Anyone have any experience with the "SuperTech" walmart brand engine oil and other fluids? I just picked up two walmart-brand 32oz bottles of brake fluid.

If my car was a POS, I'd try their motor oil too. But I love my max too much to feed it anything other than Mobil 1.


-hokiemax-

for 30 bucks, walmart changes your motor oil w/ synthetic. I think that's the best deal i've seen yet.

Seriously? What type of synthetic? You sure it aint a sythetic blend?

dont use cheap oil, thats a no no

imho Mobil 1 is highly unnecessary for a Maxima. The rule of thumb is to use replacement parts that are equal or better than what came with the car. Since the Maxima did NOT come with synthetic oil, it's not necessary to use it. Changing synthetic oil every 5k is a great way to waste money. Is synth oil better? Yes, in every way, shape, and form. Overkill? Yes, imho.

It's very fascinating to me to see how successful Mobil 1's marketing has been in my lifetime. It's like feeding your dog filet mignon--you may think you're doing it a favor, but it's not optimal and costs alot more. Yes, it's a factory fill with Porsche, but not Nissan. A Max is gonna go beyond 200,000 miles easy even if you use Wal Mart oil (just make sure it's SL rated). Most people here change cars every 1-2 years, so what's the point of Mobil 1?

I personally like Kendall GT1 and have used their products since I starting driving (10 years). that's just my preference. But what a person should look for is the SL, energy conserving rating. Also use the viscosity that's stated in the owner's manual, often 5W30 nowadays. If it says 5W20, which is crazy, then use it. My .02 If you're rich, then pour in the Mobil 1!

Supertech synthetic at Wal-Mart is currently supplied by Quaker State and is similar to their own brand.

Changing Mobil 1 every 5k is hardly overkill for most of the people on this board. If you drive like a grandma and change your dino oil very frequently, you won't really have a problem. Drive like most people on this board, do lots of cold starts and short trips and a high quality synthetic will easily pay for itself over 5k intervals.

If you think Nissan is looking out for your best interests in their recommendations and what the car comes from the factory with, you need a reality check. They are in the business of selling cars, not helping consumers make them last as long as possible. It's curious how think conventional oil is okay because Nissan ships it's cars with it, yet you have a lot of posts complaining about Nissan quality and how you don't want another one.

I also find it intriguing that you choose to use Kendall's products when the same argument can be made that they are overkill. You said any SL rated oil should be fine, why not use the cheapest SL oil you can find rather than pay extra for something that you claim has no added advantage? Kind of contradictory.

This is the kind of thinking that the automakers are hoping for. If you think a 20 wt. oil is okay because they so, you will find out the hard way that they definitely don't have the consumers interests in mind here.

Have you taken any courses in philosophy? (don't know if you're in high school or college so don't take offense)?

Honda recommends 5W20--the car comes factory filled with it and when you get your service done, guess what? That's what's going in. What's this conspiracy theory of yours where they don't have consumer's interests in mind, are you watching some X-Files marathon or looking for something to believe?

I have observed people going from a 4th gen to a 5th gen to a SC 4th gen to a 350Z on this forum, while during the same time period I only changed my underwear about 135 times. They don't keep anything long enough to appreciate any benefit from Mobil 1 (actually over 200,000 you'll probably see no benefit). You don't have to use Mobil 1, it's not a test of manhood. I think you may have something though with your conspiracy theory. Might wanna get with Stephen J. Cannell.....

No, I skipped philosophy. I'm actually past college and my degree was technical so it wasn't a requirement.

I can see your point on some people switching cars frequently, but there are many others on this board who will have the car for the long haul. Not everyone here are kids, though it seems that way because they post more often.

Ford and Honda went to a 5W-20 to boost their CAFE averages. The average consumer isn't going to notice a difference in fuel mileage, but the corporate average helps. If the average is higher, they can sell more trucks without penalty. Since Ford sells tons of trucks, it's easy to see why they did it. Honda is also trying to sell larger vehicles liek the Element and Pilot. Using a 20 wt. based oil in a harsh environment (anything but open road) has an effect on longevity of the motor. The automakers only have to design something that lasts long enough for most consumers expectations. They have no interest in making something that will hold up forever. I've seen the analysis results on 5W-20's first hand. They are only good for light service and very short intervals. If you want to crawl under a Honda every 2500 miles and try to change those filters be my guest. I have better things to do with my time.

Can a VQ make it to 200k on conventional? Yes. The odds are it will have more issues getting there and the question is how much longer will it last. At least using a good synthetic will result in less oil consumption at that mileage, something I know you care a lot about.

what's CAFE?

Corporate Average Fuel Economy

It's a goverment reg that all car makers must meet. But, there are so many loophole, that it's useless.

do you honestly think Nissan wants you to keep your Maxima for ever? They want you to be happy with it but they also want you to buy another car from them. IF cars were done right without being selfish companys they are. We woudlnt have rust problems, air bags would be everywhere and mechanical error would be less to none. But they use cheap parts that will only do the job for a while. Go look at the brand new Nissans rolling off the trucks. Look at their craftsmanship, they are junk. The New Altime??? crap like wouldnt believe. Yes some people change cars all the time, but eventually those cars will be driven by someone to the point of death

I can second this statement. But let me modify...extremely similar to their own brand. Also their paint is supplied via Sherman Williams.

Also, they have Mobile 1 at Wal-Mart..go pick some up. I give my car what I can to help it run at it's best: Highest octane gas...best performing motor oil.

Yes but like iwannabmw said alot of people on this board use it because of Mods they have done to their car.

Like if you have a turbo or supercharger, you want to be using synthetic oil.

I don't think Nissan thinks that far ahead, they are thankful towards anyone who purchases a Maxima. With rebates from $1000-$2500 for 6 years running, just use your noggin', they're not out to sc*** potential buyers. They're looking to move the cars off the lots. People who are scared to ask for $4500-$6500 off list and think the $21995 for 255 HP SE ads are fake are blessings to their disguise. But to say "how can I save $20 on my clears" and waste endless coyne on Mobil 1 is pretty weird unless it's your parents' dough.

So does lighter weight oil mean decreased life? 5w20 v 5w30?

If you used a 5W-20 in a Maxima instead of a 5W-30, your car wouldn't last as long.

It's kinda odd to see these types of threads since the "stickies" have alot of info. It's also kinda odd to see rehashed debate about oils etc. People have their opinions I guess. Sythentics might be overkill to some but it just depends on how you want to care for your car. REGULAR oil changes w/ dino oil(provided it's the correct brand/viscosity) is fine. But synthetics provide much better PROTECTION over normal oil.

Frank,

To have been a member here a while, the degree of ignorance in your statements is sad.

As my oil spreadsheet clearly illustrates, even Mobil 1 can be ready for changing in as short as 4 to 5,000 miles. The baseline differences alone between just conventional dino oils puts to rest the myth of just grabbing any dino oil off the shelf and using it. There are some stark differences between even the major brands.


As for the 5W/20, it's fine to use it if you don't want more than 50k or so on your motor. Obviously, Honda and Ford have researched as to the long term effects of using such thin vicosity oils in their current engines and it has shown them that warranty needs from customers would not significantly increase in that warranted time period so it's beneficial for them from a corporate fuel standpoint. The contention that Nissan or anyone else uses the best on your vehicle from the factory is just ignorant of how a business operates.

The analysis results on 5W/20 oils are outright scary.



As for the original question on SuperTech, their oil filters are made by Champion Labs and are identical in design and construction to the Mobil 1 and Bosch oil filters. However, the filter media is a synthetic but is optimally rated for 20 microns, while Mobil 1's is optimally rated for 10 microns. I personally use the SuperTechs on other vehicles, but not on the Maxima due to only one size (ST6607) being available. I consider it too small of a filter to do an adequate job.

SuperTech's conventional and synthetic oils are OK to use. The synthetic is a Class III aka Castrol Syntec type formulation. No reason to think it won't be adequate, but I wouldn't do any intervals beyond 5k with it.

Don't you think that Nissan would be concerned with their reliability ratings.. Say if a car's engine dies at 100k miles because the oil Nissan recommended was not good enough. Then a lot of people would complain, Nissan's reliability ratings would go down, and their reputation would be trashed. You don't think Nissan would pick the best oil, say 5w30, because they know it would make the engine last as long as possible?

Obviously synthetic oil is better for your engine, but some of us cant justify spending the extra money on it when the benefits are mostly long-term, and I don't plan on keeping my car that long.

I think it's a fine line between how long the average consumer expects the car to last and the design life of the car.

I wasn't implying that using a conventional oil is a bad choice and your car won't last long if you don't use a synthetic. There are many Maxima's run on conventional oil that have made it to 200K, so reliability isn't an issue in this case. That still doesn't mean that a conventional 5W-30 is the BEST choice simply because it comes from the factory with it.