I'm doing a bit of a clean up tomorrow in the engine bay, got some 2awg wire to replace my 4awg grounding kit, got some sensors, and would also like to change my oil. I used Mobil 1 5w-30 then switched to Royal Purple 5w-30, however I've read here that some guys have put Mobil 1's 0w-40 into their VQs, and also considering getting Red Line 5w-30.

Any suggestions, brand or weight-wise? I've got 237k km on the engine, change oil fairly frequently, every 7-8k km along with the filter, air and oil. Also I live in Canada, but never had problems starting my car because the oil was too thick.

Also my cat was replaced recently, it was clogged to hell, should I change spark plugs? I have NGK Irridiums with less than 20k km on them.

 

Doesn't matter what oil. What matters is that it GETS changed. Plugs are fine.

 

Okay but what if I want some good *** oil though? What would you recommend?

 

I've only used this stuff in my Maxima

 

Oil debates are beat to death and will continue forever anyway no matter what forum you're on. You really don't need to go there. The year is 2020, this is the future, it's all good ****. Just change it once in a while.

 

If you have not had problems starting while using 5w 30, I would say stick with that. What brand you use is up to you. There isn't much difference between brands. As you put more Km on the engine, you will burn the synthetic oil. If that happens, it is financially better to use the cheaper dino oil.

 

Will try it, actually wanted to, it came out to about $80 since they don't sell them in a full 5 quart size, didn't want to put in the money unless it was actually worth it.

Maybe you're right but I feel better about my max when I go that extra length.

Will a thicker synthetic burn as efficiently as dino oil?

Also a question: am I allowed to, say, buy 4 quarts of 5w and a quart of 0w, so that it comes out to 4w-30? I mean same brand, same type, just different weights. I mean I didn't even know you had to go down to 0 for winter, maybe my car will run better. Also a thinner oil lubricates better, just breaks down faster, no?

 

You are making it too complicated. Way beyond the point of diminishing return!
Buy some synthetic 5W30 in 1Gal/5L size. It's about $25/gal at Walmart (here: https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-...apacity%3A5+qt ).
So, it's inexpensive and very, very good. Also buy a bunch of oil filters.
Some of us switched to 0W40, and you may get there too.

 

both royal purple and mobile 1 are supposedly decent stuff, anything past that is like race application for dry sump systems like brad pen or schaffers.


EDIT: whats up with ow? is it thicker or thinner? if thicker is it quite down the the loud lifters after 200K?

 

0w oil is thinner. Thinner oil is needed for starting in cold weather. I don't remember the recommendations for using 0w oil, but it would be probably below -10º F. Dino oil thins out when it warms up, so you don't want straight 0w oil in summer. But we don't have straight weight oils any more, we have the multi-weight oils such as 10w30. These oils have the thinning from heat factor controlled by chemicals. In synthetic oils, the thinning factor is even less than dino oils.

When I lived in northern Illinois, I used 10w30 in winter time. The car would start as long as the temp was above -10ºF.

 

(Jerry Seinfeld voice) WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH OW40? .. Seriously. It's rather for European cars. Why/how is it safe in my engine?

 

the way my maxima goes through oil I just started running Supertech synthetic I'm usually adding a quart less than every 1,000 miles. My maxima just hit 285,000 a week ago. throw out bearing just went bad today after installing a full clutch kit back in early 2016.

 

Yes, but there are two numbers: the viscosity when cold (that's the "0W" or "5W", whatever the case may be) and the viscosity when hot (that's the "40", or "30", whatever the case may be).
Comparing 0W40 with 5W30:

• At low temperatures, 0W40 is thinner than 5W30. This facilitates starting and reduces wear at start-up (where 90% of the wear occurs).
• At high temperatures, 0W40 is thicker, and lubricates better, than 5W30. Under load, it protects the engine better than 5W30.

Yes, I believe that. However, at -10'F 5W30 would flow even better (and therefore lubricate better).
The fact that engine oils get "thinner" as they get hotter presents a challenge to lubrication designers: They/we want an oil that is "thin" enough that it flows at start-up, but also "thick" enough that it does not shear when hot. (Note: Most oils do not flow easy enough at start-up. This is true even at "normal" temperatures, say 70'F. This results in engine wear - 90% of the wear occurs when the engine is cold).
The new multi-viscosity oils provide an answer to this dilemma. Before the arrival of synthetic lubricants, it was impossible to make oils such as 0W40 (viscosity 0 when cold, viscosity 40 when hot). I have oil analysis done for my car with 5W30 (M1 Synthetic) and it wasn't as good as I expected. I have switched to 0W40 (also M1 Synthetic) and I expect to do much better. I'll keep you posted.

For further details read this: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/ .

 

I got 5 quarts of Red Line 5w30 and a k&n oil filter, gonna get it done tomorrow. I wanted to seafoam the crankcase before the oil change but I forgot I put in that "Rislone Nano Prime" crap in there not too long ago, btw if anyone's curious it kinda sucks.

sort of regret not going with 0w40 from what I know now but whatever, it was like twice the price of everything else so, I mean, it has to be good, right?

 

Have been running this Red Line 5w30 for a couple of days now and I gotta say, I have NO complaints. Downshifts don't linger anymore, much more smoother. But I also had a new speed sensor put in, a Hitachi brand MAF, and had the idle relearn done, which kind of put the whole thing together. Car runs like new, I'm assuming, because it's way better than how I first got it.

 

I like the Red Line too. Cost a little more, but I'm ok with that. Glad your car is coming together! Sensors, sensors, sensors!

 

I told that to my mechanic too, if it cost that much more and and it worked the same way as castrol, someone would get their head kicked in by now so obviously it does something differently. Great oil. I think you were the one that recommended it, if I'm not mistaken. Also thanks for telling me about the ground loop: I ended up taking out most of my ground wires and I think I just have the starter, alternator and tranny grounded and bat negative to chassis now and the car works better than before. I honestly thought grounding was harmless.

 

You bet. That's what we're here for. Always good to see a good outcome for people.

 

0w40 (or 5/10w climate depending) /thread

 

Good summary maxiiboy. I can speak to the M1 0W40 European as I have used this in my 350Z autocross car for many years and had good blackstone oil reports. This is the same oil that was recommended by Nissan for the GTR (prior to the slight re-formulation to "FS" in 2016).

For a recent factory endorsement, the newest formulation of M1 0W40 "ESP" is recommended for use in Corvette and Camaro for both street AND TRACK USE.

I have tried several M1 flavors in the Maxima, from 10W30, 10W30 EP, 10W30 HM, and currently the 0W40 FS. They all result in similar test results and similar consumption (about 1qt every 4k). Current mileage is 155k.

They most important things are to change at a reasonable interval (say 3k to 7k) and keep it full to mitigate the timing tensioner noise at startup. I add oil when it gets just 1/4qt below full.

 

M1 0w40 is one of the best oils out there. Meets a lot of tough specs and is believed to be a top shelf synthetic.
I've been using 0w40 in a G37, per the owners request, for the last 80k and the engine works well with it.

I

 

yeahp I like topping off too even if its a tiny bit like 1/8qt or 1/4qt, im at 273k and check the oil every 5-7 days. 5w30 in the northeast with temps only down to single digits. i just use pennzoil standard.

 

pennzoil is parafin based the last heard. **** cooks down and sludges stuff up, at least on engines i've seen my dad work on that used it. i'm sure there is proper use and environment for pennzoil but idk what it is

 

X2 100000**%

no need for my reading the remainder of this thread...

 

oh wow ! thats surpzing, im at 275k here....fingers crossed penzzoil treats me well.

i top off the oil every sunday. sometimes dependin on where in the oil change interval I am at it can be 1/8th quart to 1/2 quart, i do roughly 325 miles a week or 7-1/2 hours of driving.

 

Purely anecdotal: Since changing to Amzoil Signature Series 5w-30 about a year ago I no longer have a top end rattle during cold start, nor to I have the annoying clatter at 1800 rpms that was driving me CRAZY. ( https://www.amsoil.com/p/signature-s...motor-oil-asl/ ) Expensive as hell, but I'm sticking with it, even though I have to top off every 1000 miles.

 

There's a sticky in the fluids and lubrications section with this precise question answered........

https://maxima.org/forums/fluids-lub...viscosity.html

AMSOIL 5W-30
AND
M1 (German version) 0w-40

Are like the best to use

Also go read on lab results over at bobistheoilguy.com for more in-depth information.

 

I tried 5 diff brands (M1, Pennzoil, QS, Shell, & Castrol) and it still rattles like crazy. Mixing 2qts 20w50 seems to make the biggest difference for me.

 

I've had my Maxima for the past ten years. Done all of the oil changes myself every 3-4 months. I have always used Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w-30 and a Mobil 1 or OEM oil filter (I alternate; whichever is available). Never had any problems. Nissan recommends 5w-30 (cold/moderate climates) or 10w-30 (for warm climates). There is no reason to deviate from Nissan's recommendation.

 

what is cold or warm weather btw.

 

cold = Alaska

Warm = Bermuda

 

haha not every specific

 

Typically a cold climate would be an area that experiences temperatures that can go below 32F/0C during the winter.

 

https://www.amsoil.com/p/oe-5w-30-sy...motor-oil-oef/

Thats what i run with an oem nissan filter. I change it every 3-5k miles. Ive ran it for the last 70k miles or so (since i bought it) and engine is always quiet and smooth. I'm in Wisconsin so i experience extremely cold weather from time to time and never had issues. Car currently has around 230k.

 

Hot as Hell = Phoenix
Set a new record, 145 days of triple digit temperatures in 2020. Set a new record, 53 days of daily highs over 110, breaking the previous record of 33 days.

 

oh that's just great ! lol and just the tip of the iceberg pun intended

 

2005-2013ish I was climbing/running up Camelback 3 days a week in 116+. Would drive home and jump straight from car to pool. Got to know the police heli pilot quite well. Would meet me at the summit at the same time after a while when we learned each other's afternoon schedules. After a while he'd hover low enough to let me jump up and hi-5 the rail.

 

That's awesome and too strenuous for me. Here's a very good video about running/hiking Camelback for those want to know more about it
I better add an oil related comment to avoid high jacking this thread ... living in Phoenix, I change oil every April to have the best protection against June heat.