domlcardio

i wonder how come i can t find mobil 10w40 in stores?

JwaxMax99

iTrader: (14)

There are very few vehicles that call for it anymore....

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Why would you want an oil that thick? It doesn't protect any better than a 30wt oil.

steven88

iTrader: (28)

why would u want 10w40? mobil1 has 0w40 which works nearly the same at operating temp...the first # means the winter rating (at start-up temp)...the second # means operating temp...since they are both 40's, why don't u go for the 0w40 which mobil1 does have in their line? plus it will be easier on your motor at initial start up (0w thin weight)

domlcardio

well i went on to mobil one website and put in my info just to see what they would say and they recommmended 10w40. but when i went to the stores i dont see them

Bobo

You should be using 5W30 or 0W30 in New Jersey, particularly in winter.

domlcardio

well i use 10w30 cause thats what the manual says it recommends. but with 150000 miles i d thought id go a bit thicker

Bobo

What kind of Maxima do you have? I take it that its a 4th Gen and the preferred oil is 5W30, not 10W30, particularly for New Jersey winters. 5W30 will give you better protection for cold startup.

JwaxMax99

iTrader: (14)

Maxima owners manual reads- 10W30 if vehicle is operated in 0 degrees F. or above. 5W30 if vehicle is operated below 0 degrees F.
Off topic, but it also reads- DO NOT use fuel or oil additives....

domlcardio

i have a 3rd gen. 89

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

Hes right, if you want to use a 4o wt theres nothing wrong with it, but i would go the 0w route, i considered a 40wt like mobil for my 98, but ultimately decided on a thicker 30 wt.

Good luck

domlcardio

are u saying that 30wt is thicker than 40wt

AntLis97

my brother accedently got me 10w40 mobil clean 5000, for my 4th gen max.... can anyone tell me what problem i might have from using that type or is it not even worth putting in

thanx

sky jumper

It is really ok to use 0W oil? just seems way too thin when 10w is specified above 0C.

in general, I find it strange that multi-wt oils are actually thinner when they are cold. I thought oils thinned out when they got hotter, and thickened when they cooled.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Our engines aren't designed for it but it would probably be better to use on a low mileage VQ.

A33Black

I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding Nissan’s recommended viscosity range for the VQ engines.

Per USA Manual
5W-30, year round preferred
10W-40, if temps above 0 F

Per European Manual:
5W-30, allowed ONLY if temps stay BELOW 59 F
20W-50, if temps above 14 F

Anyone know why the European FSM allows 20W-50 for hot areas and does not allow 5W-30 if temps are above 59 F?

The answer as to why Nissan (and other Japanese car makers) have different viscosity recommendations for USA and Europe. In a nut shell, Nissan must meet the Federal Govt’s CAFE fleet fuel requirements. Because of this, they spec the super low vis 5W-30 for year round in the US. The 5W-30 helps 2-3% in fuel economy and this helps them to avoid paying fines if the cars that are sold that year don't make the CAFE standard. The SUV craze has hurt their fleet averages and so they've been specing 5W-30 to help balance it out.

In Europe, they do not have the CAFE stuff, and they are more concerned with engine protection requirements. Also, Europeans pay attention more to the very tough anti-wear ACEA A3 requirements. I do not believe any 5W-30 oils meet this.

Again, an important point to note is that in Europe, 5W-30 is allowed only if temps are below 59 degrees F!

Your engines are not being protected due to the CAFE!

Here in Florida I run 20W-50 and have noted a less than 5% drop in MPG as compared to 5W/10W-30.

If the US Govt didn't have CAFE, Nissan would spec 10W-40/20W-50 for the USA.

Food for thought on your next oil change...
---

“Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted average fuel economy, expressed in miles per gallon (mpg), of a manufacturer’s fleet of passenger cars or light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs. or less, manufactured for sale in the United States, for any given model year.”

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Lets see how long that oil pump lasts using that heavy oil. As a matter of fact, no page in my FSM shows that 10W40 should be used in the VQ.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

From page MA-11 of my FSM (01):

SAE Viscosity Number
GASOLINE ENGINE OIL
SAE 5W-30 viscosity oil is preferred for all temperatures. SAE 10W-30 and 10W-40 viscosity oil may be used if the ambient temperature is above −18°C (0°F).

deezo

iTrader: (3)

This snagit came from MA-8 (97)



This is what is recommended for 4th Gens so the thread started needs to figure out what Gen he has to be able to go further.

domlcardio

3rd gen, vg engine

A33Black

From the European Factory Nissan Service Manual, for the 2000 Nissan Maxima (A33, VQ30DE), page MA-14:

“For warm and cold areas: 10W-30 is preferable for ambient temperature above –20 C or –4 F.”
“For hot areas: 20W-40 and 20W-50 are suitable.”

The USA Manuals recommend lighter weights, for better fuel economy/CAFE, but with less engine protection.

The EUROPEAN Manuals recommend heavier weights.

SilverMax_04

I agree that the lighter oils are recommended because of CAFE requirements to get better gasoline mileage. However, I'm not convinced that you get less protection with 5W30 than you get with 10W30 -- unless you have an oil burning problem and the 5W30 burns up faster and you don't replace it. The level of protection depends on the quality of the oil you are using. This is provided you use the weight oil recommended for you ambient temperature -- don't use too light a weight or too heavy a weight oil.

I should state that I'm using Mobil 1 10W30 until I use up the oil I bought for a previous car. I then plan to go to Mobil 1 5W30.

Bobo

You aren't using the Mobil 1 10W30 in the winter are you SilverMax 04? I would be inclined to avoid it in cold weather.

SilverMax_04

I use it year-round. No problems. I should point out that I keep the Max in an attached garage where the temperature never gets below about 35 degrees F (I monitored it for 3 years). So the only time the oil sees temperatures below freezing is when I have to park it outside. Last winter I went to Illinois in the winter and for about three days the oil saw below Zero F temps. I had no problems starting. However, I agree if your oil sees these cold temps on a more consistent basis, you should use a lighter weight (5W30) in the winter to imporve lubrication on start-up.

Bobo

I still don't know why you would bother with 10W30. You get better cold startup and improved fuel economy with 5W30.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Synthenics will flow well in the winter no matter the weight. But as the viscosity range gets larger ie.. 5w30 vs 10w30, the more additives are required to make the oil flow like a 5w when cold and a 40w when warm.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Jeff, what does the 3rd gen FSM say about recommended oil weights? (I assume you own one).

SilverMax_04

Thought I'd said earlier that I have a supply of Mobil-1 10W30 oil that I purchased at good prices for an earlier car that specified 10W30. I'm not about to just forget this oil and buy 5W30 for my 04 Max. There is not that big a difference using 5W30, except during very cold starts. Once the engine is warm, I actually think the 10W30 performs better -- particularly when the outside temp is 105 F -- which I saw in late July in Chicago and again in early Aug when driving through Nebraska on the way home.

SilverMax_04

Right on! Which is why I said in my earlier post that after engine warm-up I think 10W30 performs better. Don't forget the earlier point about CAFE mileage requirements pushing car manufacturers to go to lighter weight oils for very marginal mileage improvements.

Bobo

I forgot that you had the 10W30 in inventory. To each his own, if that were my car I'd trade the 10W30 oil for 5W30.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Dunno. I'll have to look. But here is some info:

http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiB...3d801f43db.jsp

domlcardio

is this the same for the 3rd gen vg engine?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

It's listed in your owner's manual. But once your engine wears out or runs poorly for whatever reason, you have to re evaluate what you should use.

steven88

iTrader: (28)

can anybody recommend mobil1 0w-40? I do alot of city driving and short trips (usually less than 7 miles)....will running 0w-40 effect my motor or fuel economy in anyway? I might be able to get a good deal on a case of 0w-40 from a friend of mine....So i:m just wondering if anybody has good experience with these....and since A33black stated running a thicker oil weight offers much more protection at the cost of fuel mileage, 0w-40 might be a good investment (I do drive real hard)

oldngivout

iTrader: (8)

Just noticed yesterday at my Wal-Mart. They had Mobil-1 in 5W-40. That should cover just about everyone. It was advertised as Truck/SUV oil for all gasoline and diesel engines, but we all know that does not matter. The oil doesn't know what engine it is in. Besides, some of the hardest working engines are the new generation turbo diesels.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Does anyone actually read? I just posted this explaination then 2 people ask about using oils with even wider viscosity bands.

SilverMax_04

I too wondered about those redundant questions -- but it was your quote, so I'm glad you replied.

It was also pointed out in another post that with these heavy additive doses to get such wide viscosity bands that engine shear will very soon reduce the upper end of the band. In effect, you think you have something that is soon gone. After all of this discussion, I'm happy to be using 10W30 and may even rethink going to 5W30 when my supply of the 10 is gone.