F23A4

I just changed my oil and (at the recommendation of a close friend) opted for the Mobil 1 0W30. Let me just say MAN! I feel the engine performance MUCH improved. As a matter of fact, the 0 weight Mobil 1 has now exposed the sluggishness of my tranny when under 1/2-full throttle.

Folks, I highly recommend this.

Peace

Mobil 1 0W30 info: http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...bil1_0W-30.asp

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

I used Mobil 0w30, but switched to 0w40. Haven't noticed any difference yet...

AKM2k5

does anyone know if synthetic mobile 1 is safe to put in any car that has 85k miles plus?

Zero Deuce SE

F23A4:
Has your fuel economy changed?

stephenlc

iTrader: (1)

What is the differnce between 0w30 and 0w40. I live in hot weather and would this be alright? I currently use 10W30 and i have 80 miles on my car. I would really like to know.

AnDyMaN

iTrader: (19)

my friend told me that switching from regular to full synthetic is good when the engine is a bit young. when the engine starts adding miles, there becomes a build up of oil deposits (or something of that nature) that sits on the joints and corners etc. inside the engine. after putting in full synthetic with much build up, the oil cleans out the oil deposits that have grown and can cause the engine to fall apart, or form leaks, or some other bad stuff... if anyone would like to correct me, feel free.... im pretty sure this is fairly accurate, my friend is a mechanic at honda....... but i dunno about the 80k engine.... maybe its safe??

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

I've switched engines with double that mileage to a synthetic without issues. The key is that it has to be well maintained in the first place. 80k isn't high for a VQ anyway.

Your friend is correct about the reasoning behind the seal issue, though this is a lot rarer than it used to be. For some reason, people think that the if they switch oil is going to pour out of the motor like a fountain! The engine won't fall apart though. Any amount of leaking will be determined by how much the engine was neglected prior to the switch.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

As far as M1 goes, the 10W-30 is the best overall weight for you. It's way more shear stable than the others. The simple way to look at this is that the 10W-30 will handle high heat better for a longer time period.

Mobil's 0W-xx oils are more of a benefit for colder climates or shorter trips in cool temperatures. You shouldn't notice a significant difference using them vs. the 10W-30.

F23A4

Too soon to tell.

stephenlc

iTrader: (1)

That is good to know. I will stick with my semi-synthetic 10w30 then.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

how about 5W-30? i thought the nissan manual suggested 5W-30 being the standard....

MadMaxNY

Mobil 1 0-30 ALL THE WAY!!!
I started using Mobil 1 0-30 my '86 honda with 120k--without any problems and experiences increased power, better fuel economy, and smoother revs.

same experience with my '90max black SE from 77k-130k and also '97SE black 110kl

Now on third Max-'97SE black--Got car at 48k, used castrol syntec upto 60k and then switched over to Mobil 1 again MAN What a difference Feel more power, better economy higher/smoother revs. Great for the cold weather at NY. I got to say though, the lower density of the oil makes the engine vibrations a little more pronounced compared to a heavier oil that absorbs it.(Almost not noticable)


GREAT STUFF--USE IT

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

There are a couple of different things to consider here. Most important is that Nissan's 5W-30 recomendation is to help get the maximum fuel economy out of the engine and is designed to cover all areas of the country. Could a high quality synthetic be used year round in Houston? Absolutely. The other thing to consider is that as far as the Mobil 1 line is concerned, their 10W-30 has proven repeatedly, based on analysis, that it is a more stable oil for the hotter areas of the country. Either oil will work just fine, but the 10W-30 is the best choice under those particular conditions. One thing I wouldn't do, at least if you want to keep a car for a long time, is run a conventional 5W-30 in hot summer weather.

Zero Deuce SE

I own a 95 Nissan Kingcab that has used 5W30 for the past 6 years. I live in NW Florida and it gets hot here during the summer. I currently have 132K miles on it and it runs just about as good as it did when I bought it with 15K miles on it. Nissan recommends 5W30 for all ambient temperatures. The 5W would not normally be a factor unless the temperature was low. The oil acts like 30W when the weather is hot. I don't believe that any engine damage will occur using 5W30 in hot climates. Just my 2 cents.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

I never said engine damage would occur by using a 5W-30, and never meant to imply that either. I've used 5W-30's under high temp conditions on the racetrack with good results. That doesn't meant that a 10W-30 wouldn't have been a BETTER choice.

You're correct, the 5W designation is more important for colder weather performance. 5W-30's and 10W-30's do behave differently though. In order to be called a 30 wt. oil, the lubricant must have a viscosity of 9.3-12.5 cSt. That's a pretty broad range. Just based on the fact that the oil says xW-30, you might think they would perfom the same. This is not the case. The formulations are different for the 5W-30 vs. the 10W-30 in order to get the larger spread. The chemistry involved for this to occur is not as stable in the 5W-30 as it is in the 10W-30 and the oil shows signs of stress earlier because of it. Going one step further, you also have to take HT/HS numbers into account. Just looking at M1 5W-30, it has a HT/HS number of 3.1. The Mobil 1 10W-30 is 3.2.

Is this geting picky? Yes. Nissan's recommendation is general. If you dive more deeply into the formulations of the different oils, the 10W-30 is the BETTER choice for high heat areas. Analysis reports back this up as well. Again, there isn't any problem with using a 5W-30, I chose to as well, but there is a difference.

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

iwannabmw, one of the data points I've always wondered about is the 0W30 viscosity at 100 C. It's currently listed at 10.3 for Mobil 1 0W30 weight oil, but only 10.0 for the 10W30 oil. Doesn't that indicate the 0W30 will perform as good or better than the 10W30 at higher temps?

My latest UOA that I gave Bill showed modestly better results with M1 5W30 over M1 10W30. I'm not sure if the results are statistically significant, but it was enough to convince me to go back to 5W for the car I have. That's why I'm wondering how the results would be with a 0W oil. Guess I'll never know till I try.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

The interesting thing about analysis is that EVERY customer has different results based on their operating conditions. I agree with your comment about statistical significance. The generally acepted error in ppm counts is +- 2 ppm, which could make the two samples closer.

I think you'd see very similar results with the 0W-30 based on your driving conditions listed in the spreadsheet. As to why you found better results on the 5W-30, I would theorize it has to do with the relatively short trips you mostly do. Depending on season, it can take 10 miles just to have the oil reach operating temperature, let alone stabilize there for a while. Running a 10W-30 in this case isn't as great a benefit for you because the oil doesn't typically see the higher temps that it would make it a better choice. Also, the 10W-30 is thicker at typical starting temps which should allow slightly more wear, especially on the top end, until warmed up. Again, this is all nitpicking, either oil is showing excellent results.

With regards to the Mobil 1 0W-30, I love that it's thicker at 100c than the 10W-30. I use this all the time when I hear 0W-30 is for winter only and can't be used in summer. Viscosity is only part of the story when it comes to high temperature protection though. Like I alluded to earlier, the oil's ability to stay in grade and results high temp shearing is equally, if not more, important. The longer the drain intervals, or the more severe the operating conditions, the larger the difference it will make. The 0W-30 doesn't perform as well in this regard if we're talking long trips in hot weather, or spirited driving. For your driving conditions, I would expect numbers very close to those of the 5W-30. It's going to be interesting to see the results of your Havoline test as well.

AnDyMaN

iTrader: (19)

i was wondering...... do different types of synthetic oil perform a lot better than others? or is the fact that it is synthetic say that the oil is good.

knapp9

iTrader: (1)

Thanks iwannabmw. Your explanation was one of the clearest thinking "theorizing" I've heard in a long time. Thank you. I think I've decided to give an 0W30 oil a shot and compare...got a lot of M1 stock to get rid of 1st. But when its gone, its time for another "test". I printed your response so I'd have it later.

So many oils...so little time.

AnDyMaN, you really need to check Bill's Oil Spreadsheet. The answer is yes and no. As a class, synthetics generally do perform better, but there are BIG differences within that class depending on your driving habits, your preferences for extending oil changes or not, engine condition, and so on. Sorry, no simple answers.

pete90MAX

I bought my 90 SE brand new and has 213,000 miles on it thanks to Mobil 1 5W30.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

Absolutely! There is a marked difference between the brands. For example, Bill's spreadsheet has examples of Castrol's GTX line outperforming their Syntec line. Even if you go to the top tier synthetics and disregard Group III oils altogether there is still a difference. For example, Mobil 1 is a really good all around oil, especially the latest SuperSyn stuff. Amsoil seems to edge it out in terms of long term wear protection and drain intervals and especially cold weather performance. For extreme track situations, Redline's formulations have the edge over both in terms of high temp protection, but it suffers in colder weather and everyday use in comparison.

Overall, I find Amsoil's philosophy to be more in line with what I look for in a motor oil, which is why I chose to sell it and their other products as well.

pruizgarcia

iTrader: (1)

I have used Mobil 1 5w30 on every vehicle I have owned since the early 70's. From Europe to the Far East, Minnesota, Puerto Rico and Florida. It has never let me down in the heat or the cold. I will always stick with it. But to each his own, as long as it works for you.

Pedro