Chimmike, you're right, that is a good thread. A lot of people picking that "article" apart ... on both sides. BITOGers are a cynical bunch and like to point out marketing hype and 'spin' in all its forms.
Thanks
Radioaktiv.
I do know oil better than most do-it-yourselfers, but I'm not up on mods done to the various Nissan motors and the effects they might have on something like oil. I'm sorta new to Nissan (this 2003 is my first although Mom had a '83 280ZX when it was new) and am getting to the age where I just don't bother hot-rodding so much anymore.
So anyway, I'll keep my comments pretty general. Unless you know you have a problem or know your oil's performance is falling short, I recommend 30 weight oils for nearly every street application: 0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30. Straight grades are seriously 'old school' and most people have no business using them anymore.
If you do a search on the net, you'll see writings of mine from 3-4+ years ago and I might have had some rotten things to say about Mobil 1 and I might've been speaking of Boy a lot has changed in the past few years. Mobil has improved their product and Valvoline has gone backwards ... and even lied to me personally about their formulations.
That was before BITOG.
Now, if you want to see how your current oil is holding up, you should consider doing periodic UOAs ... Used Oil Analyses, a lab test of a used sample. It'll show wear metals, additive levesl, contaminents and if the oil has thinned out ... or thickened.
Mobil 1 5W-30 should be fine for up to 5,000 miles in almost any street engine, easy. But in Texas, I'd switch to 10W-30 and hope that it stays 'in grade' (thickness) longer. That stuff will pump fine in sub zero temps. You aren't benefitting from the ultra cold weather performance offered by a synthetic 0W-30 or a 5W-30 and all things being equal, the wider-spread the oil has, the less stable it is and the more likely it is to thin out some ... even some synthetics, even during modest drain intervals.
Mobil 1 is very good, right now. But their formula from a few years ago (SJ TriSynthetic) left a lot to be desired.
Their racing oil is the same very good Mobil 1 formulation ... but with more additives. Not sure most applications really take advantage of these, however.
Want something really special and not too expensive? I use Schaeffer oils. The BITOG founder is a dealer ... although he's no longer active with the site. There might be a dealer in your area and you can get Schaeffer products on-line:
http://www.schaefferoil.com/
Look in their technical section for specifics. Their most popular high-performance oils are the Supreme 7000 synthetic blends. You can go 5,000 miles with their 5W-30 and the stuff, amazingly enough, STAYS IN GRADE. Not bad for $3 per quart. Most mass-market 5W-30 oils won't go half that distance before shearing down to a 20 weight.
If a good 30 weight oil isn't getting it done in your plant, I recommend stepping up to a 15W-40 HDMO (Heavy Duty Motor Oil). The dual gas/diesel oils are pretty tough and have a much more potent additive package than mass-market PCMOs (Passenger Car Motor Oils). More detergents, dispersants and (most importantly) more anti-wear barrier additives. :thumbup:
My current favorite brand (other than the Schaeffer blend) is the newest version of Chevron Delo400 with molybdenum.
