...and I was wondering: what are the things you guys do/change for the winter? antifreeze coolant? type of engine oil? And do you guys wax your Max before winter?

Thanks!

 

You could get 10W30 oil instead of the 5W30 that you should have right now, because it is more viscous and will lubricate a little better. Other than that, just make sure all your liquids are topped off and you'll be fine. You can wax the Max, but it'll wear off quick with all the rain/snow/salt, but it'll protect it for a bit. my 2 cents

Dan

 

Also on the cold weather topic... Is it possible to add the heating elements to the rear seats like they have in the I35? I don't know if the Max's Elite package has the heating seat up, I think it does. But having the leather seats in the winter, my kids complain that they are cold and was wondering how hard and expensive it would be to set that up. The hardest part would be the wiring for the switches and getting to the power source.

This sounds like a job for GEC!!!!!

 

Dont have to worry about any cold here.......

<---------------- Arizona man here, hehehe!

 

Yea you guys should work on your football team, the cardinals.

 

!PrjctMax!, I'm confused. I could be wrong, but I was always told to use thinner oil in the winter, not thicker as you suggested. The reason regards the start up. 95% of an engine's wear occurs during the start up. That's when metal is on metal, especially at the top of the engine. When the engine starts, it takes a second or so for the oil pump to get the oil to the top of the engine. Once the oil is flowing, the engine experiences almost zero wear. Those first few seconds are critical. In cold weather, oil thickens and flows slowly. Because a 5 weight oil flows easier than a 10 weight oil, it gets to the top of the engine quicker and starts lubricating sooner.

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question164.htm

5W30 most use for summer or all year round, and 10W30 some people switch to for the winter time because it's a little thicker or keep it all year round as well. Either way you can stay at w/e you still have, but if you really want to take care of the motor then go with a slightly thicker/viscous oil.

 

Umm, you've got it backwards. 5W30 will flow BETTER when cold than 10W30. You'll want to use 5W30 in the winter and 10W30 in the summer. However, he's in AR so it really doesn't matter.

 

!PrjctMax! Good web site. Thanks. After reading it, it seems to support what I was told. Here’s a quote from the website:
"The viscosity grade (for example, 5W-30) tells you the oil's thickness, or viscosity. A thin oil has a lower number and flows more easily, while thick oils have a higher number and are more resistant to flow. "

Here’s another quote:
"Multi-weight oils (such as 10W-30) are a new invention made possible by adding polymers to oil. The polymers allow the oil to have different weights at different temperatures. The first number indicates the viscosity of the oil at a cold temperature, while the second number indicates the viscosity at operating temperature. This page from the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ offers the following very interesting description of how the polymers work:
At cold temperatures, the polymers are coiled up and allow the oil to flow as their low numbers indicate. As the oil warms up, the polymers begin to unwind into long chains that prevent the oil from thinning as much as it normally would. The result is that at 100 degrees C, the oil has thinned only as much as the higher viscosity number indicates. Another way of looking at multi-vis oils is to think of a 20W-50 as a 20 weight oil that will not thin more than a 50 weight would when hot."

If I read this correctly, a 5W-30 and a 10W-30 motor oil have the same viscosity at operating temperatures. They both lubricate the same as a 30 weight oil. Therefore one has no advantage over the other when the engine is hot. However, the 5W-30 has a lower viscosity at cold temperatures than the 10W-30. This permits it to flow faster during the start up cycle and minimize any damage to the engine from not having oil flowing through it yet. In the winter, you want 5 weight oil, not 10 weight.

 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm from New England and I don't touch my car for winter, I drive it with the regular oil and don't change abit on it, its been fine since I've had it.

the rear Elite conversion will require the rear center console for the heated buttons unless you mod them someplace. I belive the elite seats are abit different than the regular bench seat so it might not drop into place just like that, but I'm not sure about this.

Gec doesn't need to do this mod, he has an elite already..

 

5W - 24/7/365 There is no reason to use 10W oil in our engines.

 

yeah, the rear are bucket seats for the elite package and bench for all the lower ones.

 

also there is a button for the rear sunshade that goes up and down too. 2ndly there is also another connector for the 3rd 12v power source in the arm rest

 

you don't need all that just for the heated rear seats though. I think the shape of the elite and the regular seats are different "bottom wize" so I'm not sure if they will drop in just like that.

also the back rest of the rear seats on the elite are held in place by a totally different braket and ****..

I looked into this when my car and Gec's car were all taken apart for our video install..

 

Yeah CA baby, it's going to get down tothe low 70's this weekend....

 

O my bad then.

 

suck @ss Jay.

I'm dusting off my car cover waiting for the white stuff to come down 48 degrees out here, already have to turn the heat up in the house..

 

as 2002 Maxima SE said, its the opposite, thats why people with very very harsh winters run 0wxx. The first number refers to winter (low temps) thus why the w is there, lower the number the more protection in harsh temps.
yea of course a fellow chicagoan knows from a couple monday nights ago ejjejej.

 

lol.....

 

God i love FLORIDA about 80 something degrees right now still have A/C on in the car and house

 

ERGH...... your thoughts about oil are right.... but since reading this thread

http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/eng...sl-5w30-3.html

I'm going to 0W40 Euro Formula next, then I will try 0W40 Amsoil and compare.

But no more thin 30 shearing weight Mobil1 for me.

Kamski

 

but u'll never know the true joy of 80 degrees unless u felt the minus temps. (centigrade ... dont know the fahrenheit values!!)

I LOVE MY HEATED (steering) WHEEL!!!!!

 

tubells - just wait until you are (as I) nearer age 100 than age 40. THEN you will REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate the heated steering wheel.

Before getting my '04 SL, I had reached the point where I had my wife drive (my 2000 SE) on cold days because my scrawny ancient hands were too numb to feel the steering wheel.

Living south of Atlanta, I still use the steering wheel heater most days for around half the year (including the last two mornings).

Put another way, I will never buy another vehicle that does not have a heated steering wheel.

 

Hey I use that steering wheel heater all winter, even here in SoCal. Best thing ever!!! (just wish it would go on automatically with the auto start!!)

 

For the heated seats, I was thinking that the heating elements could be put under the leather in the backrest and the bench seat. The switches could be run to each rear door panel and installed on the armrest OR run under the carpet to the center console and installed near the rear air vents. I knew Gec had the Elite package but I was thinking his experience in ripping apart and totally rebuilding a better Max could be a benefit to my plans. Someday...... (when the wife isn't looking) I will attempt this.

 

I was laughing when the dealer told me that the car has heated steering wheel. I was like...you'll have to do better than that if you want me buy it.

Now, I think its one of the best features in my max. LOVE IT

 

I have the elite package and our back bench is different than others....we have bucket seats instead of a bench....and in the center console in the rear are the buttons for the seat heaters.....i

 

Thats nothing....its already 5 degrees over here ......this weekend its suppose to drop down to -5 ....man i hate alaska

 

I run 0W30 Amsoil. If I remember, at temperature below -10 is where you see the advantage of 5W30. The engine is easier to start.

For winter, check the battery connections for corrosion. Remove and sand lightly. Check anti-freeze strength, -35F. is good (a 50/50 mix). Get good windshield washer fluid, water will freeze. Oil all hinges with white grease. Get gas line antifreeze in the tank once in the fall. Etc, etc

Yes a good wax but also a clean bath once a month during winter.

 

You win when it comes to having to get ready for Cold Weather Driving. Cleveland, Ohio can't compare to the friggin North Pole. And I didn't know Santa drove a Red Max to match his red suit.

 

I love this feature also, no grabbing the wheel with just your finger tips when its freezing out for me ..

 

I swap out to some 17in painted rims (easy to wash) with all season tires, put a fresh coat of rain-x on the windows, and put snowbrush in the car. That's about it.

As far as the oil goes I don't change but 5-30 is better than 10-30 for the winter, back in the day when we used to run like 20-40 or some nonsense like that my Corolla wouldn't start because the oil was like syrup one cold snap.

 

thanks! I'll be changing my oil tomorrow to 5W30.

 

Put it in yet another way.... My replacement (if ever) will have to be another MAXIMA.... coz, they are the only ones who have a heated wheel, for now!!

my friends think i'm crazy when i take their hand and want to put it on my "steering wheel".(showing off).... but then, after they have felt it.....HEAVEN!!! even tho its HOT!!

only wish the shifter was heated as well, as it is cold after holding the wheel... (asking too much)


P.S. I loved my old Mazda 626 coz it had "air sweep" which was unique ... and now I have the heated wheel ... :-))