hey guys. Im wondering what the correct weight and vicosity would be for my car and where i live. My car has 140k miles and i live in FL. I went and picked up some Qpower Advanced Synethetic 10w30. I got home and my dad said that that 10w30 isnt the right weight for the VQ.

i browsed over into the FAQs but didnt find to much. so im just wondering if 10w30 will be ok or do i need to get go 5w30? i thought i remember someone telling me that 10w30 was fine for my climate bc the temp always keep the thinner. anyways i just wanted to check to see whay you all had to say before i take it back.

Thanks

Sean

 

10-30 is fine. The preferred weight is 5-30 but that takes into consideration all temps. If i remember correctly you can run 10-30 down to 0 degrees which should be no problem for us Floridians.

 

You'll be fine w/ either 5 or 10w30.

 

5w-30 is generally better because it circulates around the engine faster at cold starts b/c it is thinner i beleive. You should be okay with 10w-30, it even says so in the owner's manual, would Nissan lie to us?

 

Check this thread out. Especially A33Black's link to the European oil viscocity recommendations.

 

0w-30 is fine too...anything thats 30wt will work for the VQ engine...it doesn't matter if your 0w-5w-10w....well 10w won't work very well if you see temperatures below 0 degrees alot...

 

I actually prefer 10W30 weight. But my Max usually sleeps in a garage where the temp rarely gets below 40 degrees F. In Florida, where you rarely see 32 degrees, this weight would (IMO) be ideal. As was pointed out in another post, Nissan in Europe recommends 10W30 for their VQ engines. The 5W30 is recommended in the USA because the EPA believes that the slightly lighter 5W30 motor oil (yes it is slightly lighter weight overall) will give better mileage. I go for the slightly better protection of 10W30.

 

Is it really 10w-30 for VQ30 and 20w-50 for VQ35 in Europe?

 

All I know about Nissan's European specs is what I read on this site. I read it was 10W30. 20W50 is pretty heavy motor oil and (IMO) is only used for racing (or if you lived in the Sahara Desert).

 

Someone said 20w50 is the european spec for VQ35...well it said 10w-40 for stock...and 20w-50 for xx degrees

 

The link actually says "For hot areas: 20W40 and 20W50 are suitable." OTOH, it also says "5W30 will positively improve fuel economy."

It's up to you to decide what's important to you, fuel economy or long term wear.

 

what makes europe so speical? seriously they have the higher weight and vicosity oils in everything. But i think the engines are design the same?

 

they don't have fuel economy laws over there...or they aren't as strict as us....over here, we use the light oil to gain better fuel economy...over there, it doesn't matter

 

I've run 5w30 dino oil since day 1, but recently switched to Esso Extra XD3,
0w30, PAO full synthetic. I haven't driven on it enough to comment on any differences in fuel economy. 10w30 should be fine in Florida.

I wouldn't use 10w30 in Colorado winters. The car isn't always kept in the garage. It has to go out occasionally if its driven in the winter.

 

I had no problem starting my Max (running 10W30) in the winter of 2004-05 in Chicago (parked outside all of the time for a full week) when the nighttime low temps ranged from 30 to -10 degrees F. Would I do that all of the time?
-- NO. Will I continue to do this on occasion -- Yes.

Daytime temps here in Colorado Springs never get that cold.

 

Yes, it does when they are paying $7-$8 a gallon of gas.

 

The Europeans do care about fuel mileage. But they care even more about engine life. They believe, as I do, that running a motor oil that is too light weight (say 0W30) is not good for long engine life.

 

Indeed. I became a convert once I saw the euro recommendations for the VQ, especially when my 5 speed "cruises" at over 3K rpm at 75 mph. What was Nissan thinking using such low final drive?

 

At 3 K RPM my Max (with 6-speed) is going about 82 MPH. But at 2 K RPM it is going exactly 55 MPH. Nissan apparently wanted a drive train where you could easily pass someone when going 55 MPH without having to downshift to get reasonable acceleration.

I agree with you, the final drive ratio should be higher. IMO, at 80 MPH the VQ should be turning about 2,500 RPM and not almost 3,000.

 

IIRC, slightly over 2K pm is 50 mph and 4K was about 80. My wife's Honda Odyssey at 75 mph turns under 2K rpm.

 

I think you should go back and measure your 4k....becuz my 5spd was nowhere near 80 @ 4k

 

wow the 6th gen tranny is alot different than a 5.5....becuz my 5.5 gen is doing 92mph @ 3k....80mph is 2550rpms..

 

I'm doing it from memory. 70 mph is around 3050 rpm. 75 is around 3200 and 3500 is about 80, from memory. Still way too high rpm for long distance cruising for my taste.

 

The Esso Extra 0w30 synthetic oil that I am now running is thicker at operating temperature than Mobil 1 5w30 oil and consistently reports superior VOAs and UOAs according to what I have gleaned on BITOG. One member has run it in excess of 40,000 kilometres on his taxi fleet in the dead of winter in Saskatchewan and is upping the OCI.

 

remember folks --- every oil in existence - even fancy synthetic 0W30 - is way too thick when its cold to properly lubricate an engine. thats why it's bad to cold start and then jump on it right away. you must slowly warm up your car to minimize excessive wear while the oil is cold and thick.
for those who are thinking "then why don't the car companies spec 0W oil instead of 5W.." -- you are asking an insightful question. for answers, go study up at bobistheoilguy.com

 

5w-30 seems to wokr well here