Which oils are y'all running?

[PalmerWMD]

Spectre:

Sources hmmm,:oI have been following this for so many years it really hasn't occured to me to write down any sources.Back in the 90's it was mostly magazine articles in industry magazines.Also the info about Syntec is very well established and I would bet a years salary on it.

You will also note that even tho the Syntec website has tons of good info about syns and oil in general, its pretty much mum about it's basestocks used.

Competitors websites cover this subject in great (MOBIL1, AMSOIL) or not so great (SynPower) detail, but they all mention it.

At least one of their competitors (AMSOIL) makes a point of mentioneing the base stock used by Syntec, and they havne't been sued by Syntec yet.

You don't really need to be a chemist (as I am) to find this info on the net and elsewhere.

If you execute a few advanced searches on say "google.com", with the right key words you will find quite a few referencses I am sure.

Something cute I just found:

http://www.synlube.com/synthetic.htm

(check year reference 1992 (5 years earlier than I had remembered, sigh, time flies..))

There is also a thread here in the artciles section, go to "New articles" link from our homepage, then on the lft there will be a searchwindow, type in "oils" and set search to infiniti section.When the results boot up select the one simply named "oils" (on the bottom of your screen).

This thread includes a (long) general discussion/idle musings about synthetic oils (including brands).We also talked a bit about Syntec I think.Yours truly has made about half the posts in that thread,;) it was written about one year ago before my switch from MOBIL 1 to SynPower.

Enjoy your reading

Fred...

[Spectre]

Enjoy your reading

Hmmm.... that I will. Thanx for the sources, I needed more info on the stuff anyway.

Well I know when I'm wrong, so sorry for the fuss. cheers! :beer

[PalmerWMD]

Hmmm.... that I will. Thanx for the sources, I needed more info on the stuff anyway.

Well I know when I'm wrong, so sorry for the fuss. cheers! :beer

No problem at all.

A healthy dose of scepticism is a good trait to have, as there are plenty of self styled "experts" on the net, many of which just pull stuff out of their a..:pface

Luckily for us this site doesn't have any of those, we are one of the smartest sites on the web.

Let me know if you have any other questions..

Fred...

[S13Fastback]

This is a lot of "slick" information to take in.I have 170,000 miles on my S13 and live on the eastern shore of Maryland.I use castrol syntec 10w30.Is there a better choice?I run my car pretty hard out there and its always a combination of city and highway driving.Just wondering if I could find a better choice.Thanks.

Randy

[Spectre]

Let me know if you have any other questions..

Don't mind if I do... My owners manual recommends 5w-30, 10w-30, or 10w-40 depending on temperature. I live in TX, so winter isn't a big scare, but summer is. I want a low viscosity oil's performance along with a high viscosity oil's protection at high temperatures. Would I have any problems using 5w-40 in my 240?

[PalmerWMD]

This is a lot of "slick" information to take in.I have 170,000 miles on my S13 and live on the eastern shore of Maryland.I use castrol syntec 10w30.Is there a better choice?I run my car pretty hard out there and its always a combination of city and highway driving.Just wondering if I could find a better choice.Thanks.

Randy

With your milage coupled with the fact that it is hi summer you should run a 40 weight oil as minimum.But you should probably consider even a 50 weight oil.Examples of easily available full synthetic oils that meet those req's.

ValvolineSynpower in 5w-40 or 20w-50.MOBIL 1 in 15w-50.AMSOIL 10w-40

Also if your short on dough, but still want a good oil valvolineDurablend in 10w-40 (or 20w-50)

Generally I dont like to run 50 weight oils, unless their are full synthetics to ensure good start-up lubrication (which is often a challenge for 50 weight oils, but not a problem when they are full syns).

I like the SynPower in 5w-40 quite a bit, but I wouldn't use it for extended drain, as so many ppl do these days, as the range of a 5w brought up to a 40 is a bit wide even for a synthetic.

Multiviscosity behaviour is something we all want in our oils, but we pay for it w/ extra varnishing and less stability, cuz we need to use VI's to make that happen.This is less of a problem with full synthetics cuz they typically require much less VIs (or even no VI's at all in 10w-30), even so a 5w-40 is a bit wide, but thats the oil I run right now myself.MOBIL1 can aslo be had in a 0w-40 at autozone whuch is an even wider range.

In summary I recommend a 20w-50 in summer (can be ANY real synthetic) and a 5w-40 ValvolineSynpower or 0w-40 MOBIL1 in winter for you.

When using the last two, keep drain intervals well under 4000 miles, to take full advantage of their properties.(Filters OEM from the dealer or MOBIL1 filters)

Fred...

[PalmerWMD]

Don't mind if I do... My owners manual recommends 5w-30, 10w-30, or 10w-40 depending on temperature. I live in TX, so winter isn't a big scare, but summer is. I want a low viscosity oil's performance along with a high viscosity oil's protection at high temperatures. Would I have any problems using 5w-40 in my 240?

Living in texas, you should consider running a 50 weight for much of the year (what's you milage?).(how "cold" do your winters get?)

Remember the owners manual recommendations are for engines as new.

In midsummer, you should look at say 15w-50 MOBIL 1 or 20w-50 SynPower or any other full syn in those weights.Also consider a 5w-40, if your milage is lower and you think your engine is tight, or you just wanna stick with a 40 weight.You will have no problems at all with a 5w-40, great performing grade both hot and cold, just don't go extended drain intervals.

If you are concerned about squeezing out the extra couple of horsepower and willning to sacrifice a little film strenght, than you can stick with a 10w-30.

MOBIL1 is a very good 10w-30, ExxonSuperflowGold full synthetic is also a nice 10w-30 and it only costs as much as a good blend (ie less than 2/3rds of a full syn such as MOBIL1, if they made that one in a 10w-40 I'd run it).

Oh yeah and stay away from 5w-50's regardless who makes them.

Fred...

[Spectre]

I've got 88k miles and my engine does not consume at all(knock on wood). Every time I check the dipstick it's at full.

[cbarr]

I am using Motul 4100 POWER 15W50 on my 90 Q, and it is doing just great. I had a recenty experience with my BMW, where it fell into a hole and put a 3 X2 hole in the oil pan. It was raining, dark and I tought I had damaged the transmission cooler. Drove the car for about 15 minutes at no more than 45 MPH, through traffic, and once I got home discovered it was the engine oil that had been "poured out". I DROVE WITHOUT OIL. Keeps the engine clean and performs quite well!!! :blue

[AlabamaDan]

Ok. so it seems that we have a good discussion about the oils, and I will be changing soon. How about the filter? Is one type of filter really better than the other? What do you guys think?

[ATL alty max]

Ok. so it seems that we have a good discussion about the oils, and I will be changing soon. How about the filter? Is one type of filter really better than the other? What do you guys think?

You have several choices. The Amsoil SDF (10-12 bucks), Mobil 1 filter $12, or the Bosch $6.00.

The Amsoil SDF will last 6 months; Mobil 1 probaly about the same, Hastings and Bosch will last at least 4 months.

Caveat about the Amsoil SDF. I have had problem on the 94 altima with it getting loose and leaking oil. 2k Maxima has no problems but is a go kart sized filter.

I am debating about changing filters in November when both cars are up for the 12 month oil drain.

[PalmerWMD]

Ok. so it seems that we have a good discussion about the oils, and I will be changing soon. How about the filter? Is one type of filter really better than the other? What do you guys think?

I think the MOBIL1 and AMSOIL filters are among the best out there.

But they are real spendy and some feel the Nissan OEM is nearly as good (for half price).

This applies sespecially to the filter for the VH45DE.

There are some interesting oversize filters out there as well for the VH45DE, some of them quite cheap and w/ drainback valve and even some synthetic filtermedium.

I won't post them , as I haven't checked them out yet, but I will buy a bunch of them, cut them open and post the results in the next week or two.

In the meantime the OEM (bought at the dealer ) is a known good choice, but the MOBIL1 and AMSOIL filters have a bigger budget to work with (as they are more expensive), which will make for better filters.

Fred...

[PalmerWMD]

I've got 88k miles and my engine does not consume at all(knock on wood). Every time I check the dipstick it's at full.

That mean your rings are still pretty tight.Even tho it is not always accurate, but in many cases if the rings are tight, the rest of the engine is also, so I would not run a 40 weight in your case, unless autocrossing or driving in New Mexico in the summer.

A 40 weight oil of the type discussed above should serve you best.

Fred...

[PalmerWMD]

VOTE! VOTE!

Vote in this oil poll!

Fred...

[Repo Man]

Ok, I voted for the Mobil 1 full syn that I've been using. I run the 10w30 in the summer and 5w30 will be used this winter. I also spring the few extra $$ for the Mobil 1 filter. I think my last oil change cost me $32 to do it myself. I'm glad to see that someone else thinks the Mobil 1 filter is worth the money.

I don't know if my car is the exception to the rule, but it's got 145k miles on it and does not use or leak (knock on serious wood) any oil. It used a little 5w30 that I had in there earlier this summer, but not much. Since I've been using the 10w30 this summer, it has not used any. The previous owner took VERY good care of the car and I am only the third owner since '92.

Andy

[TnQDrvr]

Fred, what do you know about Pennzoil's synthetic? I've been using 5W30 here in Tenn without any problems; but I notice that the PZ was not a choice on your poll. Thanks

[fryrice]

royal purple #21 5w30 racing oil

[BIONICQ45]

I've been using the Valvoline Durablend 10W/30. I'm switching to Mobil1 or Amsoil within the next few changes.

[PalmerWMD]

Fred, what do you know about Pennzoil's synthetic? I've been using 5W30 here in Tenn without any problems; but I notice that the PZ was not a choice on your poll. Thanks

Not all that much.I am sure it's a good oil, I have heard from a semi-reliable source that it's more a highly refined/hydroisomerized oil a la Castrol.

Have not been able to confirm yet.But Pennzoil is very quiet on the actual nature of it's oil on it's site, beyond calling it synthetic.Kinda like castrol and unlike MOBIL1, valvSynpower, AMSOIL and others.

I will look into it some more.

Fred...

[DDWQ45T]

NAtural oil is all you need and all I've ever used. I have 193,000 on my S-13, I commute with her plus run her hard on roadrace circuits 4 times a year (just spent 2 days at Watkins Glen) and she still runs great. My humble opinion is that synthetic is a waste unless you're going to extend your oil change intervals.

I tend to agree. I worked as a Mercedes/Porsche tech for about 6 years a long time ago. I was amazed at how clean the cylinder heads stayed in the wells around the valves, for cars that were seeing extended oil changes (7-10,000 miles) with Mobil 1.

I am personally pretty comfortable "extending" my oil changes to 7,500 miles, with mobil 1, or any other full synthetic, in my Q. If you are going to change at less than 3,500 miles though, I think the mineral based oils are fine. If you change at 7,500 with synthetic vs 3,500 for mineral based, then the cost works out about the same if you pay someone to change it.

We won't even talk about the Chevy 454 that at about 100,000 miles, I put synthetic in (15w-50 mobil 1) and stopped changing the oil! I pulled the filter every 5,000 and topped it off with a fresh quart. At 190,000 it was still running strong, using no oil, and the oil "looked clean" for what that is worth. It was in an old 1 ton dually pickup that had a 4.11 rearend. That engine turned quite a few revs per mile for a big-block. It did not have an easy life; I liked cruising it at 85 mph. I figured if it went to hell, it would be a lowcost experiment. It still ran like new when I sold it, and would light the duals up when you punched it.

I probably won't do this to the Q because of the potential cost of an engine failure, but Mobil used to advertise 25,000 miles as the "safe" interval to change their oil. I think they quit when they figured out that they would not sell so much of that expensive stuff if people believed it.

[neurovish]

palmerwmd, why the switch to valvoline?I remember from the old thread that you were about as big of a proponent of mobil 1 as anybody.

I was also wondering what your take on the k&n oil filters is...I've heard people reccommend them, but never really more than a 'these filters are good' type thing. Mobil 1 filters are also next to impossible to find, the only place I know that has them is autozone, and sometimes it's easier to just find a nissan dealer and get an OEM

[PalmerWMD]

palmerwmd, why the switch to valvoline?I remember from the old thread that you were about as big of a proponent of mobil 1 as anybody.

I was also wondering what your take on the k&n oil filters is...I've heard people reccommend them, but never really more than a 'these filters are good' type thing. Mobil 1 filters are also next to impossible to find, the only place I know that has them is autozone, and sometimes it's easier to just find a nissan dealer and get an OEM

a)I still like MOBIL1 quite a bit.But I feel I need a 40 weight oil (combination of milage, driving style and summer).I figured since my cooling system is working pretty well and since I burn little oil, I deduced the rest of of engine internals are pretty tight (I know can't be certain of that), so no need to go to a 50 weight.So I have established a need for a 40 weight.And of course full syn.

The only 40 weight offered by MOBIL1 was unavailable except at MB and Porsche dealers with significant mark-up ( now available elsewhere too).

Also The MOBIL1 40 weight is a 0w-40 vs a 5w-40 for the Valvoline Synpower. A significant difference as a 5 weight base oil will need much less VI's than a 0w base oil to go up to a 40 weight.I like to keep VI's low, but not so low that I am willing to sacrifice my 40 weight preference.

I have also determined (seperate post on this elsewhere) that there is more detergent in the Valvoline Synpower.Given that my engine is not low mile and it was previously run on mineral oils with their higher varnish loads, I wanted the higher detergent oil.

An even better choice might be the AMSOIL 10w-40, but I am not a huge freind of mailorder, if my local store carried this, I would run it.

As it is, I feel I can use the ValvolineSYnpower 5w-40 as a year round oil in KY even though next summer I might go to AMSOIL 10w-40 for the summer and back to 5w-40 (VavolineSYn)for winter.Even in winter I feel no need for a 5w-30 as a 5w-40 full syn will flow plenty well for even very cold winter starts.

b)I know nothing about the K&N oil filters, I have high confidence in the MOBIL1 filters, Dennis feels that the OEM oil filters are nearly as good as the MOBIL1 filters (they are also half price).At my location WalMart carries the MOBIL1 oil filters, as does pepboys parts store.

Once I am back from a few "business trips" I will undertake in the next 2 weeks I will buy and cut open some other interesting filters and post results here.

Fred...

[PalmerWMD]

i run 0w30 mobil 1 in my 91 240, now with 141,000k on ithave been using mobil 1 since 80k (when I got the car) (why 0 weight?? NO IDEA!) I live in florida where there is virtually no winter.. so is that the right oil I should be using?

-Dan

Jubs:

There is absolutely no reason to run the 0w-30 in FL.Go to a 10w-30 (this will be more stable and have a lower varnish load than a 0w-30) or better yet a 40 weight full syn oil.

Fred..

[PalmerWMD]

Bumped..

Since we have so many new members.

Fred...

[looksLikeA240]

I can't believe you guys dont run ams oil.. damn shame

[Mike09]

Mobil1 Rocks.

[DenverQ]

OK the winter is coming in Denver and I usally run 10w30.

in the summer is 15w50

Should I got 10w40 or 5w30? or 0w30?

[PalmerWMD]

OK the winter is coming in Denver and I usally run 10w30.

in the summer is 15w50

Should I got 10w40 or 5w30? or 0w30?

In the winter in denver I would stick with a full syn 5w-30 or 0w-30. Better 5w-30 as a full syn 5w is plenty thin, in even extreme temps but generally will have better TBN and stability than a 0w-30.

Another good grade to run is a 5w-40 in winter flows as well as a 5w-30, and protects well if you still run hard.I generally try to stay away from oils that start as a 0w-..

I will run a 5w-40 in winter here.

Fred...

[FrEaK]

Duralube..

[OLU40]

MOBIL 1 DOES THE BODY GOOD.