factory Service Manual. Nissan specified thicker oil for a reason.

[Triperformance]

All engines now have tight tolerances.....I work for Toyota and the only choices we offer are 10W-30 and 5w-20. Those choices are depending on what year and engine specifically, but imo its no different to the common daily driver if someone was to mix it up. I'm not saying your wrong or your flawed but I still see it as how you drive and location which is what the FSM shows.

[IanS]

All engines now have tight tolerances.....I work for Toyota and the only choices we offer are 10W-30 and 5w-20. Those choices are depending on what year and engine specifically, but imo its no different to the common daily driver if someone was to mix it up. I'm not saying your wrong or your flawed but I still see it as how you drive and location which is what the FSM shows.

How you drive, and location (climate) are big factors, but every engine is different, and some do require thicker oils.

For normal American air breathers, whatever the local tire shop is pumping is good enough. They rarely push their cars hard enough for it to make any lick of difference, and they will junk the car long before the engine starts knocking.

For guys like us it becomes of much greater importance, and as more modifications are added, everything compounds. The more power an engine produces, the more strain is placed on the oil.

I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying that you cant classify the majority of this forums users, and the soccer moms at your dealership together. The "if its good enough for them it should be good enough for you" mantra just doesn't work in this situation.

[Didderson]

I appreciate your knowledge on the subject flatblackian, and I'd like a recommendation.I currently use royal purple 10w-30 for spring and summer (PA). All was fine and dandy last summer with it.Should I up the weight? It seems like a good idea from what you're suggesting. Especially because I love to autocross.

[Cap'n Morgatz]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried the GReddy synthetics? Are they any good?

[IanS]

I appreciate your knowledge on the subject flatblackian, and I'd like a recommendation.I currently use royal purple 10w-30 for spring and summer (PA). All was fine and dandy last summer with it.Should I up the weight? It seems like a good idea from what you're suggesting. Especially because I love to autocross.

For regular cruising, 10W30 is ok, but when autocrossing I would deffinitely recomend something a little thicker. If you could find 10w50 that would be prime, as it would cover the whole spectrum, but AFAIK only a select few companies make it, Enios being one.

I have oil temp, and oil pressure gauges. Pre oil cooler setup, running 10w30 after a long stint on the freeway (1 hour at 80mph with 80 ambient temp). My idling pressure was only around 12 psi, and my oil temps were peaking over 205F.

Running 10W40 under near identicle conditions, oil pressure stayed around 20 psi, and temps never climbed above 200F. I even rallycrossed the car a few times, and after severe abuse, I got the same results.

After installing the oil cooler, the oil temp stays at 180F regardless of what I do to it, or what oil I use, its just the lack of pressure I notice.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried the GReddy synthetics? Are they any good?

IIRC Greddy motor oil is just repackaged Nippon Full syn, good stuff.

[Cap'n Morgatz]

Cool, so 10W-60 or 5W-40? Or is there anything of similar (maybe a little lower) quality for cheaper?

[IanS]

Cool, so 10W-60 or 5W-40? Or is there anything of similar (maybe a little lower) quality for cheaper?

10w60 would be a little thick on the high side.

5w40 or 5w50 would be prime, as it would give you nice thin cold oil for startup (5W), yet it would hold its viscocity very well at temperature, giving you lots of protection (50W).

As oil technology has progressed, weight spectrums like 5w50 have become possible, and they provide the best protection for older engines like ours requiring thick oil. The only issue is, these weights are very uncommon, and finding them at your local automart can be a problem.

For most SR owners, 10w40 is the best choice.

[grenade180sx]

15-50 or 20-50w FTW. ive ran it in every single motor ive had, KA, RB, SR, 1jz

its does the job and my internals look great when i tear the block down. to each his own. but i cant seem to trust a light oil with the amount of abuse i put to an engine. unless a oil cooler is present!

[Emperor_Tha]

Castrol fully syn 10w-40. One of the Cheapest one at walmart. If I had money and didnt to do a oil change every month I would use amsoil.

[BoBa524]

Castrol Syntec 5w-40. It's free for me at my dealer, thats why.

[JSDEVILDOG29]

Most synthetics are available in 5w-50. Most turbo charged engines should be fine with 10w-40 in the summer and 10w-30 in the winter. On the tech pages there is actually a breakdown of most major oils which includes burning point etc. Its very informative.
Modified by JSDEVILDOG29 at 5:30 PM 4/28/2009

[240sxHitman]

Ian, all the weights you are talking about for the SR are full Syn correct?

[IanS]

Ian, all the weights you are talking about for the SR are full Syn correct?

Correct.